ÐÏà¡±á>þÿ IKþÿÿÿ,-./0123456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿì¥Á#` ð¿…Ãbjbj\.\. 4Ê>D>DêŒÿÿÿÿÿÿ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¸\Y\Y\Y\Y$€\\¸gg¶èaèaèaèaèaèaèaèaBeDeDeDeDeDeDe$hh…jfhe¹¤.cèaèa.c.che¤¤èaèa!g&e&e&e.c´¤èa¤èaBe&e.cBe&e&e¤¤&eèaÜa`T–<<Ç\Yâd.&eBe7g0gg&eëjeëj&eëj¤&eèa0b"&e:bVbØèaèaèaheheeèaèaèagg.c.c.c.c¸¸¸¤U\Y¸¸¸\Y¸¸¸¤¤¤¤¤¤ÿÿÿÿCOMMENTARIES THE PEOPHET JEEEMIAH THE LAMENTATIONS VOL. IV COMMENTARIES BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEREMIAH THE LAMENTATIONS BY JOHN CALVIN TRANSLATED PROM THE LATIN, AND EDITED BY THE REV. JOHN OWEN, VICAR OF THRUSSINGTON, AND RURAL DEAN, tEICESTERSHIBE VOLUME FOURTH BAKER BOOK HOUSE Grand Rapids, Michigan COMMENTARIES THE PROPHET JEREIIAH. CHAPTEE XXX. 1. The word that came to Jere- 1. Sermo qui fuit ad Jeremiam a miah from the Lord, saying, Jehova dicendo, 2. Thus speaketh the Lord God 2. Sic dicit Jehova, Deus Israel, of Israel, saying, Write thee all the dicendo, Scribe tibi omnes sermones words that I have spoken unto thee quos loquutus sum ad te in libro: in a book. 3. For, lo, the days come, saith 3. Quoniam ecce dies veniunt, the Lord, that I will bring again the dicit Jehova, et reducam captivita-captivity of my people Israel and tem populi mei Israel et Jehudah, Judah, saith the Lord; and I will dicit Jehovah; et reducam eos in cause them to return to the land terram quam dedi patribus ipsorum that I gave to their fathers, and they et possidebunt earn. shall possess it. This and the next chapter contain, as we shall see, a most profitable truth; and that the people might be the more attentive, God introduced these prophecies by a preface. Jeremiah spoke many things which afterwards, as it has elsewhere appeared, had been collected and inserted in one volume by the priests and Levites ; but God reminds us in these words, that the prophecies which are to follow respecting the liberation of the people, were especially to be remembered. There is, however, another circumstance to be noticed. We have seen that such was the stubbornness of the people, that Jeremiah spent his labour among them in vain, for he addressed the deaf, or rather stocks and stones, for they were so possessed by stupor that they understood nothing, for God had even blinded them, a judgment which they fully deserved. Such was the condition of the people. We must further bear in mind the comparison between the 6 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXI1I. doctrine of Jeremiah and the fables of those who fed the miserable people with flatteries, by giving them the hope of a return after two years. God knew what would be the event; but the people ceased not to entertain hope and to boast of a return at the end of two years. Thus they despised God's favour, for seventy years was a long period : " What! God indeed promises a return, but after seventy years who of us will be alive ? Hardly one of us will be found then remaining, therefore so cold a promise is nothing to us." They, at the same time, as I have said, were filled with a false confidence, as with wind, and behaved insolently towards God and his prophets, as though they were to return sound and safe in a short time. But profane men always run to extremes; at one time they are inflated with pride, that is, when things go on prosperously, or when a hope of prosperity appears, and they carry themselves proudly against God, as though nothing adverse could happen to them ; then when hope and false conceit disappoint them, they are wholly disheartened, so that they will receive no comfort, but plunge into the abyss of despair. God saw that this would be the case with the people, except he came to their aid. Hence he proposes here the best and the fittest remedy—that the Prophet, as he had effected nothing by speaking, should write and convert as it were into deeds or acts what he had spoken,1 so that after the lapse of two years they might gather courage, and afterwards acknowledge that they had been deceived by unprincipled men, and thus justly suffered for their levity, so that they might at length begin to look to God and embrace the promised liberation, and not wholly despond. This, then, is the reason why the Prophet was commanded to write the words which he had before declared with his mouth. Now, as we understand the design of God, let us learn 1 " In a book:" the ?S before " book" is in some copies ?!?, as in other places when preceded by " write." It may be more literally rendered, " on a roll;" but if ?N be retained, the rendering may be, " for a record," or memorial. Venema thinks that these two chapters were written after the destruction of Jerusalem, and that as there were no people to be addressed, Jeremiah was bidden to commit to writing what he had often previously delivered by word of mouth.—Ed. CHAP. XXX. 1-3. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 7 that when it happens that we go astray and wander after false imaginations, we are not on that account to cast away the hope of salvation ; for we see that God here stretches forth his hand to those who had erred, and who had even wilfully cast themselves into ruin, for they had been more than enough admonished and warned by true and faithful prophets; their ears they had stopped ; their hearts they had hardened; and yet when they had sought as it were designedly to ruin themselves, we see how God still recalled them to himself. He says that God had commanded him to write in a book all the words which he had heard; and the reason follows, For, behold, come shall the days, saith Jehovah, in whichl will restore the captivity of my people Israel and Judah.1 There is to be understood a contrast between the restoration mentioned here and that of which the false prophets had prattled when they animated the people with the hope of a return in a short time; for, as I have said, that false expectation, when the Jews sought unseasonably to return to their own country, was a sort of mental inebriety. But when they found that they had been deceived, despair only remained for them. Hence the Prophet recalls them here to a quietness of mind, even that they might know that God would prove faithful after they found out that they had rashly embraced what impostors had of themselves proclaimed. We then see that there is here an implied comparison between the sure and certain deliverance which God had promised, and the false and stolid hope with which the people had been inebriated : come, then, shall the days. Now it appears that two years had taken away every expectation; for they believed the false prophets who said that God would restore them in two years ; after the end of that time all the hope of the people failed. Therefore the Prophet here removes that erroneous 1 The words literally are, " For behold the days coming, saith Jehovah, when I shall restore the migration of my people, Israel and Judah, saith Jehovah; and I will restore them to the land which I gave to their fathers, and they shall inherit it." To render 1 when, when preceded by a participle, is what may be done, and ought, in my view, to be commonly done. The word nntJ> means a migration, as given in the Targum, rather than captivity. It is rendered by the Sept. x«mxia, removal from home.—Ed. 8 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXIII. impression which had been made on their minds, and he says that the days would come in which God would redeem his people ; and thus he indirectly derides the folly of the people, and condemns the impiety of those who had dared to promise so quick a return. We now, then, see why he says, come shall the days; for every hope after two years would have been extinguished, had not God interposed. Come, then, shall the days in which I will restore the captivity of Israel and Judah. The ten tribes, we know, had been already led into exile ; the tribe of Judah and the half tribe of Benjamin only remained. Hence the ten tribes, the whole kingdom of Israel, are mentioned first. The exile of Israel was much longer than that of Judah. It afterwards follows,— 4. And these are the words 4. Hi vero sunt sermones quos loquu-that the Lord spake concerning tus est Jehova de Israele et Jehudah (yel, Israel, and concerning Judah. ad Israelem et ad Jehudah:) 5. For thus saith the Lord, 5. Certe ita dicit Jehova, Vocem trepi-"We have heard a voice of trem- dationis audivimus, pavorem et non pacem bling, of fear, and not of peace, (yel, pavoris et non pacis.) 6. Ask ye now, and see 6. Inquirite et aspicite an pariat mas-whether a man doth travail culus? quare video cunctos viros manibus with child ? wherefore do I see suis super lumbos tanquam parturiens every man with his hands on (so\et mji\ier,subaudiendume3t, u«/!,sicuti his loins, as a woman in travail, solet mulier parturiens,) et converse sunt and all faces are turned into omnes facies in pallorem (vel, in aurigi-paleness? nem, ut alii vertunt, sed nomen palloris melius wwoenitT) Both Jews and Christians pervert this passage, for they apply it to the time of the Messiah ; and when they hardly agree as to any other part of Scripture, they are wonderfully united here ; but, as I have said, they depart very far from the real meaning of the Prophet. They all consider this as a prophecy referring to the time of the Messiah ; but were any one wisely to view the whole context, he would readily agree with me that the Prophet includes here the sum of the doctrine which the people had previously heard from his mouth. In the first clause he shews that he had spoken of God's vengeance, which rested on the people. But it is briefly that this clause touches on that point, because the object was chiefly to alleviate the sorrow of the afflicted people; for the reason ought ever to CHAP. XXX. 4-6. COMMENTARIES OM JEREMIAH. 9 be borne in mind why the Prophet had been ordered to commit to writing the substance of what he had taught, which was, to supply with some comfort the exiles, when they had found out by experience that they had been extremely perverse, having for so long a time never changed nor turned to repentance. The Prophet had before spoken at large of the vices of the people, and many times condemned their obstinacy, and also pointed out the grievous and dreadful punishment that awaited them. The Prophet then had in many a discourse reproved the people, and had been commanded daily to repeat the same thing, though not for his own sake, nor mainly for the sake of those of his own age, or of the old. But after God had destroyed the Temple and the city, his object was to sustain their distressed minds, which must have otherwise been overwhelmed with despair. This, then, is the reason why the Prophet here touches but slightly on the vengeance which awaited the people. There is, however, as we shall see, great force in this brevity; but he is much fuller as to the second part, and for this end, that the people might not succumb under their calamities, but hope in the midst of death, and even begin to hope while suffering the punishment which they deserved. Now he says, Thys saith Jehovah, A cry, or, the voice of trembling, or of fear, have we heard. The word nTlH, cherede, is thought to mean properly that dread which makes the whole body to tremble, and is therefore rendered trembling. God speaks, and yet in the person of the people. Why ? In order to expose their insensibility; for as they were obstinate in their wickedness, so they were not terrified by threatenings, however many and dreadful. God dictated words for them, for they were altogether void of feeling. We now see why God assumed the person of those who were secure, though Jeremiah daily represented to them God's vengeance as near at hand. The meaning is, that though the people were asleep in their sins, and thought themselves beyond the reach of danger, even when God was displeased with them, yet the threatenings by which Gfod sought to lead them to repentance would not be in vain. Hence God says, We have heard the voice of fear ; that is, " Deride and scoff 10 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT.CXIII. as you please, or remain insensible in your delusions, so as to disregard as the drunken what is said, being destitute of feeling, reason, and memory, yet God will extort from you this confession, this voice of trembling and fear." He then adds, and not of peace. This is emphatically subjoined, that the Prophet might shake off from the people those foolish delusions with which they were imbued by the false prophets. He then says, that they in vain hoped for peace, for they could not flee from terror and fear. He enhances this fear by saying, Inquire and see whether a man is in labour ? Some one renders this absurdly, " Whether a man begets 1" by which mistake he has betrayed a defect of judgment as well as ignorance; he was indeed learned in Hebrew, but ignorant of Latin, and also void of judgment. For the Prophet here speaks of something monstrous ; but it is natural for a man to beget. He asks here ironically, " Can a man be in labour V because God would put all men in such pains and agonies, as though they were women travailing with child. As, then, women exert every nerve and writhe in anguish when bringing forth draws nigh, so also men, all the men, would have their hands laid on their loins, on account of their terror and dread. Then he says, and all faces are turned into paleness; that is, God would terrify them all. We now understand the meaning of the Prophet; for as the Jews did not believe God's judgment, it was necessary, as the Prophet does here, to storm their hardness. If he had used a common mode of speaking, they would not have been moved. Hence he had respect to their perverseness ; and it was on this account that he was so vehement. Inquire, then, he says, and see whether a man is in labour ? God would bring all the men to a condition not manly, such as that of a woman in labour, when in her last effort to bring forth, when her pain is the greatest and the most bitter. Men would then be driven into a state the most unbecoming, strange, and monstrous. It follows:— 7. Alas! for that day is 7. Heus, quia magnus hie dies a non esse great, so that none is like sicut ipsum (hoc est, ut non sit similis, ut nun-it ; it is even the time of quam fuerit similis,) et tempus afflictionis OHAP. XXX. 1. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 11 Jacob's trouble: but he (yel, angustiee) hoc ipsi Jacob (hoe est, populo shall be saved out of it. Israelitico,) et ab ea servabitur. The Prophet goes on in this verse to describe the griev-ousness of that punishment for which the people felt no concern, for they disregarded all threatenings, as I have already said, and had now for many years hardened themselves so as to deem as nothing so many dreadful things. This, then, was the reason why he dwelt so much on this denunciation, and exclaimed, Alas! great is that day: "great" is to be taken for dreadful; and he adds, so that there is none like it. It was a dreadful spectacle to see the city destroyed, and the Temple partly pulled down and partly consumed by fire : the king, with all the nobility, was driven into exile, his eyes were put out, and his children were slain ; and he was afterwards led away in a manner so degraded, that to die a hundred times would have been more desirable than to endure such indignity. Hence the Prophet does not say without reason, that that day would be great, so that none would be like it: and he said this, to shake away the torpidity of the people, for they thought that the holy city, which God had chosen for his habitation, could not fall, nor the Temple perish. He further says, that it would be a time of distress to the people. But at the end of the verse he gives them a hope of God's mercy, even deliverance from this distress. We now, then, see the design of the Prophet in these verses.1—There will be no Lecture to-morrow on account of the Consistory. 1 " That day" in this verse, and " that day" in the following verse, seem to be the same. Then *lfl must not be rendered "Alas," but "Ho!" or " Hark I" according to its most common meaning. The passage from verse the 4th to the end of this, including the beginning of the 8th, may be thus rendered,— 4. Even these are the words which Jehovah hath said respecting Israel and respecting Judab: 5. Verily thus hath Jehovah said— (The voice of trembling have we heard, Of fear and not of peace: 6. Ask ye now and see, Does a man travail with child ? How is it ? I see every man With his hands on his loins like a woman in travail, And turned are all faces to paleness:) 7. Hark! for great shall be that day, none like it; 12 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXIV. PRAYER. Grant, Almighty God, that as we cease not in various ways perversely to provoke thy wrath against us, — O grant that we may at length be turned to obedience by thy kind admonitions, and at the same time submit also to thy just severity, and know that whenever thou severely chastisest us, we are dealt with as we deserve: may we yet never despond, but flee to thy mercy, not doubting but that thou in the midst of wrath rememberest thy paternal love, provided we rely on that favour which thou hast promised to us through thine only-begotten Son.—Amen. 8. For it shall come to pass in that day, 8. Et erit die illo, dicit Jehova saith the Lord of hosts, that I will break exercituum, confringam jugum his yoke from off thy neck, and will a collo tuo, et vincula tua dis- burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no rumpam et non adigent amplius more serve themselves of him: euro ad servitutem alieni: Jeremiah proceeds with what he touched upon in the last verse, even that the Lord, after having chastised his people, would at length shew mercy to them, so as to receive them into favour. He says, in short, that their captivity would not be perpetual. But we must remember what we have before stated, that is, that deliverance is only promised to the faithful, who would patiently and resignedly submit to God and not disregard his paternal correction. If, then, we desire God to be propitious to us, we must suffer ourselves to be paternally chastised by him; for if we resist when goaded, no pardon can by any means be expected, for we then, as it were, wilfully provoke God by our hardness. He therefore says, in that day, that is, when the appointed time was completed. The false prophets inflamed the people with false expectation, as though their deliverance was to take place after two years. God bade the faithful to wait, and not to be thus in a hurry ; he had assigned a day for Though a time of distress shall be to Jacob, Yet from it shall he be saved: 8. And it shall be in that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, That I shall break, &c. &c. The parenthesis accounts for what is said at the end of the 7th verse, and is intended as a contrast with the great day of deliverance that is promised__Ed. CHAP. XXX. 9. COMMENTARIES ON JEKEMIAH. 13 them, and that was, as we have seen, the seventieth year. He then mentions the yoke, that is, of the king of Babylon, and taking another view, the chains. The yoke was what Nebuchadnezzar laid on the Jews; and the chains of the people were those by which Nebuchadnezzar had bound them. At last he adds, And rule over them shall no more strangers. The verb 12$, obed, is to be taken here in a causative sense; even the form of the sentence shews this, and they who render the words, " and strangers shall not serve them," wrest the meaning; for it could not be a promise; and this is inconsistent with the context, and requires no confutation, as it is evidently unsuitable. If the verb be taken in the sense of serving, then " strangers" must be in the dative case. We have seen before a similar phrase in chap. xxv. 14, where the Prophet says that neither kings nor strong nations would any longer rule over the Jews. The same verb is used, and the same form of expression. Strangers, then, shall make them serve no more ; that is, they shall not rule over them so as slavishly to oppress them.1 We now perceive the design of the Prophet; he exhorts the Jews to patience, and shews that though their exile would be long, yet their deliverance was certain. It follows,— 9. But they shall serve the Lord their 9. Et servient Jehovse Deo God, and David their king, whom I will suo et Davidi regi suo quem raise up unto them. suscitabo ipsis. The former promise would have been defective had not this clause been added ; for it would not be enough for men to live as they please, and to have liberty promised them, except a regular order be established. It would, indeed, be better for us to be wild beasts, and to wander in forests, than 1 I render the verse as follows,— 8. And it shall be in that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, That I shall break his yoke from thy neck, And thy chains will I burst: And make him to serve shall strangers no more: 9. But serve shall they Jehovah, &c. The transition from the second to the third person, " thy" and " him," and from the singular to the plural, " him" and " they," is very common in the Prophets. On the last line in the 8th verse, see vol. iii., note in p. 361.— Ed. 14 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXIV. to live without government and laws; for we know how furious are the passions of men. Unless, therefore, there be some restraint, the condition of wild beasts would be better and more desirable than ours. Liberty, then, would ever bring ruin with it, were it not bridled and connected with regular government. I therefore said that this verse was added, that the Jews might know that God cared for their welfare ; for he promises that nothing would be wanting to them. It is then a true and real happiness, when not only liberty is granted to us, but also when God prescribes to us a certain rule and sets up good order, that there may be no confusion. Hence Jeremiah, after having promised a return to the people into their own country, and promised also that the yoke would be shaken off from their neck, makes this addition, that having served strangers they would be now under the government of God and of their own king. Now this subjection is better than all the ruling powers of the world ; that is, when God is pleased to rule over us, and undertakes the care of our safety, and performs the office of a Governor. We hence see that the design of the Prophet was to comfort the faithful, not only with the promise of liberty, but also with this addition, that in order that nothing might be wanting to their complete happiness, God himself would rule over them. Serve, then, shall they their God. The word king is added, because God designed that his people should be governed by a king, not that the king would sit in the place of God, but added as his minister. Now this was said a long time after the death of David; for David was dead many years before Jeremiah was born : nor did he live again in order that he might rule over the people; but the name of David is to be taken here for any one that might succeed him. Now, as God had made a covenant with David, and promised that there would be always one of his posterity to sit on his throne, hence the Prophet here, in mentioning David, refers to all the kings until Christ: and yet no one after that time succeeded him, for the kingdom was abolished before the death of Jeremiah ; and when the people returned into CHAP. XXX. 9. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 15 their own country there was no regal power, for Zerubbabel obtained only a precarious dignity, and by degrees that royal progeny vanished away ; and though there were seventy chosen from the seed of David, yet there was no sceptre, no crown, no throne. It is therefoi'e necessary to apply this prophecy to Christ; for the crown was broken and trodden under foot, as Ezekiel says, until the lawful king came. He intimated that there was no king to be for a long time, when he said, " Cast down, cast down, cast down the crown." (Ezek. xxi. 27.) He therefore commanded the name of a king to be abolished, together with all its symbols, and that not for a short time but for ages, even until he came forth who had a just right to the crown or the royal diadem. We hence see that this passage cannot be otherwise explained than by referring to Christ, and that he is called David, as the Jews were always wont to call him before Christ appeared in the world; for they called the Messiah, whom they expected, the Son of David. We now understand the meaning of the Prophet. But we may hence gather a very useful doctrine, even this,—that nothing is better for us than to be in subjection to God; for our liberty would become that of wild beasts were God to allow us to live according to our own humour and inclinations. Liberty, then, will ever be destructive to us, until God undertakes the care of us, and prepares and forms us, that we may bear his yoke. Hence, when we obey God, we possess true and real happiness. When, therefore, we pray, let us learn not to separate these two things which ought necessarily to be joined together, even that God would deliver us from the tyranny of the ungodly, and also that he would himself rule over us. And this doctrine is suitable to our time: for if God were now only to break down the tyranny of the Pope and deliver his own people, and suffer them to wander here and there, so as to allow every one to follow his own will as his law, how dreadful would be the confusion! It is better that the devil should rule men under any sort of government, than that they should be set free without any law, without any restraint. Our time, indeed, sufficiently proves, that these two things have not, without reason, been 16 COMMENTARIES ON JEEEMIAH. LECT. OXIV. joined together; that is, that God would become the liberator of his people, so as to shake off the yoke of miserable bondage and to break their chains, and also that he would be a king to govern his people. But we ought also carefully to notice what follows,—that God would not otherwise govern his Church than by a king. He designed to give an instance, or a prelude, of this very thing under the Law, when he chose David and his posterity. But to us especially belongs this promise; for the Jews, through their ingratitude, did not taste of the fruit of this promise: God deprived them of this invaluable benefit, which they might justly and with certainty have expected. As the favour which they have lost has now been transferred to us, what Jeremiah teaches here, as I have said, properly belongs to us ; that is, that God is not our king except we obey Christ, whom he has set over us, and by whom he would have us to be governed. Whosoever, then, boast that they willingly bear the yoke of God, and at the same time reject the yoke of Christ, are condemned by this very prophecy; for it is not God's will to rule uninterveniently, so to speak, his Church ; but his will is that Christ, called here David, should be king; unless, indeed, we accuse Jeremiah of stating an untruth, we must apply the word David to the person of Christ. Since it is so, God then will not otherwise rule over us than by Christ, even to the end of the world; we must obey him and render him service. He adds, Whom I will raise up. It was also the office and work of God to raise up Christ, according to what is said in the second Psalm, " I have anointed my King." We must always come to the fountain of God's mercy, if we would enjoy the blessings of Christ, according to what is said, " God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.'' We shall, indeed, find in Christ whatever is necessary for our salvation; but whence have we Christ, except from the infinite goodness of God ? When he pitied us, he designed to save us by his only begotten Son. Salvation then is laid up for us in Christ, and is not to be sought anywhere else: but we ought- ever to remember that this salvation flows from the mercy of God, so that Christ is to be viewed as a testi- CHAP. XXX. 10. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 1 7 mony and a pledge of God's paternal favour towards us. This is the reason why the Prophet expressly adds, that God would raise up a king to rule over his people. It follows— 10. Therefore fear them not, 0 my 10. Et tu ne timeas, Jacob, serve servant Jacob, saith the Lord; nei- mi, dicit Jehova, et ne paveas, Is-ther be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, rael, quia ecce ego servans te a lon-I will save thee from afar, and thy ginquo, et semen tuum e terra cap-seed from the land of their captivity; tivitatis eorum ; et sedebit Jacob et and Jacob shall return, and shall be quiescet et tranquillus erit, et nemo in rest, and be quiet, and none shall exterrebit (nemo exterrens, ad ver-make him afraid. bum.) The Prophet enforces his doctrine by an exhortation; for it would not be sufficient simply to assure us of God's paternal love and goodwill, unless we were encouraged to hope for it, because experience teaches us how backward and slow we are to embrace the promises of God. This, then, is the reason why the Prophet exhorts and encourages the faithful to entertain hope. Were there in us that promptitude and alacrity which we ought to have, we should be content even with one word; for what can be wished for beyond God's testimony respecting his favour ? But our listlessness renders many goads necessary. Hence, when doctrine precedes, it is necessary to add exhortations to stimulate us; and these confirm the doctrine, so that the grace of God may flourish effectually in our hearts. He addresses "Jacob" and "Israel;" but they mean the same, as in many other places. These duplicates, as they are called, are common, we know, in the Hebrew language; for the same words are repeated for the sake of emphasis. So, in this passage, there is more force when Jeremiah mentions two names, than if he had said only, " Fear not thou, Jacob, and be not afraid." He then says, Fear not thou, Jacob; and Israel, be not thou afraid} And he does this, that the Jews might remember that God had not only been once propitious to their father Jacob, but many times ; for from the 1 The word is stronger than " fear;" it means to be broken down in mind, to be dispirited, so as to give up all hope. The distance, mentioned in the following clause, was calculated to dispirit them, and they feared lest their children should continue in bondage. Hence it is said, " Fear not," that is, as to a final return; and " be not dispirited," or disheartened, with respect to the distance. The order, as is commonly the case, is reversed.—Ed. 18 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXIV. womb he bore a symbol of that primogeniture which God had destined for him ; and he afterwards had, for the sake of honour, the name of Israel given to him. As, then, God had in various ways, and in succession, manifested his goodness to Jacob, the people might hence entertain more hope. He calls him his servant; not that the Jews were worthy of so honourable a title ; but God had regard to himself, and his gratuitous adoption, rather than to their merits. He did not then call them servants, because they were obedient, for we know how contumaciously they rejected both God and his Prophets ; but because he had adopted them. So when David says, " I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid, (Ps. cxvi. 16;) he does not boast of his obedience, nor claim to himself any deserving virtue, but, on the contrary, declares, that before he was created in the womb, he was God's servant through his gratuitous adoption. Hence, he adds, " I am the son of thine handmaid," as though he had said, " I belong to thee by an hereditary right, because I am descended from that nation which thou hast been pleased to choose for thy peculiar people." We now then see that the name servant, ought not to be understood as intimating the merits of the people, and that their obedience is not here commended, as though they had truly and faithfully responded to the call of God, but that their gratuitous adoption is alone extolled. He adds, Behold, I will save thee from far. He first declares that he would be ready to save the people when the suitable time came; for behold here intimates certainty. And he subjoins, from far, lest the people should fail in their confidence; for they had been driven into distant exile; and distance is a great obstacle. Were any one to promise to us an advantageous retreat, without calling us away to some unknown country, we could more easily embrace the promise; but were any one to say, " I promise to you the largest income in Syria, and you shall have there whatever may be deemed necessary to make your life happy;" would you not reply, " What! shall I pass over the sea, that I may live there ? it is better for me to live here in comparative poverty than to be a king there." As, then, a difficulty might CHAP. XXX. 10. COMMENTAKIES ON JEREMIAH. 19 have presented itself to the Jews, when they saw that they had been driven away into very remote countries, the Prophet adds, that this circumstance would be no obstacle so as to prevent God to save them : / will save you then from far; as though he had said, that his hands were long enough, so that he could extend them as far as Chaldea, and draw them from thence. He then adds, and thy seed from the land of their captivity. As the expectation of seventy years was long, God refers what he promises to their seed. There is no doubt but that the Prophet reminded the Jews, that the time determined by God was to be waited for in patience, as was the case with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for though they knew that they would be strangers in the land which God had promised them, yet they did not on that account despise or disregard the favour promised them. Abraham received in faith what he had heard from God's mouth, " I will give thee this land;" and yet he knew that he would be there a stranger and a sojourner. (Gen. xii. 7.) His children had to exercise the same patience. Abraham had indeed been warned of a very long delay; for God had declared that his seed would be in bondage for four hundred years. (Gen. xv. IS.) Here, then, the Prophet exhorts the people of his time to entertain hope, according to the example of their father, and not to despise God's favour, because its fruit did not immediately appear; for Abraham did not enjoy the land as long as he lived, and yet he preferred it to his own country ; Isaac did the same; and Jacob followed the example of his fathers. This, then, is the reason why the Prophet mentions seed, as though he had said, " If the fruit of redemption will not come to you, yet God will not disappoint your hope, for your posterity shall find that he is true and faithful." If any one had then objected, and said, " What is that to me ?" the objection would have been preposterous; for why had God promised to their posterity a return to their own country ? was it not thus to testify his love towards them ? And whence came their freedom, and whence God's paternal love, except from the covenant ? "We hence see that the sal- 20 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXIV. vation of the fathers was included in the benefit which their sons enjoyed. And therefore, though the fruition of that benefit was not visibly granted to the fathers, yet they partook in part of the fruit, for it was made certain to them, that God would become the deliverer of his people even in death itself. He adds that which is the main thing in a happy life, that they would be at rest and in a quiet state, so that none would terrify them j1 for a return to their own country would not have been of any great importance, without a quiet possession of it. Hence the Prophet, after having said that God would come to save the people, and that distance would not prevent him to fulfil and complete what he had promised, now adds, that this benefit would be confirmed, for God would no more allow strangers to lead the Jews into exile, or to rule over them as they had done. God then promises here the continuance of his favour. But as this did not happen to the Jews, we must again conclude that this prophecy cannot be otherwise interpreted than of Christ's kingdom. And Daniel is the best interpreter of this matter; for he says, that the people were to be exposed to many miseries and calamities after their return, and that they were not to hope to build the Temple and the city except in great troubles. The Jews then were always terrified. We also know, that while building the Temple, they held the trowel in one hand and the sword in the other, for they often had to bear the assaults of their enemies. (Neh. iv. 17.) Since, then, the Jews ever suffered inquietude until the coming of Christ, it follows, that until his coming, this promise was never accomplished. Then the benefit of which the Prophet speaks here is peculiar to the kingdom of Christ. Now, since from the time Christ was 1 Calvin renders 3C, " dwell," as though it came from 3B*, but most render it " return," as in our version. Then, " to be at rest," and " in a quiet state," are not sufficiently distinct. I render the clause thus,— And return shall Jacob and be at rest. And secure shall he be, and none making him afraid. Security is freedom from disturbance: " he shall be prosperous," as rendered by some, is by no means suitable. " Jacob," being the father of the twelve patriarchs, is to be understood as including both Israel and Judah, according to the 4th verse.—Ed. CHAP. XXX. 11. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 21 manifested to the world, we see that the world has been agitated by many storms, yea, all things have been in confusion ; it follows, that this passage cannot be explained of external rest and earthly tranquillity. It ought, therefore, to be understood according to the character of his kingdom. As, then, Christ's kingdom is spiritual, it follows that a tranquil and quiet state is promised here, not because no enemies shall disturb us or offer us molestation, but because we shall especially enjoy peace with God, and our life shall be safe, being protected by the hand and guardianship of God. Then spiritual tranquillity is what is to be understood here, the fruit of which the faithful experience in their own consciences, though always assailed by the world, according to what Christ says, " My peace I give to you, not such as the world gives," (John xiv. 27;) and again, " In the world ye shall have tribulation ; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John xvi. 33.) It follows— 11. For I own with thee, saith 11. Quoniam ego tecum, dicit Jehova, the Lord, to save thee : though ad servandum te; nam faciam consumpti-I make a full end of all nations onem in cunctis gentibus, ad quas disper-whither I have scattered thee, gam te illuc; atqui tecum non faciam con-yet will I not make a full end sumptionem, et castigabo te in judicio, et of thee; but I will correct thee mundando non mundabo te (vel, purgando in measure, and will not leave non purgabo te, vel, succidendo non suc-thee altogether unpunished. cidam te: dicemus postea de verbo.) He repeats in other words what we have already stated, but for the purpose of giving fuller support to trembling and wavering minds. God then promises that he would be present with his people to save them. Now as this could not easily be believed, and as the Jews looking only on their state at that time could not but despair, the Prophet added this comparison between them and the Gentiles. The Chaldeans and the Assyrians flourished seventy years in every kind of wealth, in luxuries, in honour—in short, they possessed every thing necessary for an earthly happiness. What, then, could the Jews have thought, but that unbelievers and God's enemies were happy, but that they were miserable, being oppressed by hard servitude and loaded with many reproaches, and living also in poverty, and counted as sheep destined for the slaughter ? When, there- 22 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXIV. fore, all these things were plain before their eyes, what but despair must have laid hold on their minds ? Therefore God obviates this evil ;* And he says that he would make a consummation among the nations, as though he had said, " When I begin to punish the Gentile nations, I will destroy them with an utter destruction, no hope will remain for them. But as to thee, I will not make a consummation." Thus he makes a difference between the punishment inflicted on the reprobate and ungodly and that by which he would chastise the sins of his people ; for the punishment he would inflict on the wicked would be fatal, while the punishment by which he would chastise his Church would be only for a time ; it would therefore be to it for medicine and salvation. We now, then, perceive what the Prophet had in view : he mitigated the bitterness of grief as to the faithful, for God would not wholly cast them away. And he shews that their scourges ought to be patiently borne, because they were to hope for an end of them ; but that it would be different when he visited the reprobate, because he would leave them without any hope. In short, he says, that he would be a severe judge to the last degree as to the unbelieving, but that he would chastise his own people as a Father. Other passages seem, however, to militate against this view; for God declares that he would make a consummation as to his chosen people, as in Isa. x. 23, and in other places. But the explanation is obvious ; for there he refers to the whole body of the people, which were alienated from him; but here his word is addressed to the faithful, " the remnant of grace," as Paul calls them, (Rom. xi. 5.) We ought, therefore, ever to consider who those are whom the Prophets address; for at one time they refer to the promiscuous mass, and at another time they address apart the 1 There is no verb in the first clause, " Because I with thee." The context shews that the future is meant; then the rendering ought to be, " Because I shall be with thee;" that is, at the restoration of the people to their own land, mentioned in the preceding verse. So Calvin understood the clause, though the early versions, like our own, gave the verb in the present tense, which is by no means correct.—Ed. CHAP. XXX. 11. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 23 faithful, and promise them salvation. Thus, then, we have before seen that God would make a consummation as to his people, that is, the reprobate ; but the Prophet here turns his discourse to the Church and the seed which God would preserve in safety among a people apparently cut off and lost. Whenever, therefore, the devil would drive us to despair, whenever we are harassed in our minds when God deals with us more severely than we expect, let this consolation be remembered, that God will not make a consummation with us; for what is here said of the Church may and ought to be applied to every individual believer. God, indeed, handles them often roughly when he sees it necessary for them, but he never wholly consumes them. / will not make, he says, a consummation with thee, but I will chastise thee in judgment. Here the copulative ought to be taken as an adversative particle, and "judgment" has the sense of moderation, as we have seen in chap. x. 24, " Chastise me, 0 Lord, but not in thy wrath ;" he had mentioned "judgment" before. In this sense is judgment used here, that is, for that moderation which God adopts towards his chosen, for he is ever mindful of his mercy, and regards not what they deserve, but what they can bear. When, therefore, God withholds his hand and gently chastises his people, he is said to punish them in judgment, that is, moderately. For judgment is not to be taken here for rectitude, because God never exceeds due limits so as to be subject to the charge of cruelty ; judgment is also opposed to just rigour, and it is often opposed to injustice; but in this place we are to understand that the contrast is between judgment and the just rigour of God. Then judgment is nothing else but the mitigation of wrath. At last he adds, By cleansing I will not cleanse thee, or, " by cutting down I will not cut thee down." The verb, ftp}, nuke, means sometimes to cleanse, or to render innocent ; and it means also intransitively to be pure and harmless ; but it is to be taken here transitively. It cannot, then, be rendered otherwise than " by cleansing I will not cleanse thee," or, " I will not cut thee down ;" for it has also this meaning, and either of the two senses is suitable. If 24 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXIV. we read, " I will not cut tliee down," it is the continuation of the same subject; " I will chastise thee in judgment, and I will not therefore cut thee down," that is, I will not make a consummation. It would then be, as it is evident, a very suitable connexion, and it would run smoothly were we to read, " I will not cut thee down." But the other version is also appropriate, though it may admit of a twofold meaning; some take it adversatively, " Though I shall not make thee innocent;" that is, though I shall not spare thee, but chastise thee moderately; and this intimation was very seasonable ; for the flesh ever seeks impunity. Now God sees that it is not good for us to escape unpunished when we offend; it is then necessary to bear in mind this doctrine, that though God will not allow us to be exempt from punishment, nor indulge us, but smite us with his rods, he is yet moderate in his judgment towards us. But others refer to this passage in Isaiah, " I made thee to pass through the furnace and refined thee, but not as silver, otherwise thou wouldest have been consumed/' (Is. xlviii. 10.) God then tries his people, or cleanses them with chastisements ; but how ? or, how long ?—not as silver and gold, for that would wholly consume them. For when silver is purged from its dross, and also gold, the purer and clearer portion remains ; but men, as there is nothing in them but vanity, would be wholly consumed, were God to try them as silver and gold. But as this interpretation is too refined, I am more disposed to adopt one of the two first, that is, that God would not wholly cut them down, though he would chastise them, or, that though he would not count or regard them wholly innocent, nor so indulge them as to let them go unpunished, he would yet be merciful and propitious to them, as he would connect judgment with his chastisements, that they might not be immoderate.1 1 This clause is rendered by the Vulg., " that thou mayest not seem to thyself innocent;" by the Syr,, " but I will not suffer thee to be wholly unpunished;" and by the Targ,, " and destroying I will not destroy thee." Both Venema and Blayney follow the meaning of the Targum; the later version is, " And will not make thee altogether desolate." The phrase occurs in chap. xxv. 29, and also in Ex. xxxiv, 7 ; Numb. xiv. 18 ; Nah. i. 3; in which places the idea of the verb is, to hold guiltless or innocent, CHAP. XXX. 12. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 25 PRAYER. Grant, Almighty God, that as we are born wholly alienated from thy kingdom and the hope of salvation, and as a dreadful scattering awaits us except thou gatherest us by the power and grace of thy Spirit,—0 grant, that as thou hast once adopted us as thy people, and hast been pleased to gather us under the yoke of Christ, we may remain in obedience to him, and thus continue under thy government, that after having completed our course in this life, we may at length come unto that kingdom where we shall enjoy all those good things which we now only by hope taste, through the same, Christ Jesus our Lord.—Amen. Utttuve <&nt HtmBrcO atv& 12. For thus saiththe 12. Quoniam sic dicit Jehova, gravitas con-Lord, Thy bruise is in- fractioni tuse (vel, fracturse, alii vertunt, con-curable, and thy wound tritionem, quod idem est, nam ~\2W significat is grievous. etiam conterere,) segra plaga tua. The design of the Prophet is first to be noticed : he was fighting with those impostors who gave hope of a return in a short time to the people, while seventy years, as it has been said, were to be expected. The Prophet then wished to shew to the people how foolishly they hoped for an end to their evils in so short a time. And this is what ought to be carefully observed, for it was not without reason that the Prophet dwelt much on this point; for nothing is more difficult than to lead men to a serious acknowledgment of God's judgment. When any thing adverse happens, they are tender and sensitive as to the evils they endure ; but at the same time they look not to God, and comfort themselves with vain imaginations. It was therefore necessary for the Prophet to dwell on his doctrine at large ; for he saw that the Israelites promised to themselves a return after two to acquit, to let go unpunished, and not to make desolate, to cut off or to destroy. That the former is its meaning in Ex. xxxiv. 7, is evident from the explanation which follows, " holding guiltless he will not hold guiltless, visiting the iniquity of the fathers," &c.; visiting the fathers' iniquity proves that it is not held guiltless or suffered to go unpunished. The verb flpj, means to be free, or to count one free, from pollution, crime, guilt, or punishment. To let free from punishment, is the idea most suitable here; God would chastise them in some measure, and would not suffer them to be wholly unpunished.—Ed. 26 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXV years, though they had been warned by the Prophets that they were to bear the scourge of God for seventy years. This is the reason why the Prophet speaks here of the grievousness of evils, not because the Israelites were insensible, but because they had been credulous, and were still hoping for a return, so that they deceived themselves with false comfort. He therefore says, that the breaking was grievous; some give this rendering, " Unheal-able, or hopeless, is thy bruising." But GJ^X, anush, As here a substantive, for it is followed by the preposition 7, lamed ; nor can what the Prophet says be rendered otherwise than in this manner, " Grievousness is to thy bruising," or breaking. He afterwards adds that the wound was grievous, that is, difficult to be healed ; for so I understand the passage.1 But the end was to be hoped for; yet the people were not to think it near at hand ; they were, on the contrary, to prepare themselves for patient waiting until the end prescribed by God had come. It follows,— 13. There is none 13. Nemo judicans (hoe est, nemo est qui judi-to plead thy cause, cet) judicium tuum (hoe est, qui suscipiat causam that thou mayest be tuam;) ad sanitatem medelie et curatio non sunt tibi bound up: thou hast (aliivertunt, Nemo judicans judicium tuum, ut em-no healing medicines, plastrum adhibeat; sedhoc durins; deinde, medela et curatio non sunt tibi; sed videtur mihi simplex esse verborum sensus, quod nemo judicet judicium, deinde quod nihil ad curationem remedii suppetat.) The Prophet speaks first without a figure, then he illustrates the simple truth by a metaphor. He says that there was no one to undertake the cause of the people ; as though he had said, that they were destitute of every aid. This was, indeed, in a measure already evident; but so supine was the security of the people, that they daily formed for 1 The ? in Hebrew is sometimes the xxra, in Greek; it means, as to, with regard to; so here,— Incurable as to thy bruise, Grievous has been thy stroke. Or we may give this rendering, inverting the order,— As to thy bruise, it is incurable ; Grievous has been thy stroke. The "bruise" occasioned by the "grievous stroke" was incurable, that is, by human means. The effect is mentioned first, "the bruise;" then the cause, " the stroke." On CUK, see vol. ii., note in p. 354.—Ed. CHAP. XXX. 13. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 27 themselves some new hopes. Then Jeremiah declared what had already in part happened and was still impending ; and thus he proved the folly of the people, who still flattered themselves while they were involved in evils almost without a remedy. " Thou seest," he says, " that there is no one to stretch forth a hand to thee, or who is ready to help thee ; and yet thou thinkest that thou wilt soon be free : whence is this vain expectation ?" He then comes to a metaphor, There is no one to apply medicine for thy healing. In one sentence he includes the whole first chapter of Isaiah, who handles the subject, but explains more fully his meaning. There is, however, nothing obscure when the Prophet says that there was no one to heal the evils of the people.1 We must ever bear in mind his object, that is, that the people were too easily deceived, when they hoped to return shortly to their own country. But we may hence gather a general truth,—that men never understand the favour of God until they are subdued by many and severe reproofs : for they always shun God's judgment, and then they become blind to their own sins, and foolishly flatter themselves. And, further, when they only in words confess that they have sinned, they think that they have done abundantly enough. They ought therefore to be urged to the practice and duty of repentance. It afterwards follows— 14. All thy lovers have forgotten 14. Oranes amici tui obliti sunt thee; they seek thee not: for I have tui, et non requirunt; quia plaga 1 According to Calvin, the verse reads thus,— No one undertakes thy cause; For a cure, medicines and healing thou hast not. This division is made by the Sept., though not by the other versions, nor the Targ. Venema adopts it. The word "WD, rendered above " cure," means evidently a wound. It only occurs here, and Obad., ver. 7, and twice in Hos. v. 13, where it is rendered " wound." It comes from "lit, in the sense of compressing or binding up; but the noun taken passively, signifies what is compressed or bound up, and that is a wound. Then the literal rendering would be,— None is pleading thy cause; As to the wound, medicatives, binding up, none to thee; or in other words,— As to the wound, thou hast no medicatives, no binding up. The word DIKfi"! means medicatives or medicaments, rather than medicines, as it designates here, and in most places, outward applications to wounds and bruises. The order, as in the foregoing verse, is reversed, the medicaments are put before the binding up. See Ezek. xxx. 21__Ed. 28 COMMENTARIES ON JEEEMIAH. LECT.CXV. wounded thee with the wound of an tibi (hoc est percussi te) castiga- enemy, with the chastisement of a tione crudelis (hominis, aut, sse- cruel one, for the multitude of thine vi,) propter multitudinem iniqui- iniquity; because thy sins were in- tatum tuarum, invaluerunt seelera creased. tua. The Prophet again repeats, that nothing remained for Israel as coming from men, for no one offered to bring help. Some, indeed, explain the words as though the Prophet had said, that friends, as it is usually the case, concealed themselves through shame on seeing the condition of the people hopeless : for as long as friends can relieve the sick, they are ready at hand, and anxiously exert themselves, but when life is despaired of, they no longer appear. But the Prophet, I have no doubt, condemns here the Jews for the false confidence with which they had been long fascinated ; for we know, that at one time they placed hope in the Egyptians ; at another in the Assyrians ; and thus it happened that they brought on themselves many calamities. And we have seen elsewhere, in many passages, that these confederacies are compared to impure lusts; for when the people sought at one time the friendship of the Egyptians, at another, that of the Assyrians, it was a kind of adultery. God had taken the Jews under his care and protection; but unbelief led them astray, so that they sought to strengthen themselves by the aid of others. Hence, everywhere in the Prophets the Egyptians and the Assyrians are compared to lovers. And this view will suit well here ; for it was not enough to point out the miseries of the people, without making known the cause of them. Then the Prophet refers to those false counsels which the Jews had adopted, when they thought themselves secure and safe while the Egyptians, or the Assyrians, or the Chaldeans were favourable to them. For this reason he says, that all their friends had forgotten them, and also that they did not inquire for them, that is, that they had cast off every care for them. And he adds the reason, because God had smitten the people with an hostile wound. Here the Prophet summons them again to God's tribunal, that they might learn to consider that these evils did not happen by chance, but that they were the testimonies of God's just wrath. God CHAP. XXX. 14 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 29 then comes forth here, and declares himself the author of all those calamities; for the Prophet would have spoken to no purpose of the miseries of the people, had not this truth been thoroughly impressed on their minds,—that they had to do with God. Now, that God calls himself an enemy, and compares himself to a cruel enemy, must not be so understood as that the covenant had been abolished by which he had adopted the children of Abraham as his own ; for he, through his mercy, always reserved some remnants. Nor ought we to understand that there was excess in God's severity, as though he raged cruelly against his people, when he executed his judgments : but this ought to be understood according to the common perceptions of men. God also calls elsewhere the Israelites his enemies, but not without lamentation, "Alas!" he says, "I will take vengeance on my enemies/'' (Isa. i. 24.) He assumed there the character of one grieving, as though he had said, that he unwillingly proceeded to so much rigour, for he would have willingly spared the people, had not necessity forced him to such severity. But, as I have already said, when God calls himself the enemy of his people, it ought to be understood of temporal punishment, or it ought to be explained of the reprobate and lost, who had wholly alienated themselves from God's favour, and whom God had also cut off from the body of his Church as putrid members. But as the Prophet here addresses the faithful, there is no doubt but that God calls himself an enemy, because, according to the state of things at that time, the Jews could not have otherwise thought than that God was angry with them. With regard to cruel one, we have already said, that excess is thereby denoted, as though too much rigour or severity were ascribed to God: but the Jews could not have been otherwise awakened to consider their sins, nor be sufficiently terrified so as to be led seriously to acknowledge the judgment of God. And God himself, in what follows, sufficiently proves, that though he compares himself to a severe or cruel man, yet nothing wrong could be found in his judgments. For he adds, for the multitude of thine iniquity, because thy 30 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXV. sins have prevailed. Though the Jews thought that God acted severely, when he threatened them with long exile, here their mouth was closed by the multitude of their iniquity ; as though he had said, " Set in a balance on one side, the weight of the punishment of which ye complain, and on the other side the heap of sins by which ye have often, and for a long time, provoked my wrath against you." God then, by multitude of iniquity, shews that it could not be ascribed to him as a fault that he so severely punished the Jews, because they deserved to be so punished. And he confirms the same thing in other words, not that there was anything ambiguous in what he had said, but because the Prophet saw that he had to do with perverse men. That he might then reprove their indifference, he says, that their sins had grown strong?- It follows— 15. Why criest thou for thine 15. Quid vociferaris propter con-affliction? thy sorrow is incurable fractionem tuam? seger est (vel, for the multitude of thine iniquity: gravis) dolor tuus propter multitu-because thy sins were increased, I dinem iniquitatis ture, quoniam in-have done these things unto thee. valuerunt scelera tua, feci hssc tibi. The Prophet now anticipates an objection, lest the Jews should expostulate with God ; for it sufficiently appears that they always complained of God's extreme severity, when they indulged themselves in their vices. As soon then as God treated them as they deserved, they became exasperated and 1 It is better to retain the literal word " lovers," than " friends," as rendered by the Sept., the Syr., and the Targ., though not by the Vulg. The particle 7]1 is commonly a preposition, but not when preceding a verb, as here; and that 3*1 is a verb here is proved by the sentence which follows, which is in apposition; and it is so rendered by Blayney. The verse may be thus rendered— 14. All thy lovers have forgotten thee, Thee they seek not: Verily with the stroke of an enemy have I struck thee,— With a violent correction; Because multiplied had thine iniquity, Grown strong had thy sins, &c. The word for " violent," or cruel, is so construed in the early versions; the Targ. alone countenances our version. The last line conveys a different idea from the preceding. The verb, indeed, means strong in number as well as strong in power; but as number is expressed in the previous line, we may justly consider that power is meant here : their sins were not only many, but strong and vigorous, so strong as to resist all exhortations and all threatenings.—Ed. CHAP. XXX. 15. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 31 enraged against him. Hence the Prophet now meets their perverse and unjust complaints, and asks, why they cried out for their bruising, as though he had said, that these clamours were much too late, when they had passed by the season for repentance. For God had suspended his extreme threaten-ings until the people had betrayed so much obstinacy, that there was no room for mercy. When, therefore, the people's wickedness had become unhealable, the Prophet, as we have seen, proclaimed their exile. Now, indeed, he derides their late crying, for they had been too long torpid in their contempt of God : Why, then, dost thou cry for thy bruising ? grievous is thy sorrow, or, grievousness is to thy sorrow j1 but for the multitude of thine iniquity, and because thy sins have grown strong, have I done these things to thee. Here God frees himself from the calumnies of the people, and shews that those who murmured or made a clamour, acted unjustly, having not considered what they merited : for they were worthy of the heaviest punishment, because they not only in one way brought ruin on themselves, and more and more kindled God's vengeance, but had also for many years hardened themselves in their sins ; and they had, besides, given themselves up, in various ways, to every kind of wickedness, so that the Prophet justly upbraided them with a multitude of iniquity, and also with a mass of sins. God then says, that he had not exceeded the limits of moderation in the punishment he inflicted on the people, because their desperate wickedness and perverse-ness compelled him. But consolation is immediately subjoined,— 16. Therefore all they that devour 16. Propterea omnes qui devorant thee shall be devoured; and all thine te devorabuntur, et omnes hostes adversaries, every one of them, shall tui, omnes, inquam, in captivitatem 1 Rather " sore," or wound. The word 3SOD indeed means sometimes the soreness or wound of the mind, that is, sorrow or grief; but here, no doubt, it retains its primary idea, correspondently with stroke, bruise, and wound. The Targ. retains this meaning, while the versions go all astray. Then it is, " Miserable is thy sore." The rest of the verse is as follows,— Because multiplied had thine iniquity, Grown strong had thy sins, Have I done these things to thee.—Ed. 32 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT.CXV. go into captivity; and they that spoil ibunt; et erunt qui te diripiunt thee shall be a spoil, and all that in direptionem, et omnes qui te prey upon thee will I give for a prey, prsedantur erunt in prsedam. Here, again, the Prophet promises that God would be gracious to his people, but after a long time, when that per-verseness would be subdued, which could not be soon cured. We ought, then, ever to bear in mind the difference between the promise of favours, of which Jeremiah was a witness and a herald, and those vain boastings, by which the false prophets deceived the people, when they encouraged them to expect a return in a short time, and said that the term of deliverance was at hand. And this difference ought to be noticed on this account, because a most useful doctrine may hence be gathered: the unprincipled men who basely pretend God's name, have this in common with his true and faithful servants,—that they both hold forth the favour of God : but those who falsely use God's name bury the doctrine of repentance ; for they seek only to soothe people with flatteries: and as they hunt for favour, they wholly omit the doctrine that may offend, and is in no way sweet and pleasant to the flesh. Jeremiah did not, indeed, deal so severely with the people, but that he gave them some hope of pardon, and always mitigated whatever severity there was in the doctrine of repentance : but at the same time he did not, by indulgence, cherish the vices of the people, as was wont to be done by the false prophets. But what did these do ? they boasted that God was merciful, slow to wrath, and ready to be reconciled to sinners : hence they concluded that exile would not be long ; and at the same time, as we have said, they perfidiously flattered the people. So then, it ought to be borne in mind, that we are not fit to receive the favour of God, nor are capable of it, so to speak, until all the pride of the flesh be really subdued, and also all self-security be corrected and removed. We now see why the Prophet subjoined the promise of favour, after having spoken of the dreadful judgment of God. But the illative, p/, laken, does not seem suitable ; for how can this verse be connected with the threatenings which CHAP. XXX. 16. COMMENTARIES ON JEKEMIAH. 33 we have noticed ? Therefore they who devour ihee shall be devoured. But therefore refers to what he had before said.1 It is not then strange, that he draws the inference, —that God having taken vengeance on the wickedness of the people, would also execute vengeance on their enemies. Then the illative is not unsuitable, because the time of mercy had arrived when the Jews became subdued, so as to humble themselves before God and to repent of their sins. But there is here a common doctrine which we meet with everywhere in the Prophets, even that God, after having made a beginning with his Church, becomes then a judge of all nations ; for if he by no means spares his elect, his own family, how can he leave aliens unpunished ? And it is the perpetual consolation of the Church, that though God employs the wicked as scourges to chastise his people, yet their condition is not better, for when they have triumphed for a moment, God will soon bring them to judgment. There is, therefore, no reason why the faithful should envy their enemies when they are chastened by God's hand, and when their enemies exult in their pleasures ; for their prosperity will soon come to an end, and with the same measure will God mete unto them the reward of the wrong done to his people. Whosoever, then, devours tkee shall be devoured, and all thine enemies, yea, all, shall go into captivity; and, lastly, they who plunder ihee, &c, which is rendered by some, " they who tread thee shall be for treading." But as the verb means plundering, to avoid repetition, I prefer the former meaning : " They, then, who spoil thee shall become a spoil, and they who plunder thee shall be for -plunder. The reason follows,— 1 What seems to be his meaning is, that as God had punished his people, therefore he would punish the nations. The versions and the Targ. render it " therefore;" but Louith gives " yet surely;" and Blayney, " afterwards." But we may render it " therefore," or for this reason, as anticipative ot what is contained at the end of the next verse, " Because an outcast have they called thee, Sion, whom no one seeks." Venema, apprehending this to be the sense of the passage, supposed that the two verses have been transposed : but this kind of construction is not unfrequent in Scripture. —Ed. 34- COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXV. 17. For I will restore health unto thee, 17. Quia adducam sanatio-and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith nem tibi, et k doloribus tuis the Lord; because they called thee an Out- sanabo te, dicit Jehova ; quo-cast, sayiny, this is Zion, whom no man niam expulsam vocarunt te seeketh after. Sion, quam nemo requirit. When God promised favour to the Jews, he referred to their enemies ; for it would have been a grievous temptation, which would have otherwise not only disturbed and depressed their minds, but also extinguished all faith, to see their enemies enjoying all they could wish, and successful in everything they attempted, had not this consolation been granted them,—that their enemies would have at length to render an account for the wickedness in which they gloried. But now the main thing is here expressed,—that God, when reconciled to his people, would heal the wounds which he had inflicted ; for he who inflicts wounds on us, can alone heal us. He exercises judgment in punishing, he afterwards undertakes the office of a Physician, to deliver us from our evils. It is, therefore, the same as though the Prophet had said, " When the right time shall pass away, which God has fixed as to his people, deliverance is to be hoped for with certainty ; for the Lord has decreed to punish his people only for a time, and not wholly to destroy them." I will bring thee, he says, healing, and will heal thee of thy wounds. And this admonition was very necessary, for the Jews had nearly rotted in their exile when God delivered them. They might have then been a hundred times overwhelmed with despair ; but God bids them here to raise upwards their minds, so as to expect help from heaven, for there was none on earth. And he adds, because they called thee, Zion, an outcast whom no one seeketh ; that is, of whom, or of whose welfare, no one is solicitous. He confirms what I have before said,—that the extreme evils of the people would be no hinderance when God came to deliver them, but, on the contrary, be the future occasion of favour and mercy. When, therefore, the people should become so sunk in misery as to make all to think their deliverance hopeless, God promises that he would then be their Redeemer. And this is what we ought carefully to notice : for we look around us here and there, whenever we hope for any help ; but God CHAP. XXX. 18. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 85 shews that he will be then especially propitious to us, when we are in a hopeless state according to the common opinion of men. It follows,— 18. Thus saith the Lord, Behold, 18. Sic dicit Jehova, Ecce ego I will bring again the captivity of reducens captivitatem tabernacu- Jacob's tents, and have mercy on lorum Jacob et habitaculorum ejus his dwelling-places; and the city miserabor; et adificabitur urbs super shall be builded upon her own excelsum suum (vel, super acervum heap, and the palace shall remain suum; vel, culmen,) et palatium in after the manner thereof. sua statione (vel, regula,) sedebit. Jeremiah goes on with the same subject, and dwells on it more at large; for as it was difficult to lead the people seriously to repent, so it was difficult to raise up desponding minds after they had been subjected to a multitude of calamities. God then declares here again that he would come to restore his people from captivity. Behold, he says, I restore, &c, as though he was already prepared with an outstretched hand to liberate his people. Let it be noticed, that the Prophet did not in vain represent God as present; but he, no doubt, had regard to the want of faith in the people, and sought to remove this defect. Since then the Jews thought themselves wholly forsaken, the Prophet testifies that God would be present with them, and he introduces him as speaking, Behold, I restore, &c, as though he was already the liberator of the people. He names the restoration of tents and habitations, because they had been long sojourners in Chaldea and other countries, where they had been scattered. As then they had their own dwellings, the Prophet reminds them that they were yet but strangers among the nations, for God would restore them to their own country, which was their real dwelling-place. This is the reason why he speaks of tents and habitations. He, at the same time, points out the cause of their redemption, even mercy, so that the Jews might at length learn to flee to this their sole asylum, and know that there was no other remedy for their calamities than this,—that God should look on them according to his mercy, for he might have justly destroyed them altogether. In short, the Prophet reminds them that they must have perished for ever, had not God at length shewed mercy to them. 36 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXV. He mentions a fuller display of his favour,—that he would again build Jerusalem upon its own heap, or hill, as some render it; for the situation of the city was high, and towered above other parts of Judea. But it seems to me that the Prophet means that the city would be built on its own foundations, for he calls here the ruins heaps, or piles. For the city had been destroyed in such a manner, that yet some ruins remained, and some vestiges of the walls. It is then the same as though he had said, that the city, however splendid and wealthy in former times, would yet be so restored, that its dignity would not be less than before. But he speaks of its extent when he says, that it would be built upon its heaps, that is, on its ancient foundations. And this point is confirmed by what immediately follows, the palace shall be set in its own form or station, "itOS^fi 75?, al meshephthu. The word tOSE^, shepheth, properly means judgment, but it means also form, measure, manner, custom. Here, no doubt, the Prophet means that the king's palace would be equally splendid to what it had been, and in the same place. Some think that pfo*iX, armun, means the Temple; and this sense I do not reject; but as the Hebrews for the most part understand by this term a splendid, large, or high building, I prefer the former sense, that is, that he speaks of the royal palace : stand then will the king's palace in its own form, or place, as though it had never been destroyed.1 In short, he promises such a restoration of the city and kingdom, that no less favour from God was to be expected in the second state of the Church, than it had for- 1 The versions and the Targ. render the word for " palace," temple; and as the former clause has " on its heap," or, on its ruins, so in this the same preposition is used, and seems to require a similar construction, " on its former spot," or, on its wonted place. The word tOBB'D denotes what is customary or usual, as well as what is right and just. Then the two lines would read thus,— And built shall be the city on its ruins, And the palace on its wonted seat shall be fixed, (or shall stand.) But the versions and the Targ. vary the meaning of the preposition. The Vulg., with which the rest essentially agree, is, " And the temple, according to its order, shall be founded." Blayney renders the line thus,— And the palace shall be established upon its (former) plan. As in the previous line, the place is designated, it is probable that the place also is meant here.—Ed. CHAP.XXX. 19. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 87 merly; for God would obliterate all memory of calamities when the Church again flourished, and the kingdom became so eminent in wealth, honour, power, and other excellencies, that it would evidently appear that God had only for a time been displeased with his Church. PRAYER. Grant, Almighty God, that since we are so slow to consider thy judgments, and become continually hardened in our sins,—O grant, that being really touched by those many warnings by which thou not only invitest, but also stimulatest us to repent, we may learn to humble ourselves, and so submit to thy chastisements, that we may be capable of receiving that mercy which turns whatever evil may happen to us to our good and salvation, until we shall at length be gathered into that blessed rest which is prepared for us in heaven, through Christ our Lord.—Amen. <3nt HtmBrrtJ ana 19. And out of them shall proceed thanks- 19. Et egredietur ab giving, and the voice of them that make ipsis laus et vox lsetitia- merry: and I will multiply them, and they rum; et augebo eos, et non shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and minuentur ; et decorabo they shall not be small. eos, nee attenuabuntur. The Prophet confirms what he had said. We have stated that the Jews, while any hope remained for them, were perverse towards God, but that, after they were brought to extremities, they became extremely dejected ; for they lost all hope as to their state, and became so desponding that they would receive no consolation. It was not therefore enough, slightly, or in a few words, to promise them restoration ; it was necessary that the promise should be repeatedly confirmed. This then is now the subject of the Prophet; he promises that praise and the voice of joy would proceed from them. We ought to notice here the contrast between sighings, groanings, complaints, lamentations, and giving of thanks ; for as long as they were detained in exile, no praise could have been heard among them. Sorrow is, indeed, no hin-derance to prevent us to bless God in extreme misery ; but we cannot with a full mouth, so to speak, bless God, except 38 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXVI. when some cause of joy is presented to us. Hence is that saying of James, " Is any joyful among you ? let him sing." (James v. 13.) As then the Prophet speaks of thanksgiving, he intimates that God's favour would be so great as to remove every sorrow and sadness from the Jews. But he indirectly exhorts the faithful to celebrate God's kindness. Had he only said, " Go forth from them shall the voice of joy," it would, indeed, have been a complete sentence ; but it was also necessary to remind the faithful for what end God would deal so kindly with his people, even that they might proclaim his goodness ; for this is the design for which we receive every good from God's hand. Thanksgiving is then usually connected with joy, when mention is made of the Church. But we have said that the faithful cannot with so much alacrity praise God, when they are pressed down by distresses, as when God makes their hearts to rejoice; for grief holds bound all the feelings of men ; but joy, proceeding from a perception of God's paternal favour, dilates as it were their souls; and hence also their tongues are set loose. For this reason it is said in Ps. li. 15, "0 Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise." David there intimates that he had been for a time silent; when God hid from him his face, he could not taste of his paternal goodness. During that time David had his heart as it were bound and his mouth closed; but he prays the Lord to open his mouth, that is, to grant him joy that he might give him thanks. We now perceive the meaning of the Prophet: he intimates, that though the Jews would be in sorrow for a time, would groan and mourn, yet this condition would not be perpetual; for God would at length comfort them, so that they would not only rejoice, but also proclaim his mercy when liberated. He adds, I will increase them, and they shall not be lessened; I will adorn them, &c. Some render this also, " I will increase them:" but the words are different; and "OD, cebed, means sometimes to increase, and sometimes to adorn, to glorify, to honour. The words which follow are also dif- CHAP. XXX. 20. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 39 ferent, tSSt2, moth, and *15?¥, tsor. And though the Prophet meant to repeat nearly the same thing, yet there is no doubt but that he intended to set forth the favour of God by this variety, as though he had said, that so remarkable would be the mercy of God, that the Jews would acknowledge, that what had been promised to their father Abraham had been fulfilled to them, " Thy seed shall be as the sand of the sea, and as the stars of heaven." (Gen. xxii. 17.) The perpetuity also, or the continuity of his favour is denoted, when he says, they shall not be lessened, they shall not be made small. It is possible for a people to increase for a short time; but such a thing is often of no long duration, for the form of this world passeth away. God then promises stability and perpetuity to his Church, for he would manifest his favour to it from day to day, and from year to year.1 This is the meaning. It follows— 20. Their children also shall be 20. Et erunt filii ejus sicut ab in- as aforetime, and their congrega- itio, et coetus ejus coram facie mea tion shall be established before me, stabilietur (yd, dirigetur, nam |13 and I will punish all that oppress utrumque significat,) et visitabo them. super omnes oppressores ejus. This abundance of words which the Prophet employs is by no means useless; for we ought always to remember how hard were their temptations when no token of God's favour appeared for seventy years. It was hence necessary to sustain minds overwhelmed with evils by many supports, so that they might not wholly faint; and he adds promises to promises, that the Jews might see as it were a spark of light from the deep abyss. And hence, also, we may gather a useful admonition: Though the Lord may favour us to-day, so that we are not exercised by very grievous trials, yet every one knows by his own experience, how prone we are to despond ; and then when we once begin to faint, how difficult 1 The meaning of the latter verbs in these clauses is to be ascertained by the preceding verbs: " I will multiply," or increase " them;" then the opposite to this is, " and they shall not be lessened," or decreased: and when it is said, " I will glorify," or honour " them," the corresponding contrast to this is, " they shall not be degraded," or dishonoured. The first clause refers to number, and the second to honour, dignity, or renown. Then the right version would be as follows,— And I will multiply them, and they shall not be lessened, I will also honour them, and they shall not be degraded.—Ed. 40 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXVI. it is to be raised up to the confidence of hope. Let us then learn to join promises to promises, so that if one will not suffice, another may. He now says that their children would be as from the beginning. Some give this refined explanation, that the children of the Church would be as from the beginning, that is, before the Law; for the covenant of grace was made by God with Abraham before the Law was proclaimed: they hence think that the abrogation of the Law is here denoted, as though he had said, that the Church would be free when Christ came, and that the servile yoke of the Law would then be removed. But this kind of refinement I cannot approve; for I do not think that such a notion ever entered into the mind of the Prophet. I have then no doubt but that the reference here is to the kingdom of David, as though the Prophet had said, that the state of the Church would be no less prosperous and happy under Christ than formerly under David. Were any one to object and say, that Christ's kingdom is much more happy than that of David: this I grant; but the prophets ever compare the kingdom of Christ with the kingdom of David, and they were content with this way of teaching, as it exceeded the hope of the people ; for the Jews thought it not credible that they could ever attain their ancient renown. When, therefore, he says here, that the children of Judah would be as at the beginning, there is no doubt with me but that he had a regard to that promise, which declares that the seed of David would be for ever on his throne, as long as the sun and moon shone in the heavens. (Ps. lxxxix. 37.) The meaning is, that though the kingdom would through a dreadful ruin become extinct, together with all its dignity, the Jews would yet, through Christ, recover what they had lost through their sins, ingratitude, and perverseness. He afterwards adds, His seed shall be established before my face, and I will visit all his oppressors. Here again God confirms the promise concerning the perpetuity of his Church. He therefore says that the assembly of the people would be established before him,1 by which words he bids the Jews to 1 It would be better to observe the order of the original, " And his as- CHAP. XXX. 20. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 41 look upwards, for in the world nothing was to be found but despair. God then calls the attention of the Jews to himself, when he says that the Church would be established before his face. And as the power of enemies was so great, that the faithful might justly object and say, that every avenue was closed up against God's favour, he adds, that God on the other hand had sufficient power to destroy and to reduce to nothing all their enemies ; and he mentions all, because the Chaldean monarchy was widely extended and consisted of many nations ; and there was no part of it which was not most hostile to the Jews. As, then, the miserable exiles saw that not only the Chaldeans were inimical to them, but also other nations, so that they were hated almost by the whole world, God here comes to their aid, and declares that he had power enough to destroy all their enemies. A useful doctrine may be hence deduced: The Church was in such a manner perpetual, that its condition was yet variable ; for it often seemed good to God to break off the course of his favour before the coming of Christ. What then happened we may accommodate to our own time. As, then, the ProjDhet says here, that the children of the Church would be as at the beginning, we need not wonder when the Church happens at any time to be scattered, as indeed the case was under the Papacy. For the Church was not only dead, but also buried, and was not only as a putrid carcase, but like the dust it had wholly vanished; for what remnants could have been found fifty years ago ? We hence see that what happened under the Law has also taken place under the kingdom of Christ; for the Church has sometimes been overwhelmed with troubles, and has been hid without any glory or beauty. But, in the meantime, we embrace this promise, that the children of the godly shall be as formerly; for as the kingdom of Christ in former times flourished, so we ought to feel assured that there is sufficient power in God to sembling before me shall be confirmed," or according to the Vulg. and Syr., " shall continue." The reference is to the assembling at the stated festivals. The verb means to be confirmed, to be fixed, to be made certain ; so that " continue" conveys the right idea: the assembling was to be made fixed, so as to become permanent; and it is said to be before God, in order to distinguish it from any other kind of assembling.—Ed. 42 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXVI. restore to the Church its glory, so that Christ's kingdom may again rise up, and all God's blessings shine forth in it. But as many enemies surround the Church on every side, and the Devil ever excites everywhere commotions and disturbances, let us know that there is another clause added, even that God will be the defender of his people; so that how much soever the whole world may attempt to tread under foot his favour, he will yet not suffer them to accomplish their fury ; for he has the power not only to restrain their assaults, but also wholly to destroy them and to obliterate their memory ; for this is what is implied in the word visiting. It then follows— 21. And their nobles shall be 21. Et erit fortis ejus (vel, magnificus) of themselves, and their governor ab ipso, et dominator ejus e medio ejus shall proceed from the midst of exibit, et appropinquare eum faciam, et them; and I will cause him to accedet ad me; nam (vel, certe) quisnam draw near, and he shall approach hie qui applicet, (vel, qui adaptet) cor unto me: for who is this that suum ut accedat ad me ? (alii vertunt, engaged his heart to approach qui alliciat cor suum; dicemus postea unto me? saith the Lord. de sensu,) dicit Jehova. The Prophet, no doubt, explains here more at large what he had said of the restoration of the Church ; for we know that the Jews had been so taught, that they were to place their whole confidence as to their salvation on David, that is, on the king whom God had set over them. Then the happiness and safety of the Church was always founded on the king; he being taken away, it was all over with the Church, as the Anointed is said to be the Lord, in whose spirit is our spirit. (Lam. iv. 20.) Hence God has even from the beginning directed the attention of his people to their king, that they might depend on him, not that David was able by his own power to save the people, but because he typically personated Christ. We have not now an earthly king who is Christ's image ; but it is Christ alone who vivifies the Church. But it was at that time set forth figuratively, that the king was, as it were, the soul of the community; and we have before seen, that when the Prophet animated the Jews with hope, lie set before them David, and afterwards the Son of David. For the same reason, he says here, His valiant one, or, illustrious one, shall be from himself. For we must remember CHAP. XXX. 21. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 43 the condition of that miserable and calamitous time when God took away every source of joy, by depriving the people of all the dignity with which they had been honoured. It was the same then as though Jeremiah had promised the Jews a resurrection, for they were in their exile as dead men, as their hope of public safety had vanished when their king was destroyed. Here, then, he bids them to entertain good hope, because the Lord was able to raise them from death to life. And doubtless it was a wonderful resurrection when the Jews returned to their own country, a way having been opened for them ; for they had been driven away, as it were, into another world. And who could have ever thought that so many obstacles could have been removed, when the Chaldeans extended their dominion even over Judea ? The miserable exiles had certainly no refuge. It was not then to no purpose that Jeremiah testifies here, that the strong or valiant, that is, the king, would be from the people, and that there would come forth a Ruler from the midst of them. To come or go forth does not mean here to depart, as though the king would go elsewhere; but to go forth signifies here to proceed : Go forth then, or proceed, shall a Ruler from the midst of the people : how this took place it is well known. But Isaiah had foretold what his successor here confirms, saying, " Come forth shall a shoot from the root (or stem) of Jesse, and a rod shall spring up from the root of his tree." (Is. xi. 1.) He calls it there the house of Jesse, which was a private house: he would have dignified the favour with a more glorious name, had he mentioned David; but as there was then no kingdom, he refers to Jesse ; for as David came forth as an unknown rustic from the folds of the sheep, so also the Lord would raise up a shoot from the stem of a tree that had been cut down. We hence see in what sense Jeremiah uses the expression, " Come forth;" for Christ rose up beyond the expectation of men, and rose up as a shoot when a tree is cut down, that is, when there was no resemblance of majesty among the people. He afterwards adds, 1 will cause him to draw near, and he will come to me. This may be either confined to the head or extended to the whole body ; and the second idea is what 44 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXVI. I mostly approve; for the people were a long time removed from the presence of God, even as long as they were exiled from their country. Hence God adds, " I will cause them again to draw nigh, and they shall come to me." If, however, any one prefers to explain this of the head, or of the king himself, I offer no objection. Now, we are taught from this passage, that whenever God speaks of the restoration of the Church, he ever declares that he will be entreated by us; in short, that whenever he invites us to the hope of favour and salvation, we ought always to look to Christ; for except we direct all our thoughts to him, all the promises will vanish away, for they cannot be valid except through him; because in Christ only, as Paul says, they are yea and amen. (2 Cor. i. 19, 20.) But as this truth often occurs in the Prophets, it is enough here to touch on it by the way, as I have handled it more fully elsewhere. As to the latter part of the verse, there is some ambiguity,—for who is he, this, &c. There are two demonstrative pronouns, HT N1H, hua, ze. Afterwards comes 2^)5?, oreb, fitting his heart. The verb ^FlV, oreb, means to be a surety, and also to fit, to adapt, to accommodate, or to form, and sometimes to render sweet or pleasant; and on this account some have thus translated, " Who will allure his heart V He then adds, that he may come to me, saith Jehovah ? I have said that this passage is obscure, and it has hence been turned into various meanings by interpreters. Some apply the words to Christ, that he alone has of his own accord come to the Father. Others consider a negative to be understood, as though it was said, that no one prepares his heart to come to God. But there are some who regard the passage as an exhortation, "Who is he who will apply his heart that he may come to me 1" Now, if we read it as expi-essing astonishment or wonder, it would be, in my view, its real meaning. I am not aware that any one has mentioned this ; but the Prophet, I have no doubt, intended his words to be so understood. He said before, " I will cause him to draw nigh, that he may come to me." I have already explained this of the people, who had been long rejected. God then promises CHAP. XXX. 21. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 45 here a gathering; as though he had said, " For a time I scattered the people here and there like chaff; I will now gather them again together, and they shall be under my care and protection as formerly." Having said this, he now touches on the ingratitude of the people by this question, " Who is there who come3 to me ? who will frame his heart that he may be reconciled to me ?" It is, then, an expression of wonder, intended to make the Jews know that their hardness and insensibility are condemned; for when God kindly invited them, they rejected his favour, when he sought to embrace them, they fled far off from him. But an objection may be here made, " Why then did God promise that he would cause the Jews to come to him ?" To this I answer, that God performs or fulfils this promise in various ways: he might have called the Jews to himself by an outward invitation, as he did when the liberty of returning was given them: and then, indeed, a few of the Jews accepted his favour; but all the Israelites, already habituated to the pleasures and enjoyments of those countries, regarded as nothing what God had promised. Thus very few returned to their own country, and restoration was despised by them, though they had once been very anxious about it. God, however, even then made the peojile to draw nigh ; for he stretched forth his hand as though he would gather them and cherish themunderhis wings. But as the greatest part despised his invaluable favour, God here justly complains of so great an impiety, and exclaims as through wonder or astonishment, Who is he who will form his heart, that he may come to me ? Had it been simply said, " Who is he who comes to me ?" the meaning, through brevity, would have been obscure. But God here clearly distinguishes between the two kinds of access: the first was, when liberty was given to the people, by the decree of Cyrus, and a permission given to build the city and the temple. God, therefore, caused them then to draw nigh that they might come to him ; this was the first access. But he now adds, that the Jews did not form or prepare their heart. He indeed speaks of future time, but yet he charges them with ingratitude, which afterwards was fully manifested. Hence he says, " Who is this, that he may come to 46 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXVI. me V that is, " I will contrive means that they may unite again in one body, call on me and enjoy their inheritance : this will I do that they may come to me; but many will still live in their own dregs, and prefer Chaldea and other countries to the temple and religion. Many, then, will be they who will not form their heart to come to me." We now understand the meaning of the Prophet. But we must at the same time bear in mind, that by saying above, " I will cause him to draw near that he may come to me," God does not speak of the hidden working of his Spirit; for it is in his power, as we shall presently remark, to draw the hearts of men to himself whenever he pleases. But when he said, I will cause him, to draw nigh, &c, he spoke only of an outward restoration ; and now he adds a complaint, that the Jews would wickedly repudiate this favour, for no one would prepare his heart. We yet see that the whole fault is cast on the Jews, that they were to be deprived of their own country: for it was owing to nothing on God's part that they were not restored, but to themselves, because they were devoted to their own pleasure, and regarded their return and to be counted God's people as nothing. It was therefore the object of the Prophet to ascribe to the Jews the whole fault that God's favour would not come to them, or that it would not be effectual as to the greatest part of them, even because they would not prepare or form their heart, that they might come to God, in order that they might be partakers of that invaluable privilege offered to them. Now, the Papists lay hold on this passage to prove that there is a free-will in man to come to God; but to do so is indeed very absurd. For whenever God condemns the hardness of the people, he doubtless does not argue the question, what power there is in men, whether they can turn to do what is good, whether they can guide their own hearts. To hold this would be extremely foolish. When it is said in Psalm xcv. 8, " To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as your fathers in the wilderness," shall we say that as they hardened their hearts they were capable of turning, so that they could by the power of free-will choose either good or evil ? To say this would be puerile and ex- CHAP. XXX. 21. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 47 tremely sottish. We hence see that the Papists are unworthy of being reasoned with, when they seek to prove free-will by such arguments. They would, indeed, adduce something plausible were their exposition adopted ; for they render the words thus, "Who is this," &c, as though God praised the promptitude of the faithful, who willingly offer themselves and prepare their hearts. But opposed to this view is the whole context. It hence appears that it was very far from the Prophet's design to represent God as commending the obedience of the godly; but, on the contrary, he exclaims with wonder, as Isaiah does when he says, " Who hath believed our report ? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?" (Isa. liii. 1.) He surely does not set forth the obedience of the faithful in receiving promptly and gladly the Gospel; but, on the contrary, (as though something monstrous terrified him,) that the world would not believe the Gospel, when yet it offered to them salvation and eternal life. So also in this place, Who is he ? &c. For what could have been more desirable than that God should at length, by outstretched arms, gather the Jews to himself? "I wish you to draw nigh, ye have been for a time, as it were, banished from me, I had driven you to distant lands; but I am now ready to gather you." As, then, God so sweetly and kindly allured them to himself, it was doubtless a most abominable and monstrous ingratitude for them to reject the offer and to turn their backs as it were on God, who so kindly invited them. As, then, the Prophet is here only condemning such insensibility and perverse wickedness in the Jews, there is no reason why we should be in quest of a proof in favour of free-will.1 1 The Vulg. favours the meaning advocated by Calvin, "For who is this (iste) that will apply his heart to draw nigh to me, saith the Lord ?" The Sept. is nearly the same, "For who is this (oilres') who has given his heart to turn to me, saith the Lord ?" The Syr. is, " For I will turn his heart to me, saith the Lord." The Targ. is as follows, "For who is this who will in his heart come to my worship, saith the Lord ?" Many explanations have been given which are wholly inadmissible, having nothing in the context to support them, such as the application of these words to our Saviour. They are evidently connected with the previous clause, being joined with it by " for:" they in a manner explain and qualify that clause, and may be deemed parenthetic, for the former clause and that which follows these words, are connected together,— 48 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXVI. We may add, that David uses the same verb in Psalm cxix. 73,125, when he says, " Cause thy servant to approach thee, that he may learn thy commandments."1 Some render the words, " Be a surety for thy servant," &c.; for the verb ill?, oreb, which is here, is found there also. Therefore the passage might be aptly turned against the Papists, who hold that it is in the power of man to form his own heart. But David testifies that this is peculiarly the office and work of God; for by asking this from him he doubtless confesses that it was not in his own power. It afterwards follows,— 22. And ye shall be 22. Eteritis mihi in populura, et ego ero vobis my people, and I will be in Deum {quod postea confirmat primo versu your God. capitis, 31, cum dicit, In tempore illo, dicit Je- hova, Ero in Deum cunctis cognationibus Israel, et ipsi erunt mihi in populum.) As this verse and what occurs in the first verse of the next chapter are materially the same, they shall be both explained here. God then says that the Jews would become a people to him, and that he would become a God to them. This mode of speaking is what we meet with everywhere in the Prophets ; and it is very expressive, and includes the whole of true happiness. For when have we life, except when we become the people of God ? We ought also to bear in mind that saying of the Psalmist, " Blessed are the people whose God is Jehovah." (Ps. cxliv. 15.) It confirms what I have And I will bring him nigh that he may come near to me, (For who is he who pledges his heart To come near to me, saith Jehovah!) 22. And ye shall be to me a people, And I will be to you a God. By " him" we are to understand " Jacob," the subject of the whole passage, and not the " governor," who was to come from " the midst of him," i.e., Jacob, a name by which the whole nation is here called. The promise is to bring Jacob, or the people, nigh; and then to shew that this is alone God's work, the words in the parenthesis are introduced, and by a question, which implies the negative in the strongest manner, as though he had said, " This work, to bring you nigh, is mine alone, for no one among you pledges or engages his heart to come near to me." Both the Sept. and the Targ. render "him" in the first line in the plural number, " them," i.e., the people. And the Syr., though the form of the expression is changed, yet gives the meaning of the words within the parenthesis, for the work of turning the heart is ascribed to the Lord. — Ed. 1 There is a mistake as to this reference, for the word is only found in verse 122.—Ed. CHAP. XXX. 22. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 49 just said, that a happy life is complete in all its parts, when God promises to be a God to us and takes us as his people. The Prophets, therefore, do not without reason so often inculcate this truth; for though nothing else might be wanting to us that could be expected, yet until we feel assured that God is a Father to us, and that we are his people, whatever happiness we may have, it will only end in misery. But the Prophet expresses himself more fully, when he says, At that time, that is, when God restored his Church, will I be a God to all the families of Israel. They had been so scattered, that they were not one body; but God promises the gathering of that Church, from which the ten tribes had fallen off, when they revolted from the family of David. I cannot proceed farther now. PRAYER. Grant, Almighty God, that as thou hast manifested to us in thine only-begotten Son all the paternal goodness of which the fathers formerly tasted, and hast so really and fully exhibited it, that nothing more can be desired by us,—O grant, that we may remain fixed in our trust in thee, and so cleave by true faith and in sincerity of heart to our Redeemer, that we may expect from him all things necessary for our salvation: and may we know that whatever may happen to us, we are still blessed, provided we enjoy this singular privilege, to call on thee as our Father through the name of the same thy Son.—Amen. We compared yesterday the two verses in which God promises that he would yet be a God to his people. "We stated what this promise means. But the latter verse specifies the time, in order that the Israelites might wait for and expect this favour, though not as yet evident: hence it is said, A t that time. He afterwards adds, I will be a God to all the families of Israel, and for this reason, because they had been so dispersed, that they did not appear as one people, and were like different nations. Here, then, a promise is made that the people would be collected together, so that 50 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LEOT. CXVII. they might be united, and become one body, as they were before their dispersion. It follows,— 23. Behold, the whirlwind of 23. JZccetermpestas (sedsubaudienda the Lord goeth forth with fury, est nota similitudinis 3, sicut tempes- a continuing whirlwind; it shall tas,) Jehovse furor (yel, iracundia,) fall with pain upon the head of egredietur, tempestas sese involvens, the wicked. super caput impiorum residebit. The Prophet seems to speak abruptly ; for nothing could be more delightful than the promise that God gives, that he would be a Father to the people; but he immediately adds, that there would arise an involving ivhirlwind, which would abide on the head of the wicked. These things, at the first view, seem not to harmonize. But the latter sentence may be applied to the heathens, or to any of the enemies of the Church ; for whenever God appears as the Saviour of his people, his vengeance goes forth, and is poured on the wicked. Hence such declarations as the following often occur, " The day of my vengeance is nigh, and the year of my visitation." (Is. lxiii. 4.) Isaiah joins both, the favour of God and his vengeance : and this is often done by the other Prophets, in order that we may see that God's mercy cannot be clearly and distinctly perceived towards the faithful, except when his judgment on the other hand be made conspicuous as to the wicked. So this passage may be explained. But we may well thus connect the words of the Prophet,—that he kindly endeavoured to allure the people by offering them God's favour; but that having seen that it would be despised, as we stated yesterday, by the greater part of them, he now seasonably threatens them, that if they refused the favour offered them, such ingratitude could not be borne by God. And this is a mode of teaching common in Scripture. For God on his part thus manifests his kindness so as to stimulate men ; but as he sees them not only slothful and tardy, but also wicked and ungrateful, he declares that they shall not be unpunished if they despise his favour. The former truth then well agrees with what the Prophet now says,—that the wrath of God would arise like a tempestuous storm. He afterwards adds, a whirling or involving tempest, pro- CHAP. XXX. 21. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 51 perly, a tempest gathering itself. The verb is "113, gur, in a reduplicate form and in Hithpael. A similar sentence is found in ch. xxiii. 19; but there the Prophet used another word as required by the subject.1 Some render it " falling," for *Y)J, gur, means to fall; and this meaning is suitable, " a falling storm," that is, impetuously descending, so as to abide on the head of the wicked. But the former sense has been more generally taken, and I am disposed to embrace it ; % for it tends to shake men with terror, when the storm is said to be like a whirlwind, for it turns and twists around, so that it cannot be avoided. The meaning then is, that God's vengeance would be fatal to all the wicked. But we may take the wicked, E3C|y£J>*'), reshoim, for the despisers of God, though boasting of his name, as well as for aliens : but I am inclined to include both, even domestic and foreign enemies of God; as though the Prophet had said, that no remedy remained, except they fled to the mercy of God. It afterwards follows,— 24. The fierce anger of the Lord 24. Non revertetur (yertunt) furor shall not return, until he have done irse Jehovse, donee exequatur ipsum, it, and until he have performed the et donee surgere faciat (attollat, vel, intents of his heart: in the latter stabiliat) cogitationes cordis sui: in days ye shall consider it. extremo dierum intelligatis in hac re. He confirms the last sentence, and compares the wrath or the vengeance of God to a messenger or a minister, who is sent to carry a message, or to perform what has been commanded him. Of God's word, that is, of his threatenings as well as of his promises, Isaiah speaks thus, " My word shall not return to me void." (Is. lv. 11.) The meaning is, that whatever God promises or threatens, is never without its effect. But they wrongly understand the passage who say 1 This verse is literally the same, word for word, with the passage referred to here, with the exception of the word that is noticed; and yet neither the early versions nor the Targum are the same: it is singular how they differ from themselves, so that we can have no confidence in their verbal accuracy. Instead of "the pregnant tempest" in ch. xxiii. 19, we have here " the violent tempest;" it is a participle from a verb which means to agitate, to excite, to stir up; and being passive, it means what is agitated or in great commotion, and hence violent or turbulent. See vol. iii., note in p. 173. Many copies have 1 here before "IJJD, as in the former passage, where it is omitted only in one copy.—Ed. 52 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXV1I. that the word of God returns not void, because it brings forth fruit; for he speaks of the effect of the word, whether for salvation or for perdition. So now also God declares that his vengeance, when gone forth, shall not return until it fulfils what has been commanded. He then adds, and until he shall have confirmed, &c.; for so the verb i/bNTl, ekimu, properly means : until God then shall have confirmed or established the thoughts of his heart. The thoughts of his heart he calls the decrees or purposes of God; but it is a mode of speaking taken from men, and therefore metaphorical; for it is not consistent with what God is, either to think or to deliberate. But, as to the subject itself, there is nothing ambiguous ; for the Prophet means, that when God sends forth his vengeance, all the wicked must perish, for so has God decreed, and his purposes can never be frustrated. Then he shews that God's vengeance will be accomplished, because God has so determined. For God does not dissemble when he promises salvation to men, or denounces on them the punishment which they have deserved; but he executes the decrees or purposes of his heart.1 Then the Prophet here condemns the stupidity of all those who thought that they could escape, though they had often heard that their guilt was so great that they must at last be visited with judgment. Though they had often heard this, yet they were deaf to all warnings; and it was for this reason that the Prophet spoke of the thoughts of God's heart. At last he adds, At the extremity of days ye shall understand this. This may be applied to the faithful no less than to the wicked. For though the faithful embraced God's promises, and relied on them, yet, as they had to contend con- 1 The verse is literally as follows,— Turn not away shall the burning of Jehovah's wrath, Until his execution and until his completion Of the purposes of his heart: In the latter days ye shall understand it. A verb in the infinitive mood in Hebrew is used often as a noun, " his execution." A similar form exists in Welsh, nes gwneuihur ohono. " Until he hath confirmed," or " performed," according to our version, is better rendered in the Vulg., "until he hath completed." Here is the execution and the completion.—Ed. CHAP. XXXI. 1,2. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 53 stantly with the heaviest trials, it was necessary to stimulate and animate them to patience. It might then be suitably said to them, " Ye shall understand this in the last days;" it being a kind of exhortation, as though he had said, "Ye indeed think the wicked happy, because God does not immediately punish them, because his vengeance does not instantly break forth in thunders against them; but patiently bear your miseries, and ye shall at length find that their destruction has not been in vain predicted ; and ye shall also receive a reward for your faith and patience, if ye continue resigned to the last." But the sentence may also be suitably applied to the wicked, because they were wont to form their judgment according to the present aspect of things. Hence the Prophet exposes the false opinion by which they deceived themselves, and says, that too late they would understand what they were then unwilling to perceive. If then we explain this sentence of the children of God, it is an exhortation to bear patiently their evils until God appeared as their defender: but if we apply it to the unbelieving, it is a derision of their insensibility, because they regarded as fables all threatenings; but the Prophet exclaims,-"Ye shall at last become wise, but it will be too late." Even experience becomes a teacher when there is no more opportunity to repent. CHAPTER XXXI 1. At the same time, saith the 1. In tempore illo, dicit Jehova, Lord, will I be the God of all the ero in Deum cunctis cognationibus families of Israel, and they shall be Israel; et ipsi mihi in populum. my people. 2. Thus saith the Lord, The 2. Sic dicit Jehova, Invenit gra-people which were left of the sword tiam in deserto populus qui evase-found grace in the wilderness; even rant a gladio, proficiscendo donee Israel, when I went to cause him to quietem .daret ipsi Israeli (vel pro-rest, fectus est Israel, donee se ad quietem conferret.) I omit here any remarks on the first verse ; for it was explained in connection with the 22d verse of the last chapter. The verb "p/ft, eluk, in the second verse, is in the infinitive mood, but it is to be taken as a preterite, and in this 54 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXVII. interpreters agree. But some apply it to God, that he is a leader to his people, until he brings them to rest; and as the verb, ly^TI/, heregiou, to rest him, so to speak, is in Hiphil, it seems that this ought to be ascribed to God. But we may take the words more simply, " until he betakes himself to rest;" added afterwards is the word "Israel;" and thus we may render the pronoun " himself," and not " him," —until then he betook himself to rest)- Let us now come to the truth which the Prophet handles : he reminds the people, no doubt, of the ancient benefits of God, in order that the miserable exiles might entertain hope, and not doubt but that God would be their deliverer, though they were drowned, as it were, in Chaldea, and overwhelmed with a deluge of evils. This is the reason why he mentions the desert, and why Jeremiah also adds, that they who were then preserved had escaped from the sword. For the people, though they dwelt in a pleasant and fertile country, were in a manner in a desert, when compared with their own country. As then the Israelites had been driven far away into foreign lands, all the regions where they then inhabited are compared to a desert. A similar mode of speaking is adopted by Isaiah when he says, " A voice crying in the desert, Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, make straight paths in the wilderness." (Is. xl. 3.) What did he understand then by 1 The early versions and the Targum vary much as to the meaning of this and the following verse. The nearest to the Original, as a whole, is the Vulg.; the Sept. go wholly astray. Of all the expositions which have been given, that of Calvin seems the best, as it corresponds more with the Hebrew. I render the second verse thus,— Thus saith Jehovah,— Find favour in the wilderness Did the people, the remnants of the sword, When proceeding to his rest was Israel. I take "]1?n as a participle, the auxiliary verb being understood, as the case often is in Hebrew. Preceded by a preposition, and followed by a pronoun, JTVnn is a verb in the infinitive mood, used as a noun. Twelve MSS5., says Blayney, have \?T\ a past tense in Kal: if so, then the meaning would be more striking, though somewhat elliptical,— Proceed (or advance) to his rest did Israel. As though he had said, " The people, who escaped the sword of Pharaoh and the slaughters which happened to them, found favour during their passage through the wilderness, and notwithstanding all opposition, Israel advanced forward to his promised rest."—Ed. CHAP. XXXI. 1,2. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 55 desert ? even the most fertile regions, Chaldea, Assyria, and other neighbouring countries. But with regard to the people, he thus calls these countries, because their exile was always sorrowful and miserable. So then in this place the Prophet, in order to animate the exiles with hope, says, that though they had been sent away to unknown regions, yet distance, or anything else which might seem opposed to their liberation, could not prevent God to restore them; for he formerly liberated their fathers when they were in Egypt. .'Now as the Jews might again object and say, that they were few in number, and also that they were ever exposed to the sword, as they dwelt among conquerors the most cruel, he says, that their fathers were not preserved otherwise than by a miracle; they had been snatched, as it were, from the midst of death. We now perceive the design of the Prophet; and we may include in a few words the substance of what he says,— That there was no reason to fear, that God would not, in due time, deliver his people; for it was well known, that when he became formerly the liberator of his people, his power was rendered illustrious in various ways, nay, that it was inconceivably great, since for forty years he nourished his people in the desert, and also that their coming out was as though the dead arose from their graves, for the Egyptians might have easily killed the whole people; so that they were taken as it were from death, when they were led into the land which had been promised to Abraham. There was therefore no doubt but that God would again, in a wonderful way, deliver them, and manifest the same power in liberating them as was formerly exhibited towards their fathers. A profitable doctrine may hence be gathered : Whenever despair presents itself to our eyes, or whenever our miseries tempt us to despair, let the benefits of God come to our minds, not only those which we ourselves have experienced, but also those which he has in all ages conferred on his Church, according to what David also says, who had this one consolation in his grief, when pressed down with extreme evils and almost overwhelmed with despair, " I remember the days of old." (Psalm cxliii. 5.) So that he not only called to mind the bene- 56 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXVII. fits of God which he himself had experienced, but also what he had heard of from his fathers, and what he had read of in the books of Moses. In the same manner the Prophet here reminds us of God's benefits, when we seem to be forsaken by him ; for this one thought is capable of alleviating and comforting us. This is the import of the whole. It now follows— 3. The Lord hath appeared of 3. Ab antiquo Jehova apparuit old unto me, saying, Yea, I have mihi; atqui dilectione perpetua di- loved thee with an everlasting love; lexi te ; ideo protraham {vel, pro- therefore with loving-kindness have traxi, vel, extendi) ad te clemen- I drawn thee. tiam. The last part is commonly rendered, " I have therefore drawn thee in mercy ;" but the sense is frigid and unsuitable. I therefore doubt not but that he, on the contrary, means, that the mercy of God would not be evanescent, but would follow the people from year to year in all ages. At the beginning of the verse the Prophet introduces the Jews as making a clamour, as the unbelieving are wont to do, who, while they reject the favour of God, yet wish to appear to do so with some reason. Then, in the first place, is narrated the blasphemy of the people. These impious and diabolical words were no doubt everywhere heard at that time, "Ho ! God has appeared to us, but it was a long while ago :" as profane men say at this day, when we bring forward examples of God's favour from the Law or from the Prophets, or from the Gospel, Ho ! c'est du temps jadis. Thus, they facetiously deride whatever God has at any time testified in his word, as though it were obsolete, because it is ancient. It is the same when we announce any terrors according to ancient examples, " Ho ! it happened formerly, but a long time ago." They then always return to that impious common saying, Le temps jadis. And the same thing Jeremiah meant to express here, At a remote time Jehovah appeared to us ; that is, " Thou indeed speakest in high terms of the redemption by which the fathers were liberated, but what is that to us ? why dost not thou rather shew us plainly what God intends to do ? and why dost thou not bring forward some ground for present joy ? why dost thou not really prove that God is propitious to us ? but thou speakest of the ancient deliverance, while that narrative is now as it were obsolete." CHAP. XXXI, 3. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 57 We hence see, that men have been always from the beginning ungrateful to God ; for as far a3 they could, they buried the kind acts of God; nor by this only was their impiety discovered, but because they treated with scorn all ancient histories, which have yet been preserved for us, in order that our salvation might be promoted. " Whatsoever is written," says Paul, " has been written for our instruction, that through the patience and the consolation of the Scripture we might have hope." (Rom. xv. 4.) He there shews that we are to learn patience from the examples contained in the Scripture, and that we have there a ground for strong consolation, so that we may cherish hope until God delivers us from all miseries. But what say the profane ? " Ho, thou tellest us what has been written, but this is remote from us, and through length of time has vanished away: what is antiquity to us ?" Cut though the Jews used this sacrilegious language, let us yet learn to embrace whatever is set before us in Scripture, while God invites us to hope for mercy, and at the same time exhorts us to patience ; nor let this blasphemy ever fall from our mouths ; nay, let not this thought ever creep into our hearts, " God appeared a long while ago/' Let us then abominate the ingratitude of those who would have God to be always present, and yet pay no regard to his ancient benefits. Hence the Prophet answers, But, &c.: the copulative ) is here an adversative, as though he had said, Nay, or Yea, for it may also be taken for £W, ga.m, " Yea, I have loved thee with perpetual love." Then God answers the ungodly, and shews, that he having become once the liberator of his people, did not undertake this office through a momentary impulse, but because he had so promised to Abraham, and had adopted the people. Since then God's covenant was perpetual, he thus refutes here the impious calumny, that God acted bountifully only for a moment towards his people, and had regard only once for their miseries, so as to help them. Tea, he says, / have loved thee with perpetual love. God then here shews, that the redemption, by which he had exhibited a remarkable proof of his mercy, was founded on the gratuitous adoption which was not for 58 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXVII. one year, but perpetual in its duration. We thus see that he reproves the detestable blasphemy of the people, and intimates that adoption was the cause of their redemption. And this passage ought to be carefully noticed : for these false imaginations come immediately to our minds, when we read or hear how God had in various ways and degrees been merciful towards his people, " Ho ! that happened formerly, but we know not whether God's piurpose remains the same ; he, indeed, conferred this favour on his ancient people, but we know not whether the same can or will be extended to us." Thus the devil, by his craft, suggests to us these false imaginations, which impede the flow of God's favour, that it may not come to us. So the grace of God is stopped in its course, when we thus separate ourselves from the fathers, and from all his servants towards whom he has been so merciful. It is, therefore, a doctrine especially useful, when the Prophet shews, that whatever blessings God has at any time conferred on his ancient people, they ought to be ascribed to his gratuitous covenant, and that that covenant is eternal: and hence there is no doubt but that God is at this day prepared to secure the salvation of all the godly ; for he remains ever the same, and never changes ; and he would also have his fidelity and constancy to shine forth in the covenant which he has made with his Church. Since, then, the covenant of God is inviolable and cannot fail, even were heaven and earth brought into confusion, we ought to feel assured that God will ever be a deliverer to us : how so ? because his covenant remains the same ; and, therefore, his power to deliver us will remain the same. This is the use we ought to make of this clause. A confirmation afterwards follows, Therefore have I prolonged towards thee my mercy. I have already said, that this clause is otherwise rendered and explained. But nothing can be more diluted when we read thus, " I have drawn thee in mercy." What has this to do with the perpetuity or the continued course and progress of love ? But the other meaning is very suitable, that God would prolong his mercy to Israel. There is understood only one letter, but this does CHAP. XXXI. S. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 59 not interfere with the sense ; and such forms of speech are elsewhere often found. He then says, that as he had embraced Israel with perpetual love, he had, therefore, drawn out or extended his mercy ; for from the time he delivered his people from the tyranny of Pharaoh, and fed them forty years in the desert, he had bestowed on them many benefits. For with what victories favoured he them ? and then how often had he pitied them ? God then ceased not from continuing his mercy to them from the time he had stretched forth his hand to them. And according to this view it is very appropriately said, that he had prolonged his mercy ; for not only for one day or one year did he shew himself propitious to the Israelites, but he had exhibited himself the same for four hundred, five hundred, six hundred years. And thus also is best confuted that impiety and blasphemy of the people, that God had formerly appeared to them; " Nay," he says, " except thou suppressest most wickedly my benefits, thou must perceive that the benefits I conferred on thy fathers have been long extended to thee, and have been perpetual and manifold."1 We now perceive the real meaning of the Prophet. Were any to prefer turning the preterite to the future, I would not object, " Therefore will I prolong (or extend) towards thee my mercy." This sense would be suitable. But when the words are taken as they are, we see why the Prophet adds, that God's mercy had been prolonged, that is, that he might condemn the ingratitude of the Jews, because they did not rightly consider the benefits which had been bestowed on them for so many ages. It follows— 1 I find nothing satisfactory as to this verse, except the explanation here given, and it is that of the Targum. The first clause is the people's cavilling answer to what is declared in the foregoing verse. Jacob is the person introduced, as representing the people. He says, it is indeed true,— " At a remote period Jehovah appeared to me." Then the rejoinder to this is exactly suitable,— But with perpetual love have I loved thee, Therefore have I prolonged to thee mercy. Or, "extended to thee mercy," (see Psal. cix. 12,) or, " continued to thee mercy," or, according to Blayney, " lengthened out mercy to thee." Now there is a consistency in the whole passage, according to this view, and also in what follows, " I will again build thee," &c.—Ed. 60 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXVII. 4. Again I will build thee, and thou 4. Adhuc sedificabo te, et shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou sedificaberis, puella Israel: ad- shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, hue ornaberis tympanis tuis, and shalt go forth in the dances of them et exibis in choros luden- that make merry. tium. Jeremiah, in this verse, proceeds with the same subject, —that though there would be the long time of seventy years, yet God would become the liberator of his Church. Length of time might have extinguished the faith of the people, as it is too commonly the case : for when nothing appears to us but the naked word, and when God repeats the same promises from day to day, we think it of no moment ; and then when some evil has been prevailing, we think that all ways have been already closed up, so that God cannot bring a remedy; we thus measure his power by our own standard : and as he comes late to help us, because he suffers men to be long afflicted with disease or other evils, so we imagine that God will never come, when he suspends and delays his favour longer than we wish. Hence the Prophet says here, I will yet build thee, and built shalt thou be, virgin of Israel; and then, thou shalt yet be adorned with thy tabrets. Joy is here set in opposition to the grief with which the people were to be oppressed in exile, and in part had been already oppressed, for many had been driven into exile. But Jeremiah expresses their joy and gladness by a figurative mode of speaking, by tabrets and dances of those who play. For when the Prophets announce the vengeance of God, they are wont to say, " cease shall all joy among you ; ye shall not play any more with the harp or with musical instruments." So also in this place Jeremiah says, that they would return to the tabrets and dances, when God restored them to their own country. We ought not at the same time to turn this testimony of the Prophet to excuse profane lasciviousness, by which profane men pervert the benefits of God, for they preserve no moderation in their joy, but abandon themselves, and thus become wanton against God. And it is the tendency of all dances and sounds of tabrets, to besot profane men. The Prophet then did not intend to allow this sort of licentiousness to the people : for we must ever bear in mind what he said yester- CHAP. XXXI. 0. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 61 day, that the voice of praise would go forth with joy. By tabrets and dances, he then means holy joy, connected with praises to God, and with the sacrifice of thanksgiving.1 It afterwards follows— 5. Thou shalt yet plant vines 5. Adhuc plantabis vites in monti- upon the mountains of Sa- bus Samarise: plantabunt plantatores maria: the planters shall plant, (hoc eat, plantabunt vinitores,) et pro- and shall eat them as common fanabunt (id est, conferent ad usum things. communem.) The verb //!"!, chelal, means to profane, but it means also to apply to common use. The expression is taken from the Law ; for it was not lawful to eat of the fruit of the vine until after the fourth year ; for its uncircumcision as it were remained in the vine, so that its fruit was unclean. Then its first-fruits were offered to God; afterwards every one enjoyed his vintage. (Lev. xix. 23-25.) But at the same time Jeremiah had respect to the curses which we read of elsewhere, " Thou shalt plant a vineyard, and others shall eat its fruit." (Deut. xxviii. 30.) What did he then mean by these words ? even that the country would, for a time, be so deserted, that there would be no vines on the richest and the most fertile mountains. The mountains of Samaria were rich in vines ; and when vines on these were cut down, there was a dreadful desolation. When, therefore, the Prophet says, they shall yet plant a vineyard, he intimates that the land would be desolate for a time ; so also when he says, I will yet build thee, he reminds the Jews, that they were to bear with resignation the judgment of God, while they could see nothing but desolation through the whole land. This, then, is what the word yet intimates : but when he promised that there would be vines again on the mountains of Samaria, he adds, that they who planted them would enjoy the fruit. Here, then, is an additional blessing: it would have availed them nothing to plant or set vines, except this blessing of God was added ; for it is a very grievous thing to be deprived of a possession which we have cultivated, and on which we have spent much labour. He then who has 1 SeeExod. xv. 20; Jud. xi. 34; 1 Sam. xviii. 6; Psalm Ixviii. 25. "Tabrets" or timbrels were carried in one hand, and beaten by the fingers of the other. It was a hoop with bits of brass, and over this hoop parchment was distended; they were very like what are now called tambourins.—Ed. 62 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXVIII. diligently planted vines, and he who has cultivated his land, if driven into exile, feels deeply wounded in his mind, when he sees that his vines and his land are in the possession of strangers. Hence the Prophet here intimates that God's favour would he certain, because he would not only give leisure to the Jews, when they returned, to plant vines, but would also cause them to enjoy the fruit in peace and quietness. They shall then profane,1 that is, apply to their own use, in the fifth year, the fruit produced by the vines, as though he had said, " They shall dwell, without disturbance, in their own inheritance, when once they shall have returned to it." PRAYER. Grant, Almighty God, that as thou hast once testified that thou art to us a Father through thine only-begotten Son, we may not only taste of that promise, but be also wholly satisfied with it, and remain in it constantly, until having gone through all evils, we may at length attain to the full manifestation of it, when thou gatherest us into that blessed rest, which is the fruit of thy eternal adoption, through the same Christ Jesus our Lord.—Amen. One ©tmBteS anU lEtgf)teettti>. 6. For there shall be a day, that 6. Quia erit dies, quo clamabunt the watchmen upon the mount (sed subaudiendum est relativum) Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let custodes in monte Ephraim, Surgite us go up to Zion unto the Lord our et ascendamus Sion ad Jehovam God. Deum nostrum. The Prophet here amplifies the kindness of God, because he would not only restore the tribe of Judah, but also the ten tribes, who had previously been led into exile. He then promises here a full and complete restoration of the Church. The Prophets do not always speak in the same manner of the liberation of the people ; sometimes they confine what they say to the tribe of Judah, as though the rest were in a hopeless state, but often they extend their prophecies to the whole body of the people. So in this place Jeremiah in- 1 This verb seems not to have been rightly understood by the authors of the early versions, nor by the writer of the Targum. Their imperfect knowledge of Hebrew frequently appears.—Ed. CHAP. XXXI. 6. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 63 eludes, together with the tribe of Judah, the ten tribes, and the half tribe of Benjamin, for some of the tribe of Benjamin had remained and had never revolted from the family of David. But they usually call the kingdom of Israel the ten tribes, and denote the kingdom of Judah by the name of that one tribe: thus the tribe of Benjamin, divided into two parts, i3 not mentioned. The meaning, then, of the Prophet is, that when God redeemed his people, not only Judah would return, but also the Israelites, of whom there was hardly a hope, because they had been in exile for a long time; and as they had rejected the pure and legitimate worship of God, they might have been thought to have been excluded from the Church, for by their own perfidy they had shut out themselves, so that they were unworthy of so honourable a distinction. So the Prophet here declares that God's favour would surpass the wickedness and perverseness of the people of Israel. Hence he says that the day would come in which watchmen would cry on the mountain of Ephraim, &c. By Ephraim, as it is well known, are often to be understood the ten tribes, and that on account of Jeroboam, who first reigned over them. But we ought ever to remember, that under one tribe, in this case, are included all the ten tribes. When, therefore, the Prophet speaks of watchmen on Mount Ephraim, he means all the watchmen, placed on their watch-towers, through the whole kingdom of Israel. But the contrast ought to be noticed, for Jeroboam had closed up every passage by which the Israelites might ascend to Jerusalem ; for he feared lest they should there hear of God's covenant which he had made with David and his posterity. He was ill at ease with himself, because he had obtained the kingdom by sinister means. God had, indeed, by his Prophet commanded him to be anointed a king ; but it does not hence follow, that as to himself he had obtained the kingdom justly. It is true that God intended to punish Reho-boam and also the people ; but he who had been the author of the revolt was perfidious in seeking to establish a kingdom for his posterity; he forbade any one to ascend to Jerusalem, and therefore he built altars in Dan and Bethel. 6-4 COMMENTARIES ON JEKEMIAH. LECT. CXVIII. (1 Kings xii. 29-31.) On this account the Prophet Hosea complains that they besieged the ways like thieves, and that many who ascended to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to God were slain ; and some were plundered and sent home. (Hos. vi. 9.) The contrast then is worthy of being noticed, when the Prophet says, " Yet cry shall watchmen on Mount Ephraim, Arise, let us ascend to Zion to our God." For though in appearance they forsook only the posterity of David, they yet at the same time renounced the true and pure worship of God; and the religion which they followed under Jeroboam was spurious ; for they ought to have offered sacrifices to God only in one place, for it is often found in the Law, " Thou shalt come to the place which the Lord thy God shall choose." (Deut. xii. 26.) But they having despised the place which God had appointed for himself, built altars elsewhere. Then their worship was nothing but superstition ; and though they multiplied sacrifices, they did nothing but provoke God's wrath ; for it is not lawful for us to devise anything beyond what is prescribed in the Law. The Prophet therefore says, Cry shall watchmen, Arise, let us ascend into Zion ; that is, there will not be such a division among the people as there was formerly. For a few only worshipped God in the Temple which had been built by his command, and the rest gave themselves up to numberless superstitions ; but now they shall again unite in one body. In short, Jeremiah here teaches us, that all the children of Abraham would return to a fraternal agreement, and that there would be a bond between them, a unity of faith, for they would together unite in offering sacrifices, and no one would invent a god for himself.1 1 The verb for " cry" is either in the past tense or in the imperative mood. As there are so many imperatives in this passage, it seems that this is an imperative too. It appears that the latter part of the last verse, this verse, and that which follows, contain what would be addressed to the people after their return. In no other way can the verbs be grammatically rendered. The whole address is as follows,— " Plant, O ye planters, and eat the fruit; 6. For come is the day : Call ye, O watchmen, on mount Ephraim, ' Arise, and let us go into Sion, to Jehovah our God;' 7. For thus has Jehovah said, CHAP. XXXI. 7. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 65 Now this passage is especially useful; for we may hence learn what is the right state of the Church; it is when all agree in one faith. But we must, at the same time, see what is the foundation of this faith. The Papists indeed boast of this union, but yet they pass by what ought to hold the first place, that is, that all must have regard to the only true God, according to what they are taught by his word. Hence the Prophet here mentions Mount Sion, which had been chosen by God, that he might shew that no unity pleases G-od, unless men obey his word from the least to the greatest, and not follow their own imaginations, but embrace what he teaches and prescribes in his Law. This is the import of this passage. The Israelites shall then call him their God, from whom they had before wickedly departed. It follows— 7. For thus saith the Lord, 7. Quia sic dicit Jehova, Exultate Sing with gladness for Jacob, propter Jacob in lsetitia (vel cum Jacob, and shout among the chief of nam *? potest utroque modo accipi,) et the nations: publish ye, praise jubilate in capite gentium; promulgate, ye, and say, 0 Lord, save thy kudate, et dicite, Serva Jehova popu- people, the remnant of Israel. lum suum, reliquias Israel. The Prophet confirms the contents of the verse we have explained ; and it was necessary to make this addition, because what he had said was almost incredible. He therefore enlarged upon it. Thus saith Jehovah ; this preface he made, as I have often reminded you, that his doctrine might have Shout ye,' To Jacob there is joy,' And cry it aloud among the chief of the nations s Publish, exultingly proclaim, and say, ' Saved hath Jehovah thy people, The remnant of Israel.' " The passage is a sort of an episode. What follows seems well connected with the former part of the 5th verse. " Eat the fruit," is the meaning, and not the literal version, which can hardly be given: it is so rendered by Blayney. " Call ye," or, proclaim, or, give the invitation. The news was to be made known " among the chief of the nations," as it is evident from the 10th verse. " Saved," &c, so the Sept. and the Targum, and more consistent with the context than " save;" but both have " his," i.e., God's, instead of " thy people," i.e., Jacob's. The verb V?ft means not only to praise, but also to boast, to exult, and here evidently to proclaim with exultation or triumph. It is rendered here " sing ye," by the Vulg. and Syr. It is worthy of notice, that in this episode the particulars, mentioned in the 4th verse, and the beginning of the 5th, are referred to in their reversed order.—Ed. 66 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXVIII. more weight. Jeremiah, indeed, adduced nothing but what he had learnt from God, and by the revelation of his Spirit; but it was needful sometimes expressly to testify this on account of his hearers. He now bids them to exult with joy, and to shout for joy. It must be observed that this prophecy was announced, when the utter destruction of the people, of the city, and temple, was not far distant; but it was the Prophet's object to comfort, so to speak, the dead in their graves, so that they might patiently wait for their promised deliverance, and that they might feel assured that it was not more difficult for God to raise the dead than to heal the sick. Therefore the prophecy had its use when the Jews were driven into exile and miserably scattered, so as to have no hope of deliverance. But that his doctrine might more effectually enter into their hearts, he exhorts them to rejoice, to shout for joy, and to sing ; and not only them, but also strangers. For though it will presently appear that their joy was not in common with the unbelieving, the Prophet yet seems to address his words on purpose to aliens, that the Jews themselves might become ashamed for not embracing the promise offered to them. For what doth the Prophet say ? " Ye alien nations, shout for joy, for Jacob." What should Jacob himself do in the meantime ? We now then see the design of the Prophet's vehemence in bidding all to rejoice for the redemption of the people, even that this prophecy might not only bring some comfort to the miserable exiles, but that they might also know, that whilst in the midst of death, they would live before God, provided they did not despair. In short, he not only intended to mitigate their sorrow, but also to fill them with spiritual joy, that they might not cease to entertain hope and to take courage, and not only patiently, but cheerfully to bear their calamities, because God promised to be propitious to them. This is the reason why he bids them to exult with joy, and to shout for joy. He adds, among the chief of the nations. This may be understood as though the Prophet had said, that the nations would be so contemptible, that the children of God would not be disposed to insult them ; but I understand the words CHAP. XXXI. 7. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 67 in a simpler way,—that the Prophet bids them to exult at the head of nations, as though Jie had said, " openly, so that your joy may be observed by all/' For though the Jews entertained the hope of a return, yet they hardly dared to give any sign of their confidence, because they might have thus exasperated the minds of their enemies. They were, therefore, under the necessity of being wholly silent, and, as it were, without life. Now the Prophet sets this manifest joy in opposition to that fear which constrained the Jews to be almost wholly mute, so that they dared not by gesture nor by words, to make known what they had learned from the holy servants of God. In short, the Prophet intimates that the liberation of the Jews would be so glorious, that they would dread no danger in proclaiming openly the kindness of God. This seems to be denoted by the head of the nations. He then adds, Proclaim ye, praise and say, Save, &c. This refers properly to the faithful; for we know that God is not really invoked by the unbelieving. Faith alone opens a door of access to us, and there cannot be any right praying except what proceeds from faith. The Prophet then addresses here the children of God, when he says, " Proclaim ye, praise and say," &c. And though all the ungodly were by evident experience convinced of the wonderful power of God, yet there was not among them any herald of God's grace. It is then enjoined on the faithful, as their own proper office, to celebrate the favour of God. And to this is added thanksgiving, as though the Prophet, had said that God's grace cannot be rightly proclaimed unless his goodness be acknowledged, and the sacrifice of praise be offered to him. We hence learn that we are to be so animated by his promises to trust in God as not to grow torpid. For many cheer themselves up when they hear some joyful news, but this joy produces in them security. Thus it comes that faith is choked, and does not produce its proper fruits ; for the chief work of faith is prayer to God. Now, they who are secure because they think of no danger, do not flee to God, and thus omit that work of religion in which they ought mainly to exercise themselves. Hence 68 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LBCT. CXVIII. the Prophet reminds the faithful here that they are so to praise God as not to neglect prayer. The meaning is, that when God promises that he will be propitious to us, he gives us a sufficient reason for joy. We ought then to be satisfied with the naked word of God, when he declares that he will be a Father to us, and when he promises that our salvation will be the object of his care. But yet, as I have already said, joy ought not to render us secure, so as to make faith idle, but it ought rather to stimulate us to prayer. True and spiritual joy we then have, derived from God's word, when we are diligent in prayer ; and coldness and security are no tokens of faith, but of insensibility ; and the promises of God produce no real effects in us, as it must needs be, unless our minds are kindled into a desire for prayer, yea, into a fervour in prayer. This then is the reason why the Prophet, after having bidden the faithful to praise and exalt fhe favour of God, adds this prayer,—" Say ye, Save thou, Jehovah, thy people." It then behoved them so to rejoice as to feel solicitous for the restoration of the Church. And it behoves us, also, at this time, whenever God shines on us with the testimony of his favour, so to rejoice as not to omit that primary exercise of faith, even prayer. He further adds, the remnant of Israel, because it was necessary that what Isaiah had predicted should be fulfilled, " Though thy people were as sand of the sea, a remnant only shall be delivered." (Is. x, 22.) Though, then, the Prophet has been speaking generally of all the posterity of Abraham, and included the ten tribes, yet here he qualifies that statement by mentioning the remnant or residue of Israel, and this in order that the faithful might not despond on seeing hardly one in ten or in fifty returning from exile; for we know that in comparison of their great number, a few only returned from exile. He has then mentioned here "the remnant of Israel," that the faithful at a future time might not be shaken in their hope, though God did not immediately restore the whole Church; and it was also necessary to deprive the hypocrites of that vain confidence with which they were filled ; for they were wont to seize on everything which God CHAP. XXXI.8. COMMENTARIES ON JEBEMIAH. 69 promised by his servants. Hence Jeremiah excluded them, that they might know that this promise did not belong to them, according to what Paul, while handling this subject, shews to us at large. (Rom. ix. 27 ; xi. 5, 7.) And he is a correct interpreter of this passage and of similar ones, when he says that God was never so bound to the people of Israel, but that he could freely do what he pleased, so that a remnant only should he saved. And he calls them the " remnant of grace," because they are in no other way saved than through the free and gratuitous goodness of God. And this doctrine may also be justly applied to our time. For we are by no means to expect that God will so restore his Church in the world, that all shall be renewed by his Spirit, and unite in true religion ; but he gathers his Church on all sides, and yet in such a way, that his gratuitous mercy ever appears, because there shall be remnants only. It follows,— 8. Behold, I will bring them from the 8. Eccereducensipsose terra north country, and gather them from the Aquilonis: et congregabo eos coasts of the earth, and with them the ex lateribus terrse; in ipsis er- blind and the lame, the woman with child unt csecus et claudus, prseg- and her that travaileth with child toge- nans et puerpera simul, coetus ther: a great company shall return thither, magnus revertentur hue. The Prophet again confirms the same truth, but with amplification. For this oracle is not only prefaced as having proceeded from God, but that the address might be more forcible, he introduces God himself as the speaker, Behold me restoring them from, the land of the north ; for Babylon, as it is well known, was northward from Judea. And whenever the Prophets speak of the deliverance of the people, they ever name the north ; as, also, when they threaten the people, they say that an army or a calamity was to come from the north. They had before been delivered from the south, for such was the situation of Egypt. The Prophet now intimates that God was furnished with power to liberate them again from the land of the north. Then he says, and I will collect them from, the sides of the earth : by sides, he means the extremities or the corners, so to speak, of the earth; as though he had said, that their dispersion would not prevent God from collecting his people. 70 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXVIII. Nearly the same promise was announced by Moses, though in other words,—"Though thou wert dispersed through the four quarters of the world, I will yet from thence collect thee." (Deut. xxx. 4.) God there means that distance of places would be no obstacle to him, but that as soon as the fit time arrived, he would again collect his Church from its dispersion. We hence see what the Prophet understands by the sides of the earth. And he intended to obviate a doubt which might have depressed the minds of the people on seeing the body torn and deformed: " Eh ! how can it be, that we can again come together ?" In order then to remove this doubt, the Prophet says that God would come to collect his people again, not only from one corner, but also from the extreme regions of the earth. He then adopts another mode of speaking, in order to shew that no impediment would be so strong as to exceed God's power, when his purpose was to deliver his people: The blind, he says, and the lame, the pregnant, and the one in travail, shall come. The blind cannot move a step without stumbling or falling ; then the blind are by no means fit to undertake a journey, for there is no way which they can see as open for them; and the lame, when there is a way for them, cannot make any progress. But God promises that such would be their deliverance, that both the lame and the blind would participate of it. He then mentions the pregnant and women in childbed. The pregnant, owing to the burden she carries, cannot undertake a long journey, and she that is recently confined, can hardly dare to leave her bed, being so debilitated by parturition ; but God promises that the pregnant and the lately confined shall return with the rest; as though he had said, that there was no fear but that God would restore his Church, because his power was superior to all the impediments of the world, so that he could confirm the feeble, guide the blind, sustain the lame, and strengthen the pregnant and those lying in childbed. Now, though the Prophet addressed this discourse to the ancient people, it yet contains a doctrine perpetually useful. We hence gather, that they act preposterously who estimate God's favour according to present appearances. But this is CHAP. XXXI. 9. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 71 a mistake almost inbred in us by nature, and engrosses all our thoughts and feelings. Hence arises want of confidence in God, and hence it also happens, that all God's promises become frigid to us, or at least lose their just value. For when God promises anything, we look around us and inquire how it can be fulfilled ; and if our minds cannot comprehend the way and manner, we reject what has proceeded from the mouth of God. Let us then attend to this prophetic doctrine ; and when God seems to promise what surpasses our faith, nay, what appears to us by no means possible, let this doctrine come to our minds, and let it serve as a corrective to check our false thoughts, lest we, having our minds preoccupied by a false and preposterous opinion, should do wrong to the power of God. If, then, the deliverance which God promises seems incredible, as to our perceptions, let us remember that it is in his power to make the blind to see, the lame to walk, the pregnant and those lying in childbed, to undertake a journey; for he can by his power surmount all obstacles, so that we shall find our faith victorious, provided we learn to rely on God's promises, and firmly rest on them. We now understand what use we ought to make of this prophecy. It follows afterwards— 9. They shall come with weep- 9. Cum fletu venient, et in preca- ing, and with supplications will I tionibus (vel, miserationibus) addis- lead them: I will cause them to cam eos;deducamad fluviosaquarum, walk by the rivers of waters in a in viam rectatn, ubi non impingent straight way, wherein they shall (non impingent in ea, ad verbum, sed not stumble ; for I am a father H3 debet resolvi in relativum;) quoni- to Israel, and Ephraim is my first- am ero Israeli in Patrem, et Ephraim born. primogenitus meus ipse. The Prophet still pursues the same subject; but he adds, that though they went with weeping into exile, yet that would be no impediment, that God should not restore them again to their own country: for I take the beginning of this verse, in weeping shall they come, in an adversative sense. Some explain weeping as the effect of joy ; for joy as well as grief sometimes brings tears. Some then think the meaning of the Prophet to be, that so great would be the joy on their return, that tears would flow from their eyes. But I, on the 72 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXVIII. contrary, think, that the Prophet means what was afterwards repeated in one of the Psalms, " Going forth they went forth and wept; but coming they shall come with exultation, carrying their sheaves." (Ps. cxxvi. 6.) For the Prophet compares the exile of the people to sowing; for except the seed cast on the earth dies, it remains dry and barren, and does not germinate : the death then of the seed is the cause of production. So also it was necessary for the people to be by exile thus cast on the ground, that their calamity might be a kind of death to them. But he says that the Jews when cast forth as a seed, that is, when driven into exile to be put to death by the chastening rod of God, "had come with weeping;" but that afterwards they returned with joy as in harvest, that is, when liberty to return was granted them. So also the Prophet here speaks, as I think, in an adversative sense, of the Jews ; the particle though is to be understood. It afterwards follows, With prayers, or mercies, will I lead them. The word O'O'Dnn, techenunirn., which is found mostly in the plural number, means prayers; and I know not whether this sense is suitable here. In Zechariah, the word being connected with grace, it cannot be otherwise explained than of mercy, (Zech. vii. 9 ;) and I am inclined to adopt this meaning here, even that the weeping of the people would be no hinderance, that God should not at last shew mercy to them, and turn their weeping and tears into laughter and joy. But if any one prefers to render the word, prayers, the sense would not be improper; that is, that when they began suppliantly to confess their sins, and to flee to God's mercy, there would then come the time of joy. But weeping then must be applied to blind grief, for the Jews were not as yet subdued so as to submit to God, to be humbled and to repent. Hence weeping is to be taken in a bad sense, even for grief, mixed with perverseness, when they murmured against God; and the Prophet must have taken prayers as tokens of repentance, that is, when the Jews, having been truly convinced of their sins by many and continual evils, would begin to flee to God's mercy. But he seems rather to set God's mercies in opposition to the sor- CHAP. XXXI. 9. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 73 row in which the Jews were involved when God hid his favour from them.1 He adds, I will lead them to fountains of waters, according to what is said in the book of Psalms, that they would find fountains and wells on their journey. (Ps. lxxxiv. 6.) For the Jews had to travel through deserts and sterile sands; so they thought that they lived in another world while they were in Chaldea : they remembered how vast was the solitude through which they had passed. Hence then was their despair, so that they refused every comfort when the Prophets exhorted them to entertain good hope. God therefore promises to be their leader on their journey, so that they should not want water in the lonely and barren desert. And we see that the Prophet, by the various figures he uses, means one and the same thing, even that whatever obstacles may meet us, to prevent us from tasting of God's goodness, and to embrace the promises of salvation, they will all vanish away, if we bear in mind the infinite power of God. I will then lead them by fovMtains of water. Then he says, through a straight way, in which they shall not stumble, according to what is said in Is. xl. 3, " A voice crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, make straight the paths of our God; let every valley be raised and mountain be made low, so that rough places may 1 The Targ. and the Versions, excepting the Vulg., give a similar meaning to these two clauses. They give the sense of " departing" to the first verb, while it commonly has the sense of " coming." It is also in the future tense, and therefore cannot refer to the departing of the Israelites, who are meant here, for they had already gone into exile. Their return is no doubt what is spoken of, which would be attended with " weeping," not for joy, but for their sins, as it is distinctly expressed in verses 18 and 19; and also "with entreaties" or supplications. (See ch. iii. 21.) And it is better with Venema to join the two words with " coming,"— With weeping shall they come and with supplications ; I will bring them, I will lead them, By streams of water, in a straight way; They shall not stumble in it. He promises two things, to " bring" and to " lead;" then the leading refers to the streams of water, and the bringing to the straight way; which is a kind of arrangement that is often to be met with in Scripture. Two things, especially necessary for travellers, are promised, water and a good road. " Straight" seems to apply to the surface of the road as well as to its sides; hence some render it "smooth" or even, such as would have nothing that might cause one to stumble.—Ed. 74 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXVIII. become plain, and the crooked (or tortuous) become straight ways." We thus see how these prophecies harmonize, and ought to be regarded as teaching the same thing,—that God surmounts all obstacles when it is his purpose to save his Church; for how much soever all the elements may unite against the salvation of the godly, God can by one breath dissipate them all, and cast down the loftiest mountains that may be in his way, and give rivers in deserts and dry lands; and thus he can constrain to obey him whatever may seem opposed to the salvation of his Church. He afterwards adds, for I shall be a Father to Israel, Ephraim my first-born he, or shall be; for SO!"!, eua, as it is well known, is taken in the place of a verb. Here Jeremiah points out the cause, and as it were the fountain of the deliverance of which he has been hitherto speaking, even because God would become reconciled to his people. He intimates also the cause of the exile and of all the evils that had been and would be, because they had provoked God by their sins. God had indeed adopted them as his people in the person of Abraham ; but the Prophet intimates an interruption when he says, I will be, though the covenant of God had never been annulled. He was then ever the Father of the Church, but the benefit of adoption did not appear; as to outward appearance the people seemed as rejected, as it has been said in other places : and on this subject Hosea also speaks in these words, " I will say to her who obtained not mercy, Thou shalt obtain mercy; I will say to the not beloved, Thou art a beloved people." (Hos. ii. 23.) For nothing could have been said of the Jews when expelled from their inheritance, but that they were wholly alienated from God. He was therefore no Father to them at that time, that is, he did not appear to be so, although he did prove himself to be a Father really and effectually. He then began to be a Father when the people returned into their own country, because God's favour then shone forth, which for a time had been as it were extinct.1 1 What is here said is no doubt true: but the auxiliary verb is, " I was," not " I shall be;" and so it is rendered by the Sept., Vulg., and Targ. ; and by the Syr., «I am." Then the Versions, very incorrectly, give the CHAP. XXXI. 9. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 75 PRAYER. Grant, Almighty God, that as thou hast so often been pleased to receive into favour thine ancient people, though extremely provoked by their perverse wickedness,—O grant, that mercy may also at this day be shewn to us, and that though we wholly deserve to perish eternally, thou mayest yet stretch forth thine hand to us and grant to us a testimony of thy favour, so that we may be able with a cheerful mind to call on thee as our Father, and ever to entertain hope of thy mercy, until we shall be gathered into that kingdom, where we shall perfectly render to thee the sacrifice of praise, and rejoice in the fruition of that eternal life, which has been procured for us by the blood of thine only-begotten Son.—Amen. ZLtttuxe <3m ©untrrfO anO Qinetccnty. We explained yesterday how God began to be a Father to Israel when he restored him from exile. Adoption, with regard to God, remained indeed the same, as it has been stated; but as to the judgment of men, it was abolished. He then began anew so to collect his people, that they might really know him as their Father. He afterwards adds, that Ephraim would be his first-born. Ephraim is no doubt taken here for the whole people; nor does the Prophet here make any distinction between the two kingdoms, but includes even the tribe of Judah in the name Ephraim, as it is done in many other places. But yet it is proper to observe, that Ephraim is sometimes taken for all the posterity of Abraham, sometimes for the kingdom of Israel, and sometimes for that tribe itself. When the kingdom of Judah is distinguished from the kingdom of Israel, then Ephraim includes only the ten tribes; but in this place the Prophet did not intend to mark the difference between the tribe of Judah and the ten tribes, because it next clause, in which there is no verb, in the present tense, while it ought to be in the past tense, like the foregoing. The words literally are,— For I was (or, have been) to Jacob a Father, And Ephraim, my first-born he (i.e. was he.) And to this purpose has Blayney rendered the passage. Whenever the auxiliary verb is understood, its tense must be regulated by the context. On " first-born," see Ex. iv. 22, 23, and 1 Chron. v. \.—Ed. 76 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LEOT. OXIX. would have in this case been very strange to call Ephraim the first-born ; for we know that Ephraim had been rejected from a regard to David, as it is said in the Psalms, " And God refused the tribe of Joseph, and rejected the tabernacles of Ephraim; he chose the tribe of Judah whom he loved." (Ps. lxxviii. 67, 68.) There a comparison is made between the kingdom of Judah which God had erected, having added a promise, and the kingdom of Jeroboam, which was, as it were, spurious ; for the revolt from the family of David had torn the body of the Church, so that it became as it were mutilated. For this reason it is said that Ephraim was rejected, that is, because God regarded David alone and his posterity with paternal favour; and of his whole family it was said, " He shall call me, • My Father;' and I will say to him, 'Thou art my Son/" (Ps. lxxxix. 26.) In this place then, the Prophet speaks generally of the people, as though he had said that it was only a temporary division when the ten tribes had formed for themselves a kingdom of their own, but that they would become one people, so that Ephraim would differ in nothing any more from Judah. To the same purpose is what is said by Hosea, " "When Israel was a child I loved him, and from Egypt have I called my Son." (Hos. xi. 1.) There the Prophet calls the people Israel; he does not, however, denote the ten tribes only, but he placed in the first rank David and his posterity. Indeed, the Prophets, when prophesying of the restoration of the Church, direct their eyes to the first unity which God had fixed among the people, for it was then only the true state of things, when the twelve tribes preserved a fraternal union. We now then perceive why the Prophet says that Ephraim was God's first-born. But it may be asked here, " With respect to whom is he thus called ? for it follows that there were other sons of God, if Ephraim was the first-born among them." But this conclusion is not well-founded ; for Mary is said to have brought forth her first-born son, who was yet her only son, (Matt, i. 25 ;) and Christ is called elsewhere the first-begotten with reference to all the faithful, " that he might be the first-born among many brethren." (Rom. viii. 29.) But Mary had CHAP. XXXI. 10. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 77 brought forth her only son. Hence the word, " first-born," does not prove that others follow, the second and the third in their order ; but we may say that Ephraim was called the first-born of God with reference to the Gentiles, who at length became partakers of free adoption : for we also are the children of Abraham, because we have been planted by faith among the elect people; yet this solution seems to me more refined than solid. I then give this simple interpretation, that Ephraim was called the first-born because he was preferred to all the Gentiles ; God was pleased to choose them as his people. This then was the peculiar privilege of the seed of Abraham ; for though the human race was one and the same, yet it pleased God to choose and adopt Abraham and his posterity. It now follows,— 10. Hear the word of the Lord, O 10. Auditesermonem Jehov£e,gen- ye nations, and declare it in the isles tes, et annuntiate in insulis e lon- afar off, and say, He that scattered ginquo, et dicite, Q.ui dispersit Is- Israel will gather him, and keep him, rael congregabit eum, et custodiet as a shepherd doth his flock. tanquam pastor gregem suum. The Prophet dwells at large on the redemption which was in the opinion of all incredible, especially as so many years had already elapsed ; for it was the full extent of human life when the people had been buried, as it were, in their graves for seventy years. Then the length of time alone was sufficient to cut off every hope. No wonder then that our Prophet sets forth in a lofty strain the return of the people. Hence he exclaims, Hear, ye nations, the word of Jehovah. And then, as by God's command, he sends forth heralds here and there to proclaim the favour granted: Go ye, he says, and announce it in remote islands. Now, by these words he intimates that the liberation of the people would be a remarkable demonstration of God's power, which was to be made known through all nations. Had not this been said, the hope of the people must have failed through its own weakness, and been reduced, as it were, to nothing. But when they heard Jeremiah's prophecy respecting this extraordinary favour of God, it was no common consolation to them ; that is, that God would become such a deliverer to them that he would exercise his power in such a way as to 78 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXIX. become evident even to remote nations, yea, the report of which would penetrate into the farthest regions. By islands the Prophets mean countries beyond the sea; thus by the Jews, Italy, Spain, Greece, France, were called Islands. Then the Prophet here by remote islands, means all the regions of the world distant from Judea, and especially those beyond the sea. He afterwards says, he who has dispersed Israel will gather him. This sentence confirms the hope of liberation; for God could easily redeem his people, since their exile was a punishment inflicted by his own hand. Had the Chaldeans obtained the victory over them by their own prowess, they might have cast away all hope as to their deliverance. God then exhorts the people here to entertain hope, because he could heal those wounds which he himself had inflicted ; as though he had said, " I am he who drove you into exile, am I not able to bring you back ? Had you been led away by the power of your enemies, you might be now without any hope of deliverance; but as nothing happened but through my righteous judgment, mercy can bring a remedy for all your evils." Then God shews that their liberation could be easily effected, since the Chaldeans gained nothing by their own power, but as far as he permitted them when chastising his people. He then reasons from contraries, that since he had dispersed, he could also gather them. For had the Israelites been dispersed at the will and pleasure of men, their deliverance might have seemed to be beyond the power of God ; but as he had chastised them, he could, as I have just said, heal the wounds inflicted by his own hand. A useful doctrine may be hence deduced : the Prophet invites the people to repentance by reminding them that God had dispersed them ; for had not the miserable people known this and been fully persuaded of it, they would not have fled to God's mercy, nor have regarded him, nor entertained hope of deliverance. It was, therefore, necessary that repentance should in due order precede, that the people might embrace the deliverance offered to them. This is the reason why the Prophet says, that it was God who had dispersed Israel. He indeed reasons, as I have said, from con- CHAP.XXXI.il. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 79 traries ; but the sentence, no doubt, contains the exhortation which I have now stated, that the people might know that they suffered a just punishment; for it was not by chance, nor by the will of men, but by God's righteous judgment, that they had been driven into exile. It follows, and he will guard them as a shepherd his flock. The Prophet here shews that God's favour would not be momentary, but that their liberation would be the beginning of a deliverance continued to the end ; and to know this is most necessary ; for what would it avail us to be once delivered by God ? Were it so, our salvation would soon fail. But when we hear that we are delivered by God from the tyranny of our enemies for this end, that he may continue towards us his favour, that he may become our perpetual guardian and shepherd, this is a solid ground of confidence. This then is the reason why the Prophet, after having spoken of the deliverance of his people, at the same time adds, that God would be their shepherd, that he would perpetually guard and preserve his people. It follows,— 11. For the Lord hath re- 11. Quia redimet Jehova Jacob et redeemed Jacob, and ransomed dimet e manu (est quidem aliud verbum, him from the hand of him that sed idem significat, biii et ma, redemit e was stronger than he. manu) potentis (vel, robusti) prre ipso. f He goes on with the same subject. He had said before that it would not be a difficult or an arduous work for God to deliver his people ; he now says, Jehovah will redeem his people, and will redeem them from the hand of one more powerful than themselves. Jeremiah again obviates the doubt which might have dejected the minds of the godly ; for this thought ever recurred to them, " How can God redeem us ? He might indeed have checked the Chaldeans, but now they rule over the whole East; this monarchy is like a gulf in which the whole world is swallowed up: since then God has thus exalted the Chaldean power, we are wholly without hope." They might then have despaired when they compared this evil with all the remedies that might occur to them. But the Prophet here confirms what he had just stated, that God would be more powerful than the Chaldeans and all other enemies; as though he had said, 80 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXIX. " Though your enemies are strong, and ye are like sheep in the jaws of wolves, yet nothing can hinder God from redeeming you."1 To the same purpose is what God says often by his Prophets, " Ye have been sold for nothing, and redeemed shall ye be without price," (Is. lii. S ;) as though he had said, " I am not bound to pay anything to the Chaldeans, for I did not sell you to them as by a contract, but I sold you on account of your sins ; as to them, they have given me no price: let nothing, therefore, terrify you as though they could oppose your deliverance against my will." How so ? " Because they have no right to detain you ; therefore, if ye only accept my favour, the strength of your enemies, which appears so formidable, shall not hinder your redemption." This is the reason why he says that the Chaldeans were stronger or more powerful than the Israelites. This truth is also of no little use to us at this day ; for when we consider how great is the strength of our enemies, despair must overwhelm our minds ; but this promise comes to our aid—God testifies that he will in such a way be the Deliverer of his people, that the power of men shall not prevent nor delay his work. It follows,— 12. Therefore they shall come 12. Et venient et laudabunt in ex- and sing in the height of Zion, celso Zion, et confluent ad beneficen- and shall flow together to the tiam Jehovse, ad triticum et ad vinum goodness of the Lord, for wheat, et ad oleum, et ad gregem pecudum and for wine, and for oil, and for (ad verburn, filios ovium,) et armenti the young of the flock and of the (vel, pecoris; distinguit oves et arietes herd ; and their soul shall be as a a bobus et vaccis.) et erit anima eorum watered garden: and they shall quasi hortus irriguus, et non adjicient not sorrow any more at all. ad dolendum (vel, lugendum) amplius. He says that they would come to sing praises on the height of Zion ; by which words Jeremiah promises the restoration 1 The difference between the two verbs seems to be this: HIS is to rescue, to free, to deliver, either by force or by a ransom; but 7SO is to recover what one has a right to, and this also either by force or by a ransom. So that the latter implies a claim or right which is not intimated by the former,— For Jehovah will deliver Jacob, And recover him from a hand stronger than his own. Forcible deliverance is no doubt meant here; and the latter verb is very striking, as it implies that God was vindicating his own right in extricating Jacob from the grasp of a hand stronger than his own.—Ed. CHAP. XXXI. 12. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 81 of the Temple, for otherwise the return of the Jews to their own country would have been of no great importance ; nay, it would have been better for them to have remained in Chaldea, if they only regarded quietness, wealth, and pleasures; for we know how great was the fertility and pleasantness of Chaldea. Then as to the benefits of an earthly and fading life, dwelling there would have been more advantageous to the Jews ; but their return to their own country was to be looked for chiefly that they might be separated from heathens, and might rightly worship God, and so dwell in the promised inheritance, as to be strangers in the world, having respect to their celestial rest. What then has been hitherto said of the people's return would have been unimportant, had not this promise been added respecting the restoration of God's worship. At the same time he exhorts the Israelites to gratitude by shewing to them the end for which they were to be made free, even that they might sing praises on the height of Zion. We, indeed, know that the Temple was built on the top of that hill. But the Prophet mentions the height or high place, because gratitude was freely expressed when the Jews returned to their own country ; for while they lived in exile they were like persons mute. It is hence said in the Psalms, " How shall we sing a song to God in a foreign land ?" (Ps. cxxxvii. 4.) And they might have been still fearful after their return, had not a full liberty been granted them. This then is the benefit which the Prophet refers to when he says, that they would celebrate this favour on the high place of Sion, not in an obscure corner, but so that their voice might be heard far and wide. He adds, and they shall flow together to the goodness of Jehovah, to the wheat, vine, and oil.1 This mode of speaking, 1 The verb 1H3, rendered here, " flow together," has another meaning, " to be enlightened " or illuminated, (see Ps. xxxiv. 5;) and light in Scripture means comfort, delight, or enjoyment. It is so taken by the Syriae and the Targ., and more suitably to the words which follow than in the sense here given,— And they shall be comforted by the bounty of Jehovah, With corn, and with new wine, and with oil, Also with the young of the flock and of the herd ; 82 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXIX. common among the Prophets, ought to be specially noticed. They describe the kingdom of Christ in a way suitable to the comprehension of a rude people, and hence they set before them external images ; for when Christ's kingdom is the subject, mention is made of gold, of silver, of every kind of wealth, and also of great splendour and of great power, for we know that what is beyond and above the world cannot be immediately comprehended by the human mind. We are here inclosed, as it were, in prisons—I speak not of our bodies; but while we sojourn on earth, we cannot raise our minds upwards so as to penetrate as far as the celestial glory of God. As, then, the kingdom of Christ is spiritual and celestial, it cannot be comprehended by human minds, except he raises up our thoughts, as he does, by degrees. This, then, is the reason why the Prophets have set forth the kingdom of Christ by comparing it to earthly kingdoms. We also know that there was a peculiarity in the Old Testament, when God covered with shadows what was afterwards clearly revealed in the Gospel; in Christ the heavens are opened to us. Hence this form of stating the truth would now be not only superfluous to us, but even injurious, as it would draw us back from the enjoyment of heavenly things. For we ought to distinguish between our state and that of the ancient people. Paul reminds us that they were children under a schoolmaster, being under the Law; but that we are grown up, and that, therefore, the bondage under which the Fathers lived, has come to an end through the coming of Christ. (Gal. iii. 23-25.) Though David was endued with a singular gift of the Spirit, yet he confined himself within his own limits; for he knew that God intended so to rule at that time his Church, as that the manner of teaching should be suitable to children. But now, after we have grown up in Christ, the figures and external images have ceased ; for though godliness has promises respecting the present as well as the future life, as Paul testifies, (1 Tim. iv. 8 ;) we ought yet to rise above And their soul shall be like a watered garden, And they shall again hunger no more. Or, And they shall again feel want no more.— Ed. CHAP.XXXI. 12. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 83 that doctrine which is elementary. Hence when the Prophets promise wine, and oil, and wheat to the faithful, their object is to raise up their minds by degrees and gradually to higher things, according to the condition and comprehension of childhood. And this ought to be carefully noticed ; for many profane men, when they read such sentences, think that the people were addicted only to present gratifications, and that all the Jews were slaves to their appetites, and were fed by God like swine or oxen. But such an opinion is to be altogether abhorred; for they who entertain it not only wrong the Fathers most grievously, whose hope was the same as ours, as thy ever looked forward to an eternal inheritance, being strangers, as the Apostle tells us, in this world, (Heb. xi. 13;) but they also disunite the body of the Church, and extinguish the grace of God, which was granted formerly through many ages, though it was only at the coming of Christ that God commenced to proclaim to men his eternal salvation. But we must bear in mind that the holy Fathers were not so brutish in their minds, that they confined their thoughts to this world; for they knew that they had been adopted by God, that they might at last enjoy a celestial life; and hence they called themselves sojourners. Jacob, who had long dwelt in the land of Canaan, says that his whole life had been a continual pilgrimage. (Gen. xlvii. 9.) And the Apostle wisely notices this, when he says that they were acknowledged by God as his children, because they were strangers in this world. (Heb. xi. 13.) Then the holy fathers had the same hope as we now receive from the Gospel, as they had also the same Christ. But the difference is, that God then set forth his grace under visible figures, and it was, therefore, more obscure, but that now, figures and types had ceased, and Christ has come forth and- appeared to us more clearly. I have therefore said, that this doctrine ought to be wisely applied to our use, lest we seek to be fed and crammed when God invites us to the participation of his grace. But we ought to know, that of all men, we are the most miserable, if our hope is confined to this world; and yet, at that time this way of teaching was very neces- 84 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXIX. sary, for the return of the people, as it has been stated, required it. Now, then, let us know that by saying, they shall floiu together to the goodness of Jehovah, to wine, oil, and wheat, something better and more excellent than food and sufficiency is promised, and that what is spiritual is conveyed under these figures, that the people might, by degrees, ascend to the spiritual kingdom of Christ, which was as yet involved in shadows and obscurity. He afterwards adds, their soul shall be as a watered garden. He intimates that their abundance would be perpetual. When a fruitful year happens, fruits then, indeed, abound, and the quantity of wine and wheat is more than the demand ; but after a fertile year sterility follows, which absorbs the previous abundance; and so it often happens, because men through their ingratitude, as it were, drive away God's blessing, so that it does not flow to them in a continuous course ; but God promises here that the souls of the people would be as watered gardens, because they were not to be satisfied only for a short time, but were at no time to be exposed to want, or famine, or to any deficiency. lie says further, they shall again mourn no more. He confirms the same thing by using various forms of expression; but what he substantially means is, that when God's people were made free, God's blessing would be continued to them, so that the faithful would not be subject to the common miseries of men.1 For we know what our condition is in this world, for every hour, nay, almost every moment, our joy is turned into sorrow, and our laughter into tears. But God promises here that he would he so propitious to his Church, that it would have a perpetual cause for rejoicing. Now, how this comes to pass we do not easily comprehend ; for though God in Christ has plainly unfolded to us the treasures of celestial life, yet we always creep on the earth. Hence it comes that we do not attain what is contained in 1 The verb 3X1, here used, does not mean to mourn or to " sorrow," though this is the idea given to it by the Targ. It is rendered " hunger," by the Sept. and Vulg. According to Parhhurst, its real meaning is, " to faint or fail through weariness, hunger, or terror." Blayney renders, " pine for hunger." See the previous note.—Ed. CHAP. XXXI. 12. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 85 these sentences which speak of the true and real happiness of the godly. However, we ought, in the main, to regard our joy as perpetual; for whatever evils may happen to us, yet God shines on us by his grace, and thus all things turn out for our good, and are aids to our salvation, as Paul tells us in Rom. viii. 28. And thus we cease not to glory in distresses and afflictions, as he also teaches us in the fifth chapter; and we dare to triumph over cold and heat, over nakedness and all other evils, and even over death itself. But we must bear in mind that Christ's kingdom only begins in us here, and in the rest of the world ; it is, then, no wonder that we taste so little of the benefits which the Prophets extol in such high terms. When, therefore, a temptation of this kind creeps in, when God treats us more sharply then we desire, " What does this mean ? Wert thou one of God's children, would he not deal with thee indulgently as lie has promised ? Where is that abundance of wheat, wine, and oil, for thou art often in want ? Thou always livest in penury, nor does there appear to be anything better for thee to-morrow, as thou art now robbed and art come to a barren country,"—now when such a temptation as this creeps in, such as may draw thee to despair, let this doctrine come to thy mind, " Is the kingdom of God made perfect in thee ?" Now if not one of us has hardly entered into God's kingdom, there is no wonder that we are not partakers of all the good things which God has promised to his people ; for if Christ's kingdom is weak and feeble in us, it is nothing but right that we should live, as it were, in that penury which tempts us to distrust God ; the same is the way with the whole world. There is, then, no reason to wonder that God does not fulfil what he has promised under Christ's kingdom, when men are not capable of receiving so great a kindness ; for it is written, " Open thy. mouth and I will fill it." (Ps. lxxxi. 10.) But we are straitened in ourselves; hence it is, that hardly the smallest drops of God's bounty come to us. It afterwards follows,— 13. Then shall the virgin rejoice 13. Tune lsetabitur virgo (aut in the dance, both young men and puella) in choro et adolescentes (vel, old together: for I will turn their electi; sed significat proprie adoles- 86 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT.CXIX. mourning into joy, and will com- centes,) et senes pariter; et convertam fort them, and make them rejoice luctum eorum in gaudium, et conso-from their sorrow. labor eos et exhilarabo a suo dolore. This is a confirmation of the former verse ; for he says that joy would be in common to young women and young men, and also to the old. He had spoken of the perpetuity of joy ; but he now extends this joy to both, sexes, women and men, and to all ages. Of the dance we have spoken elsewhere,—that wantonness in which the world indulges in its hilarity, was not permitted ; as to profane men, there is no moderation in their joy. The Prophets followed the common mode of speaking ; and, indeed, the Israelites had their dances while celebrating the praises of God ; but it was a chaste and modest joy, yea, and a sacred joy, for it was a mode of worshipping God. Yet the Prophet speaks according to the common practices of the people, as in many other places, when he says that young women and yo\ing men would rejoice in the dance. He then adds, I will turn their mourning to joy, I will console them and exhilarate them from their grief.1 Here the Prophet averts the thoughts of the Israelites from the evils they then had, lest their grief should so darken their minds as to prevent them to taste of God's goodness promised them. That the feeling, then, of present evils might not hinder them to come to God and receive his favour, he speaks of their grief and mourning, and intimates that the change would be easily made by God's hand, when it pleased him to deliver his people and restore them to their former state, so that their complete happiness would take place under the reign of Christ. PRAYER. Grant, Almighty God, that as we are still in our state of pilgrimage, and as thou makest us partakers of thy goodness, according as 1 This clause may be rendered thus,— For I will turn their mourning into rejoicing, And I will comfort them and cheer them above their sorrow. That is, " I will give them comfort and joy more than the sorrow which they have had." The preposition D, has often the meaning of above or more than. See Deut. xiv. 2. Their sorrow had been great, but the promise here is, to give them in proportion a comfort and a joy still greater. —Ed. CHAP. XXXI. 14. COMMENTAKIES ON JEREMIAH. 87 thou knowest to be necessary for us,—0 grant, that we, being ever reminded by thy benefits, may aspire to higher things, and ma)', through all the temptations with which we must contend, advance towards the goal set before us, looking for that perfect felicity in heaven, of which a few sparks only now shine before our eyes, and thus carry on a warfare under the banner of thy Son, so as not to doubt but that a triumph is prepared for us in that blessed life which has been obtained by his blood.—Amen. tUctttve <3nt Jtttn&reB attir 14. And I will satiate the soul of 14. Et satiabo animam sacer- the priests with fatness, and my peo- dotum pinguedine, et populus meus pie shall be satisfied with my good- beneficentia mea salvabitur, dicit ness, saith the Lord. Jehova. This verse is connected with the former; for what the Prophet had said generally of the whole people, he now distinctly declares respecting the priests, for they were, as it were, the heart of the people ; and by this order God gave a lively representation of his favour. This is the reason why the Scripture, in setting forth God's blessing to his chosen people, speaks especially of the priests, as it appears from many places. Then the Prophet intimates that God would be bountiful indiscriminately to all the Israelites, but that his peculiar favour would be conspicuous towards the priests, for the condition of the people would not be complete without the priesthood, for the priesthood was, as it were, the soul. They would have lived like the heathens, had not God prescribed how he was to be called upon and worshipped. And having mentioned the priests, he does not confine himself to them, but the favour of God is extended to the whole people. It is not then only of the priests that the Prophet speaks, but he declares that the people would be made blessed through God's bounty, and yet that his peculiar kindness would be manifested towards the Levitical priests, according to what we read in the Psalms: a special blessing is promised to the priests, accompanied with felicity to the godly; and David, when felicitating himself on having so many of God's blessings, by which he was distinguished, does indeed mention the provisions of his table and abun- 88 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMTAH. LECT. CXX. dance of all other things, yet he immediately adds, " I will dwell in the house of the Lord/' (Psalm xxiii. 6, 7.) By this conclusion, he intimates, that he esteemed as nothing what profane men desire, except he enjoyed as the first thing the worship of God ; for this is the main part of our happiness. For wherefore do we live, except we learn, while we partake of blessings from God's hand, that he is our Father, and that we are stimulated by his bounty to worship him, and except we surrender ourselves wholly to his word ? We now, then, perceive the Prophet's object in saying, that the priests would be satiated with fatness. As the word ]ffll ,desh\n, fatness, denotes abundance of all things ; so satiate intimates the great extent of God's bounty. Some render it " inebriate," biit improperly ; and it would be inappropriate to say, " I will inebriate with fatness." But Tl)1, rue, means to irrigate and also to satiate: hence the Prophet said, in what we considered yesterday, that the soul of the faithful would be like a watered garden ; it is there PlVl, rue. So also now God means, that he would be so bountiful towards his people, that nothing would be wanting to the full affluence of all good things. And he again says the same thing with regard to the whole people, My people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith Jehovah. We hence see that nothing is promised to the priests except in connection with the whole Church. It follows— 15. Thus saith the Lord, A voice 15. Sic dicit Jehova, Vox in ex-was heard in Ramah, lamentation, celso audita est, lamentatio, fletus and bitter weeping; Rachel weep- amaritudinum, Rachel plorans super ing for her children, refused to be filiis suis noluit (renuit, vel, non ad-comforted for her children, because misit) ad consolandum (hoc est, non they were not. admisit eonsolationem super filiis suis,) quia non ipsi, (hoc est, quia non sunt.) 16. Thus saith the Lord, Refrain 16. Sic dicit Jehova, Prohibe thy voice from weeping, and thine vocem tuam a fletu et oculos tuos a eyes from tears: for thy work shall lachrymis, quia erit merces operi be rewarded, saith the Lord; and tuo, dicit Jehova, et revertentur e they shall come again from the land terra hostis. of the enemy. Here, in the first place, the Prophet describes the desolation of the land, when deprived of all its inhabitants ; and, in the second place, he adds a comfort,—that God would CHAP. XXXI. 15,16. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 89 restore the captives from exile, that the land might again be inhabited. But there is here what they call a personification, that is, an imaginary person introduced: for the Prophet raises up Rachel from the grave, and represents her as lamenting. She had been long dead, and her body had been reduced to ashes; but the discpurse has more force when lamentation is ascribed to a dead woman than if the Prophet had said, that the land would present a sad and a mournful appearance, because it would be waste and desolate ; for rhetoricians mention personification among the highest excellencies, and Cicero, when treating of the highest ornament of an oration, says, that nothing touches an audience so much as when the dead are raised up from below. The Prophet, then, though not taught in the school of rhetoricians, thus adorned his discourse through the impulse ot God's Spirit, that he might more effectually penetrate into the hearts of the people. And this personification introduces a scene, for it brings before us the Jews and the other Israelites; nor does it only represent to them the calamity that was at hand, and what had already in part happened, but it also sets before their eyes the vengeance of God which had taken place in the destruction of the kingdom of Israel, when first four tribes were driven into exile, and afterwards the whole kingdom was destroyed, and it also sets forth what the Jews little thought of and did not fear, even the extreme calamity and ruin of the kingdom of Judah, and of the holy city. Hence he says, Thus saith Jehovah, A. voice on the height is heard, even lamentation, the weeping of bitterness, lie introduces God as the speaker; for the Jews, though they had seen the dreadful scattering of their brethren, were yet remaining secure; and hence another Prophet complains, that no one laid to heart the calamity of Joseph. (Amos vi. 6.) They saw that the whole land was almost consumed by God's vengeance, as though a fire had raged everywhere; and yet they followed their own gratifications, as Isaiah also accuses them. (Isa. xxii.) This is the reason why God is made to speak here : he had to do with men altogether torpid and heedless. That the Prophet then might awaken them from 90 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT.CXX. their torpor, he introduces God as making the announcement, A voice then is heard,—whose voice ? of Rachel. Interpreters think that Rachel is mentioned, because she was buried in Bethlehem : but as to Joseph, that is, his posterity, this region had come by lot, it seems to me probable that the Prophet here refers not to the grave of Rachel, but to her offspring; for that part which they who descended from her son Benjamin had obtained, was laid waste ; hence he introduces Rachel as the mother of that part of the country ; and it is well known that under the tribe of Ephraim is included the other ten tribes: but the reference to her burial is without meaning. Rachel, then, weeping for her children, refused consolation, because they were not / that is, she could not receive consolation, for a reason was wanting, as her posterity were destroyed, and were become extinct in the land. This passage is quoted by Matthew, (chap. ii. 18,) where he gives an account of the infants under two years old, who had been slain by the command of Herod: then he says, that this prophecy was fulfilled, even that Rachel again wept for her children. But the explanation of this is attended with no difficulty ; for Matthew meant no other thing than that the same thing happened at the coming of Christ as had taken place before, when the whole country was reduced to desolation ; for it was the Evangelist's object to remove an offence arising from novelty, as we know that men's minds feel a dread when anything new, unexpected, and never heard of before happens. Hence, the Evangelists often direct their attention to this point, so that what happened in the time of Christ might not terrify or disturb the minds of men as a thing new and unexpected, inasmuch as the fathers formerly had experienced the same. To no purpose then do interpreters torture themselves by explaining this passage allegorically ; for Matthew did not intend 1 " To be not," according to the usage of the Scripture, means either dead or absent. See Gen. xlii. 36. Joseph was not, he being dead; and Simeon was not, he being absent in. Egypt. To be not here refers to the absent, those driven into exile; but the passage, as quoted by Matthew, refers to such as were dead. The similarity was only in part, that is, as to the weeping.—Ed. CHAP. XXXI. 15,16. COMMENTARIES ON JEBEMIAH. 91 to lessen the authority of ancient history, for he knew in what sense this had been formerly said ; but his only object was to remind the Jews that there was no cause for them to be greatly astonished at that slaughter, for that region had formerly been laid waste and bereaved of all its inhabitants, as though a mother, having had a large family, were to lose all her children.1 We now then see how Matthew accommodated to his own purpose this passage. He retains the proper name, " Raman," and there was a place so called ; but the appellative is preferable here, " A voice is heard on the height," as we had yesterday, " on the height of Zion." Then a high place is what Jeremiah has mentioned here, because lamentation was to be heard through all parts of the country, for a voice sent forth from a high place sounds afar off.2 Now, also, we perceive the meaning of this sentence,—that the country possessed by the sons of Benjamin had been reduced to desolation, so that the mother, as one bereaved of her children, pined away in her lamentation, as nothing could afford her comfort, because her whole offspring had been cut off. Now follows a promise which moderates the grievousness of the calamity. And the two verses ought to be read as opposite the one to the other, " Though Rachel, weeping for her children, has no ground for consolation for a time, yet God will console her." And thus the Prophet, in the former verse, exhorts the Jews to repentance, but in the latter to hope: for it was necessary that the Jews should be forewarned of their dreadful calamity, that they might acknowledge God's judgment; and it was also necessary for them to have their minds inspired with hope. Now, then, the Prophet bids them to be comforted ; for Rachel, having long bewailed her children without any consolation, would at length obtain God's mercy. God then would console Rachel after her long lamentation. 1 The quotation in Matthew is neither from the Hebrew nor from the Sept. It is substantially correct, but not verbally ; the sense and not the words, seems to have been chiefly regarded by the Apostles. ^-Ed. 2 " Kamah" is found in the Sept., the Syr., and the Targ. ; but " on the height," or, on high, is the Vulg. It seems better to retain the proper name, " Ramah."—Ed. 92 COMMENTARIES ON JEBEMIAH. LECT. CXX. Refrain, he says, thy voice from weeping. The word is !"O3, beke: as he had mentioned this word before in the second place, " lamentation, the weeping of bitterness," so he now repeats the same here, " Refrain thy voice from weeping," that is, cease to complain and to bewail the death of thy children, and thine eyes from tears. The meaning is, that the lamentation of Rachel would not be perpetual. We have said that a dead woman is introduced, but that this is done for the sake of solemnity and effect, so that the Jews, having the matter set as it were before their eyes, might be more touched and moved. But if we wish to understand the meaning of the Prophet without a figure, it is this,—that the lamentation would not be perpetual, because the exiles would return, and that the land that had fallen to the lot of the children of Benjamin and of Joseph would again be inhabited. And he says, for reward shall be to thy work. He means that the sorrow of Rachel would at length happily come to an end, so as to produce some benefit. While the faithful, according to Isaiah, were complaining that they were oppressed with grief without hope, they said, " We have been in travail, and brought forth wind:" by these words they meant that they had experienced the heaviest troubles ; and then they added, " without fruit," as though a woman were in travail and suffered the greatest pain and anguish, and brought forth no living, but a dead child, which is sometimes the case. Now a woman who gives birth to a living child rejoices, as Christ says, because a man is born, (John xvi. 21;) but when a woman after long pains brings forth a dead lump or something monstrous, it is an increase of sorrow. So the Prophet says, that the labour of Rachel, that is, of her country, would not be without fruit: there shall then be a reward to thy work. The Scripture uses the same way of speaking in 2 Chron. xv. 7, where the Prophet Azariah speaks to the King Asa, " Act manfully, and let not your hands be weakened, for there shall be a reward to your work." Then by work is to be understood trouble or sorrow, and by reward a joyful and prosperous issue. The meaning is, that though the whole country mourned miser- CHAP. XXXI. 15, ] 6. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. .93 ably for a time, being deserted and bereaved of its inhabitants, yet the issue would be joyful, for the Lord would restore the exiles, so that the land would be like a mother having a numerous family, and delighting in her children, or in her offspring. Now, were any one to apply this to satisfactions, he would be doing what is very absurd, as the Papists do, who say that by the punishment which we suffer we are redeemed from eternal death, and that then the vengeance of God is pacified, and satisfaction is made to his justice. But when the Prophet declares that there would be reward to the work, he does not commend the fruits of the punishment by which God chastised his people, as though they were, as they say, satisfactions; but he simply reminds them that their troubles and sorrows would not be useless, for a happier issue than the Jews hoped for would take place. But it is God's gratuitous gift that there is a reward to our work, that is, when the miseries and calamities which he inflicts on us are made aids to our salvation. For doubtless whatever evils we suffer, they are tokens of God's wrath; poverty, cold, famine, sterility, disease, and all other evils, are so many curses inflicted by God. When, therefore, there is a reward to our troubles and sorrows, that is, when they produce some benefit or fruit, it is as though God turned darkness into light; for naturally, as I have said, all these punishments are curses. But God promises that he will bless us, so that all these punishments shall turn out for our good and salvation, as Paul tells us in Rom. viii. 28. Then he adds, they shall return from the land of the enemy. By these words he refers to the restoration of the people, so that Rachel would again see her posterity inheriting the promised land. But there is no reason refinedly to dispute here, whether Rachel rejoiced at the return of her offspring, or whether that calamity was lamented by her; for the Prophet's object was not to shew whether or not the dead are conscious of our affairs; but he speaks figuratively in order to render what he said more striking and forcible. It follows,— 94 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXX. 17. And there is hope in thine 17. Et erit spes novissimo tuo, end, saith the Lord, that thy chil- dicit Jehova; et redibunt filii ad dren shall come again to their own terminum suum (hoe est, in regio- border. nem suam.) He indeed explains in a few words, but with sufficient plainness, what he had said. We must always bear in mind the order which I have pointed out,—that he first placed before the Jews their calamity, that they might humble themselves before God ; and then he gave them the hope of return, that they might feel assured that God would be propitious to them. He now includes both in these few words, there shall be hope in thine end ; for they embrace the two clauses,—that the whole country would lament for a time, and then that their tears would be turned to laughter and their sorrow to joy: for had the happiness of the people flowed in one unbroken stream, the word, " end," would not have been suitable ; for it refers to what terminates. There is then to be understood a contrast between the end and the beginning. In short, Jeremiah teaches here, that the grievous time, during which God would afflict his people, was to be borne patiently. But after having bidden them to continue in a state of suspense, he sets before them a happy issue. Now this passage contains a useful doctrine,—that we are not to measure God's favour by present appearances, but learn to keep our minds and thoughts in suspense, while the Lord seems to be angry with us, and only disheartening terrors meet us, so that we may cherish in our hearts the hope which the Prophet exhorts us to entertain, and distinguish between our present state and the end. And on this account it is that the Apostle, in his Epistle to the Hebrews, while exhorting the faithful to patience, says that the rod is always at the time grievous to children, but that correction appears useful, when the end is regarded. (Heb. xii. 11.) So when we perceive that God is displeased with us, we cannot but feel a dread, and we desire at the same time to escape from his chastening hand; but, as I have just said, we ought to direct our thoughts to the end or the issue, according to what we are taught here: there shall then be hope in thine end} 1 Or the words may be rendered, " There is a hope for thy posterity." So Gataker, not without reason, renders the words. The following clause explains what this "hope" was.—Ed. CHAP. XXXI. 18. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 95 But a question may be here moved, Was there no hope for the intermediate time, while God was punishing the Jews? the answer is obvious,—the Prophet takes hope here for hope accomplished. If any one calls it actual hope or hope effected, I do not object. But he doubtless intimates that all the calamities which the Jews would have to endure would at last end in their deliverance, and would be for their good. "We thus see that hope here, as we have said, is to be taken for hope accomplished. And the Prophet explains himself, they shall return to their own border. Here by stating a part for the whole he mentions border for the whole country, as though he had said, " Ye are now far off from your country, but you shall again return to that land which has been marked out by certain limits, even by Euphrates, Egypt, the sea and Arabia;" for these were the four borders. It afterwards follows,— 18. I have surely heard Eph- 18. Audiendo audivi Ephraim trans- raim bemoaning himself thus; migrantem,(vel,cumtransmigravit,vel, Thou hast chastised me, and I lamentantem, ut alii vertunt; dicemus was chastised, as a bullock unac- postea de voce;) Castigasti me, et cas- customed to the yoke: turn thou tigatus sum tanquam vitulus non edoc- me, and I shall be turned; for tus ; converte me et convertar, quia thou art the Lord my God. tu Jehova Deus meus. The Prophet here speaks more distinctly of a blessed issue, and shews that the punishment by which God had already chastised the people, and by which he was prepared to chastise the tribe of Judah, was wholly necessary, which he would give them as a medicine. For as long as we have set before us the wrath of God, we necessarily, as it has been already said, try to avoid it, because we wish well to ourselves, and endeavour to remove to a distance, as much as we can, whatever is adverse to us : hence the punishment which God inflicts is never pleasant to us, our sorrow in evils and adversities is never mitigated, nor do we quietly submit to God, unless we direct our minds to the fruit which distresses and chastisements bring forth. We now then perceive the object of the Prophet: the Jews always murmured and said, " Why does not God spare and forgive us ? why does he not deal more gently with us V The Prophet therefore shews, that God had a regard to the wellbeing of his 96 COMMENTARIES OK JEREMIAH. LECT. CXX. people in chastising them; for had he indulged them in their sins, their pride and perverseness would have increased. The intention then of these words is this, and it is for this end the Prophet speaks,—that the Jews might know that all their punishment, which would have been otherwise bitter and grievous, was a sort of medicine, by which their spiritual diseases were to be healed. He therefore says, Hearing I have heard Ephraim, after having transmigrated, &c. The participle TY)Jfi&, metnud&d, is in Hithpael, and comes from TD, nud, or from T"O, ned&d. Some render it, " transmigrating," and others, " lamenting." But 1)1, nud, means to move, to wander, to migrate from one place to another; it means also to complain, to tell of adversities, though it is often applied to those whose object is to solace the miserable and the mournful. If any one prefers the rendering, " I have heard Ephraim lamenting," I do not object, for there is a sufficient probability in its favour. But it may also be derived from T)3, nud, as well as from *H3, ned&d ; the most suitable sense would then be, " after having moved into exile," or literally, " after having transmigrated," that is, after God had driven Ephraim, even the ten tribes, into exile.i After Ephraim then had thus transmigrated, or had been driven into exile, he then began to say, Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastened, for I was an untamed bullock : Turn thou me and I shall be turned; for thou, Jehovah, art my God? The Prophet, no doubt, as I said before, meant here to check the murmurs which prevailed among the Jews, who said, that God was too rigid and severe. He shews not only that they were worthy of the very grievous punishment they were 1 The idea of "transmigrating" is alone given by the Vulg., the other versions and the Targ, have " lamenting:" and the latter is more consonant with the context, and has been adopted by almost all modern commentators. It is used in ch. xv. 5, in the sense of being moved or affected for another, of sympathizing or condoling. It is there in its simple form, that is, in Kal. As it is here in Hithpael, its meaning is, self-condoling, or condoling himself,—an idea which is very expressive, and is more fully explained in the next verse.—Ed. 2 This is no doubt the right rendering, and not, " Thou art Jehovah my God." So in the first commandment, the version ought to be, " I Jehovah," or, I the Lord, " am thy God." The meaning is not, that he is Jehovah, but that he who is Jehovah is our God.—Ed. CHAP.XXXI. 18. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 97 suffering, but also that it was a testimony of God's favour, that he thus intended to cleanse them from their sins; for they would have a hundred times grown putrid in their wickedness, had not God thus reduced them to a sound mind. He at the same time sets forth Ephraim as an example, that the Jews might resignedly follow their brethren, and not discontentedly bear their exile, seeing that it had already been profitable to their brethren. When therefore they perceived that their punishment was useful to the Israelites, and brought forth good fruit, they ought to have submitted themselves willingly to God, and not to have murmured against him for punishing them for their sins, but to have borne their exile as a paternal correction. Then he says, " I have heard Ephraim,"—at what time ? This circumstance ought to be especially noticed, it was after he had transmigrated. When they were quiet in the land, they were, as it follows, like untameable steers. The Prophets also use this mode of speaking, when they describe the Israelites before their dispersion ; they call them fat and well fed oxen : affluence produced luxury, and luxury pride. Thus, then, they kicked, as it were, against God, according to what is said by Moses, " My people having grown fat kicked." (Deut. xxxii. 15.) As they were such, it was necessary that they should be tamed. And to this refers the time that is mentioned : when Ephraim was forcibly driven from his own country, then he began to acknowledge his evils and to be touched with a penitent feeling; " Thou hast chastised me," he says, " and I was instructed." The verb "ID*, iser, means to instruct as well as to chastise, and is applied to princes, counsellors, fathers, and magistrates. The word chastise is more restricted in Latin. But ID', iser, properly means to teach, and yet often it means to chastise, for that is one way of teaching or instructing. He then says that he was chastised, though in a different sense : in the first clause, when he says, " Thou hast chastised me," he refers to the punishment by which God had humbled his people ; and in the second clause he says, " I was instructed," that is, " I begin now at length to become wise;" for it is the wisdom even of fools, not to become hardened 98 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LEOT.CXX. under their calamities ; for they who become hardened are altogether in a hopeless state. It is the chief part of wisdom to acknowledge what is right, and willingly to follow it; but, except we be willing to regard our own good, God will then chastise us.1 When our diseases are healable, we turn to God ; but the perversely wicked bite and champ the bridle, and contend with God's judgment.' But the Prophet here refers to the faithful alone; for punishment has not the same effect on all indiscriminately. God, indeed, calls all men by punishment to repentance, so that even the reprobate are without excuse when they harden their hearts, and profit not under the rod. But punishment is peculiarly useful to the faithful ; for God not only scourges them, but also, by his Spirit, bends their minds to docility, so that they willingly suffer themselves to be corrected by him. Hence I said that this clause properly refers to the faithful, when the Prophet says that Ephraim was instructed, after having been warned by punishment, to turn himself to God. He compares himself to an untameable steer ; for steers are wanton before they are habituated to the yoke. Such also is the wantonness of men before God subdues them by various kinds of punishment, and not only subdues them, but renders them also tractable and submissive. Next week I shall lecture instead of Beza. 1 The Vulg. and the Targ. favour this view of a different sense of the same verb in the second clause. The Sept. retain the same meaning. There is no need of altering the sense ; indeed, another sense does not so well comport with the passage. He says that God had chastised him, and that he was chastised as an untamed, or rather untrained steer or bullock, implying that he was compelled to bear the yoke, and also that he had been brought to submit to it: hence the prayer that follows, " turn," or rather, restore, &c. The verb 1DS means to correct rather than to chastise, even to correct by the rod, or by the goad; and then to teach as the effect of correction,— Thou hast corrected me ; Yea, I was corrected like a steer, not trained : Restore thou me, and I shall be restored; For thou, Jehovah, art my God. After a confession with regard to correction, a confession that intimates that it had its proper effect, a prayer for restoration seems suitable, and that prayer is founded on the fact that Jehovah was their God.—Ed. CHAP. XXXI. 18. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 99 PRAYER. Grant, Almighty God, that as we are always carried away by our own vanities, and as the licentiousness and insolence of our flesh are such that we never follow thee and submit to thy will,—O grant, that we may profit more and more under thy scourges, and never perversely harden ourselves, but learn to know that even when thou appearest rigid, thou hast a regard for our salvation, so that we, turning to thee, may strive during the rest of our life to glorify thy name through thine only-begotten Son.—Amen. fUttttre ©ne i^unDretr attB 2rto*tttg=jFtrst. In the last lecture, the Prophet told us that Ephraim, until he had been chastised by God's hand, was like an untamed bullock, and that, therefore, exile was useful to him. He now adds, Turn me, and I shall be turned. This second clause seems not to be in accordance with the former ; for the Israelites had before confessed that they had turned, and now they pray God to turn them. Why is this said ? For it seems useless to ask for what we have already obtained. But the solution is obvious. It may first be answered, that men never so repent but that they have need of the continual aid of God ; for we must be renewed from day to day, and by degrees renounce the lusts of our flesh; nor is it in one day that we put off the old man. And when the Prophet in the Psalms speaks of the deliverance of the people, he says that it was a miracle, that the people had been restored beyond all hope ; " We were," he says, " like those who dream;" he afterwards adds, " Turn our captivity, 0 Lord," (Ps. cxxvi. 1, 4 ;) and this he said because God had restored but a small number. The same also happens as to spiritual turning, both with regard to the whole body and to individual members. We turn, as I have already said, by little and little to God, and by various steps; for repentance has its progress. There is, therefore, nothing improper when we say that the Prophet, in the name of the ten tribes, asks God to go on with his work. But as this explanation is rather strained, I prefer a simpler view of the words, " Turn me, and I shall be turned." They mean the same thing as though the Prophet had said, "0 Lord, this is 100 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXI. thy work." He does not then simply refer to a future time, but speaks of God's favour, as though he had said, that men do not turn by their own impulse, but that God, by the hidden power of his Spirit, turns them. The Israelites had before confessed that they had been profitably chastised by God's hand, because punishment had instructed them ; but now he adds that this was the singular kindness of God.' But, as we before observed, punishment is what the elect and the reprobate have in common ; but the end and fruit of punishment is far different; for the reprobate become more and more hardened, the very reverse of being submissive to God ; but the elect are subdued, for God not only smites them with his rods, but also tames them within, subdues their pride, and, in a word, bends their hearts to obedience by his Spirit. We now then understand the purpose of the Prophet: for in the name of the people, he first confesses that punishment, inflicted by God, had been useful, and secondly, he adds, that it was not through the power of men that they willingly returned to a right mind, but that God had bent their hearts by his Spirit, so that they did not become hardened by punishment, nor obstinately resisted, as the case most commonly is. We hence, then, conclude that repentance is the work of the Holy Spirit. God, indeed, invites us, and even urges us by external means to repent; for what is the design of punishment, but to lead us to repentance? But we must still remember that were God only to chastise us, it would have no other effect than to render us inexcusable, for our perverseness could never in this way be corrected. It is, then, necessary to add the second favour, that is, that God should subdue us within, and restore us to obedience. This the Prophet testifieswhen he says, "Turn me, and I shall be turned," as though he had said, that men indeed turn when God reminds them of their sins, but that they do this not by their own power, for it is the peculiar work of God. He therefore adds, For thou, Jehovah, art my God. By this clause he intimates that God favours only his elect with this privilege ; as though he had said, that it does not happen to all indiscriminately that they repent and submit to CHAP. XXXI. ] 9. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 101 God when he punishes them for their sins, but that it is a benefit peculiar to his chosen people. We ought then especially to notice the reason by which the Prophet confirms the previous sentence, for We hence learn the manifest difference there is between the elect and the reprobate; for some rebel and kick against the goads, and obstinately rush headlong into ruin, but others calmly and quietly submit to God : the reason is, because some are reprobate and the others are the elect. It now follows,— 19. Surely after that I was 19. Quia postquam convertisti me, turned, I repented; and after that pcenituit me, et postquam cognitus sum I was instructed, I smote upon my mihi (yd, ostensum fuit mihi, ml, ag- thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even novi meipsum) percussi femur meum; confounded, because I did bear pudefactus sum, atque etiam confusus, the reproach of my youth. quia tuli opprobrium adolescentise me*. Jeremiah now proceeds with what he had before briefly touched upon, even to shew that the punishment inflicted on the Israelites had not been without its fruit. And this is a doctrine which ought especially to be known, for we always shun whatever is hard to the flesh ; so that if it were according to our own will, the chastisements of God would never be well received by us. It is, therefore, necessary to regard the end, as the Apostle reminds us. (Heb. xii. 11.) Now when we see that God has a regard for our own salvation while handling us somewhat roughly, our sorrow is mitigated and lessened, especially when experience proves that punishment is good for us ; we then felicitate ourselves, and give thanks to God that he has not suffered us wholly to perish in our sins. This is the reason why the Prophet enlarges on this doctrine. He therefore says, After thou hast turned me, I repented. He confirms what he has already said, that it is the peculiar work of God when a sinner repents, and that it cannot be ascribed to human powers, as though men could of themselves turn to the right way. But how was this done ? After thou hast turned me. He thus repeats in other words what he had said, but for the purpose of confirming his previous declaration. The meaning is, that we are never touched by a serious feeling, so as to be displeased with our sins, until God himself turns us. 102 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXI. We hence learn how blind the Papists are, who, speaking of repentance, hold that man, through his own free-will, returns to God; and on this point is our greatest contest with them at this day. But the Prophet briefly determines the whole question ; for, as he had said before, that men cannot turn except God turns them, he now adds, that he had found this to be really the fact, that people had never become conscious of 'their sins though God had grievously punished them until they were turned, not by their own freewill, but by the hidden working and influence of the Holy Spirit; after thou hast turned me, I repented. The meaning is, that men never entertain a real hatred towards sin, unless God illuminates their minds and changes their hearts; for what is the turning or conversion of which the Prophet speaks ? It is the renewal of the mind and heart. For let its definition be fetched, as they say, from what is contrary to it; what is turning away ? It is the alienation of the mind and heart from God. It then follows that when we turn we are converted, we are renewed in knowledge, and then in heart, or in our affections; both of which the Prophet ascribes to the grace of God, for he says that the people repented not of their sins until they were turned or converted, that is, until they were renewed both in mind and heart. Some give this version, " After I received consolation ;" but their mistake is easily confuted by the context ; for it immediately follows, I was ashamed and also confounded. There is no doubt then but that here is set forth the displeasure at sin that is felt when the sinner is terrified by God's judgment so as to renounce his vices. After I was made known to myself, or, after it was shewn to me, or, simply, after I knew it, &c. For we may take the meaning to be, After it was given to Ephraim to know himself, or, after he knew himself. Some give this version, " After I was known ;" and so the meaning would be the same with those words of Paul, " After ye have known God, or rather are known by him." (Gal. iv. 9.) But I fear that this exposition is too refined. I therefore would rather follow those who give this rendering, After I became known to myself, or, after the thing was made known to me. The Pro- CHAP. XXXI. 19. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 103 phet, no doubt, commends here the grace of God, because the veil had been taken away from the eyes of the people, or because they had been cured of their blindness ; as though they had said, that they had long been blind, because they took delight in their vices, and their whole soul was in a torpid state; for we know that those who are forsaken by God are wholly insensible, and are as it were like the beasts. Then the people of Israel confess that they were, for a time, thus stupid, and that their minds were blinded : they therefore acknowledge here the grace of God, that he had at length opened their eyes. For they do not speak here, as we have said, of their virtue or power, but acknowledge that it proceeded wholly from God's gratuitous favour that they repented. As then, under the word, turning or conversion, is included the renewal of the whole soul, so now it is expressly said, that they were endued with a right mind, because God had taken away the veil by which their eyes were covered, and had conferred on them new light. The meaning is, that they were not touched by the true fear of God before they were endued with a right mind ; but at the same time he testifies that it had been obtained through the peculiar favour of God. "We hence see that the Prophet, in the name of the ten tribes, acknowledges that nothing depended on the freewill of man, but that a sound mind and a right feeling of the heart is the work of the Holy Spirit.1 1 What Calvin teaches here is indisputable, but whether the passage warrants the view he takes of it, is another thing, though most commentators have taken the same view. The versions, especially the Vulg., seem to have suggested this explanation by giving to the verb 31B>, in the former verse, the meaning of turning or conversion, instead of returning or restoring, agreeably with the whole context, see verse 17th. Oataker suggested this idea; and it was afterwards fully adopted by Venema: and, according to their views I render this verse as follows,— For after I returned to myself, I repented, And after I knew myself, I smote my thigh ; I was ashamed and even confounded, Because I have borne the reproach of my youth. The Vulg. renders the first words, " After thou hast turned," or converted " me (convertisti me ;)" the Sept., " After my captivity ;" the Syr., " After that I was converted;" and the Targ., " When we return to the Law." Literally the words are, " After my returning," which, according to the Hebrew idiom may be rendered, " After returning to myself," as in the 104 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT.CXXI. The smiting of the thigh means sorrow or grief, which arises from the fear of God: for as long as we disregard God's judgment, Satan must necessarily fascinate us with his allurements ; but when God manifestly shews that he is our judge, and when our own baseness comes to view, then we begin to smite the thigh. And he adds, what means the same thing, I was ashamed and even confounded. I wonder why many interpreters have omitted the particle 12%, gam, even : they invert the order, and render thus, " I was confounded and ashamed." But the particle shews that the Prophet enhances the greatness of the sorrow and shame when he says, I was ashamed and even confounded. He then adds, Because I have borne the reproach of my youth. He here repeats what he had said before, even that punishment, sent from above, had done good to the Israelites. For except they had been thus made ashamed, they would have always taken delight in their vices ; for we see that the wicked natter and deceive themselves as long as God spares and shews forbearance towards them. Hence the Prophet, in the name of the people, says, that punishment had been profitable to him. But we must bear in mind what we have said, that this fruit altogether proceeds from the grace of God : for the reprobate, however dreadful the examples of vengeance which God may exhibit, still remain unbending, nor do they bear their own reproach, that is, confess that they have sinned. To bear reproach, then, is peculiar to the elect of God, who have been regenerated by his Spirit; for they understand the cause of their evils. When we see two diseased persons, one of whom is insane, and so is insensible as to his disease, and the other feels his sorrow, and is affected by it: in this case we see some difference. But we see another difference in others who are diseased; we may therefore suppose a third case, for it often happens, that he who following line, " after my knowing," means evidently " after knowing myself." The two verses contain the language of the penitent, praying for restoration to their own land: and two reasons are assigned for this prayer,— because Jehovah was their covenanted God,—and because they repented, for to such had restoration been promised : Hence for is used twice; it is therefore not right to render "O at the beginning of the 19th verse, verily or surely.—Ed. CHAP. XXXI. 20. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 105 is affected with sorrow, does not yet examine into its cause. He then who is healable is one who understands whence has arisen his disease, and so is ready to obey, and willing to adopt the necessary remedies. There are also many who rueh headlong to their own ruin ; some, indeed, feel their punishment to be bitter, but consider not the cause of it, that is, that they have provoked God's wrath : but they who are prepared to seek the restoration of health, well know how they have contracted their disease. Hence the Prophet here says, that they bore their reproach, for they not only felt their sorrow, but also considered its fountain, that is, that they had, by their sins, provoked the wrath of God. By youth he metaphorically points out the time when the Israelites indulged in excesses ; for we know how much ardour belongs to that age. In the aged there is more moderation ; but the young intemperately indulge themselves. It is therefore a metaphorical expression, by which the Prophet intimates, that the Israelites had, for a time, been wanton against God, their petulance being not subdued, for, as he had said, they had been like untamed bullocks. It follows.— 20. is Ephraim my dear son ? 20. An filius pretiosus mihi Ephraim ? is he a pleasant child ? for since an filius oblectationum ? tamen ex quo I spake against him, I do ear- tempore loquutus sum de eo, recordando nestly remember him still; recordabor illius (1J"OfK, vel, quia a tem-therefore my bowels are trou- pore loquutus sum cum eo, recordando re-bled for him: I will surely have cordabor illius; dicemus postea de sensu,) mercy upon him, saith the propterea sonuerunt viscera mea illi (id Lord. eat, super ipsum,) miserando miserabor illius, dicit Jehova. God here complains of the Israelites, because he had produced so little an effect on them by his great goodness : for the adoption with which he had favoured them was an immense benefit; but by their ingratitude they had in a manner annihilated that favour. God then here asks, what sort of people the Israelites had been. But a question makes a thing stronger; for he who asks a question shews that he speaks not of a thing uncertain, but the knowledge of which is so conspicuous that it cannot be denied. It is then the same as though he had said, that Ephraim was unworthy of any honour or esteem, and that he was no object of delight. We now then perceive what God means in the beginning of 106 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT.CXXI. the verse, even that the people were unworthy of any mercy, because they had abolished, as far as they could, the favour of adoption : for by the word son, he refers to that special favour, the covenant which he had made with the seed of Abraham. In the first place, he calls him a son, p, ben, and then a child, iT, il&d, which refers to his birth : but by these two names, God here intimates that they were to him a peculiar people, as he everywhere calls those his sons who were the descendants of Abraham ; for circumcision was to them a symbol and pledge of the covenant; and so the time is a circumstance that ought to be noticed, because God does not shew here what the Israelites were before he had chosen them to be his people. But as I have already said, he charges them with ingratitude, since the time they had been adopted by him as his children. He then calls them sons, or children, by way of concession, and with regard to their adoption, as Jerusalem was called the holy city, because it was God's habitation. There is then a concession as to the name given to them. But he afterwards adds, that this son was not precious, that is, worthy of any honour, and that he was not an object of delight; as though he had said, that he was of a perverse and wicked disposition, so that he could not take any delight in him, as by another simile he complains in chapter ii. 21, as we have seen, that the Jews were become bitter to him, " My vine have I planted thee ; why then art thou turned to me into bitterness V So also now he says, that the Israelites were indeed his sons, but that they were evil-disposed sons, disobedient sons, sons who only vexed their father, who wounded his feelings, who filled him with sorrow. He then adds, For from the time I spake in him, so it is literally. It is commonly agreed that these words are to be read with those which follow. " For from what time I spake ;" and thus the relative "I^X, asher, is to be understood ; but literally it is, " For from the time I spake in him," 11, bu, or, as some render it, " concerning him ;" but it may suitably be rendered "with him." Then they read, in connection with this, Remembering I will yet remember him. CHAP. XXXI. 20. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 107 This passage, on account of its brevity, is obscure, and therefore ambiguous ; but the common opinion is this,—that though Ephraim was not a child of delight, yet God would be merciful towards him ; and thus they take *5, ki, in an adversative sense, " notwithstanding," or yet: " Is Ephraim a precious son ? Is he a child of delight ? yet remembering I will still remember him ;" as though he had said, that he would not be prevented by the people's wickedness, for he would still pity him according to his infinite goodness, or that his goodness would surpass their wickedness. This sense is plausible; yet'it may be doubted whether this be the meaning. Some read the words, " From the time I spake concerning him," that is, while I now speak of him : but I know not whether this explanation can stand. I am therefore inclined to the opinion of those who refer this to threat-enings, even that from the time God had spoken against Israel, he was yet ready to be reconciled to them, according to what is said by the Prophet Habakkuk, " In wrath wilt thou remember mercy." (Hab. iii. 2.) But this ought to be rather understood of the covenant, as though God had said, " From the time I spake with him, I will remember him;" that is, that he might shew the reason why he dealt so mercifully with the people. For as their wickedness and corruption were so great, a doubt might arise, " Can God still patiently endure them ?" Here then our attention is called back to the fountain of gratuitous mercy, even that God would forgive his people, because he had once chosen them. But still when I narrowly weigh everything, I think the meaning of the Prophet to be different. I therefore separate the two clauses, " From the time I spake with him," and, " Remembering I will yet remember him ;" for the sentence is harsh, when we say, " From the time I spake with him," and then add, " I will yet remember him." But the exposition, the most suitable in my opinion, is this, " From the time I spake with him," (for 2 means with,) that is, I desisted not continually to exhort him to repentance, and yet I effected nothing ; notwithstanding I will still remember him ; that is, " Though I have found this people very perverse, and though they have long given many proofs 108 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. IECT. CXXI. of their obstinacy, for I have spoken to them for a long time, nevertheless I will still remember them." For the people deserved eternal ruin who had been so often warned ; but God declares that he would still be propitious to them, though he had spoken to them for a time, that is, a long time ; for he had not ceased for a long space of time to exhort that people by his Prophets, but with no success. So then I read the words, " From the time I spake with him," separately from what follows, and connect them with the former clauses, " Is he a precious son ? Is he a child of delight ?" For he complains that they had been rebellious and untameable, not only from the time he had only once addressed them and sought to do them good, but for several ages. He therefore declares that the people themselves had no hope, because they had been intractable for a long time. He yet adds, though it was so, Remembering I will still remember him.1 And he enhances the benefit of this reconciliation, and says, Therefore sounded have m,y bowels for him,2 pitying I will pity him. Here God ascribes to himself human feelings ; for the bowels are moved and make a noise under immoderate grief; and we sigh and groan deeply, when we are pressed down by great sorrow. So also when God expresses 1 This verse has been variously explained. The two questions are taken by Calvin and by others as strong negatives: but this is not always the case; both il and DN are often taken as strong affirmatives. See chap, iii. 6 ; 1 Sam. ii. 27 ; Ezek. xx. 30; Amos vi. 2. This sense is what the context requires; for this verse is an answer to penitent Ephraim. Neither the Sept., nor the Vulg., nor the Syr., nor the Targ. retain the interrogatory form : but they retain the meaning, if the questions be taken affirmatively, not otherwise. The next words I render thus,— For since my words are in him, Remembering I will still remember him. This is according to the Sept., and the general drift of the Targ. The Syr. gives another meaning,— For at the time when I speak against him, Remembering I still remember him. There are no other versions which come so near to the original.—Ed. 2 The word for " sounded," means to tumultuate, to be agitated, to be greatly moved or disturbed. It is rendered by the Vulg., " are troubled —conturbata;'' by the Syr. and Targ., "are moved." It may be rendered " trouble" here. See Isa. xvi. 11, where the action of the bowels is compared to the harp, not surely to its sound, but to the vibration of its cords. See also Isa. lxiii. 15, and Cant. v. 4.—Ed. CHAF. XXXI. 21. COMMENTAKIES ON JEREMIAH. 109 the feelings of a tender father, he says that his bowels made a noise, because he wished to receive his people again into favour. This, indeed, does not properly belong to God ; but as he could not otherwise express the greatness of his love towards us, he thus speaks in condescension to our capacities. It follows— % 21. Set thee up way-marks, make 21. Statue tibi titulos, pone tibi thee high heaps: set thine heart to- acervos, adjice (vel, applica) cor ward the highway, even the way tuum ad semitam, ad viam per which thou wentest: turn again, O quam ambulasti; revertere vir- virgin of Israel, turn again to these go Israel, revertere ad urbes tuas thy cities. istas. He describes what mercy would do, even that God would at length restore the captives and bring them back from exile to their own country. There was however mention made previously of his favour, that we may know that the people were restored for no other reason but because God had mercy on them. The Prophet then having pointed out the fountain of redemption, passes on now to the external effect, by which God proved that he was reconciled to his people. Hence he says, set up for thee titles. We must first understand why the Prophet speaks thus. When the Jews were led away into Chaldea, they thought that a return was closed up against them. Having then given up every concern for their country, they dwelt among foreign nations, as though they were dead to the land of Canaan. They knew that they had forfeited that land ; but they did not understand what had been so often said to them by the Prophets, that their punishment was to be temporary. As they had before disregarded all threatenings, so when God began to fulminate against them, despair overwhelmed their minds, so that they did not wish to hear anything about a return. As then they thought that they were never to return to their own country, they had forgotten the way. As when one moves to another place where he intends to dwell all his life, he only seeks to know the way thither, but does not observe the accommodations on the road, in order to use them again, nor does he take notice which way he goes, whether he turns here to the right and there to the left; it is enough for him to reach the place to which he is 110 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXI. going; so also it was with the Jews ; they had made up their minds to remain in perpetual exile, they were not therefore solicitous about the road, so as to remember their journey. Therefore the Prophet says now, Set up for thee titles, or inscriptions ; for those who travel anywhere, if they mean to return, know that such an inn was commodious, and also that there was so much distance between this town or city and that village, and in like manner, that the road was straight or turned more to one side than another. When therefore they think of a return, they attend to such things as these. It is for this purpose that the Prophet says, Set up for thee titles, that is, that thou mayest assist thy memory, as travellers are wont to do, who intend to return by the same way. Set up then for thee titles, and raise up for thee heaps, or stones, which we call in our language monioyes ; as though he had said, " Thou indeed hast hitherto thought that the way has been closed up against thee, so that thou art to return no more: but God will stretch forth his hand and restore thee to thy former state." We hence see that the similitude is taken from the common practice of men, but employed for this end, that the Jews might not despair of their restoration as they had previously done.1 He then says, Apply thy heart—he now explains himself —apply thy heart to the footpath, to the way through which 1 liaise up for thyself heaps, Fix for thyself pillars. Instead of DH3SX many copies read E^31'l¥; see 2 Kings xxiii. 17; Ezek. xxxix 15. That D'HliDn cannot mean " bitternesses," as rendered by the Vulg. and the Targ., is evident from the verb that precedes it, which means to place, to set, to fix. "IDH is the palm-tree ; the word then means palm-tree pillars, or pillars straight and high as the palm-tree. The remainder of the verse is as follows,— Set thy heart on the highway, The way thou didst go ; Return, O virgin of Israel, return, To thy cities ascend. The word for " highway" means a raised road, a road prepared for travelling. The "virgin" here signifies one that is of an age to be married. When Israel repented, they were in a fit state to be united to God, as their husband. The last line is rendered according to the proposed emendation of Houbigant and approved by Horsley, TQV instead of DPS, which seems to have no meaning.—Ed. CHAP. XXXI. 22. COMMENTARIES ON JEKEMIAH. Ill thou hast passed. We thus see that the Prophet becomes the interpreter of his own words, even that the people would return along the same road, though they expected no such thing. And he again confirms the same declaration in other words, Return, thou daughter of Israel, return to thine own cities; as though he had said, " Though the land has been deserted for a time, and reduced to solitude, yet the cities remain, which shall again receive their inhabitants; and through the wonderful favour of God the land still waits for its people." Though it cast them out for a time, yet the exile was not to be perpetual, for the cities which remained were still by right the property of the people, not because they were worthy of them, but because God had prefixed, as it has elsewhere appeared, a set time for their exile and punishment. PRAYER. Grant, Almighty God, that as pertinacity is inbred in us, so that we always struggle against thee, and are never tractable until we are renewed by thy Spirit,—O grant, that thy chastisements by which thou wouldest restore us to a sound mind, may not prove ruinous to us, but so influence us by thy Spirit within, that we, being really humbled, may acknowledge thee as our Judge and Father—our Judge, in order that we may be displeased with ourselves, and being touched by thy judgment, we may condemn ourselves,—and our Father, in order that we may, notwithstanding, flee to that mercy which is daily offered to us in the Gospel, through Christ Jesus our Lord.—Amen. 3 anft 22. How long wilt thou go about, 22. Quousque vagaberis (aut, O thou backsliding daughter? for circuibis,) fllia rebellis (immori- the Lord hath created a new thing gera) ? quia creavit Jehova rem in the earth, A woman shall compass novam in terra, Foemina circunda- a man. bit virum. As the Prophet had promised a return to the people, he now reproves especially the Israelites, who looked here and there, and never could acquiesce in the word of God alone : for it is a common thing with almost all the unbelieving, 112 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXI. that they torment themselves, and, as it were, designedly contrive for themselves many inquietudes. Since then the Israelites were looking forward to what might happen, and could not entertain any hope as to their return, except when some appearance of hope was presented to them, the Prophet now on this account reproves them. He first calls the people disobedient or rebellious, for they had often been terrified by threatenings, and God had also offered them the hope of pardon. As they had been perverse whenever God spared them, and as they had also rejected all his promises, the Prophet does not without reason call them disobedient or rebellious. And by circuits or wanderings, he means those vain speculations with which the unbelieving are wont to weary themselves ; for the word means properly to go around. We may indeed take it in the sense of wandering, and it is the same thing: but as I have said, the Prophet most fitly gives the name of circuits to those crooked and tortuous speculations in which the unbelieving indulged. And there seems to be understood a contrast between the straight way set before them by God, and those circuitous courses in which miserable men entangle themselves, when they do not follow God, but are led astray by their own vain devices. Isaiah also makes use of the same similitude, for he says, that the people were carried away by their own inventions, so that they fruitlessly wearied themselves, because they did not proceed in the straight way. (Isa. lvii. 10.)1 We may hence deduce a useful doctrine,—that we are always within the boundary of safety, when we obey God and walk in the way set before us in his word; but that as soon as we turn aside from the right way, we are only drawn here 1 The verb, rendered " going about," only occurs here in Hitfipael, and once in Kal, Cant. v. 6; where it means to " withdraw," or recede, or turn aside. And this sense of withdrawing is what is given to it here both by the Sept., the 1'arg., and the Syr.; but it is the withdrawing from accepting the return offered. We may give this version,— How long wilt thou decline, (i.e., to return,) O daughter of the restoration ? She had been before exhorted to return in the previous verse: she is now blamed for her unwillingness, which seems to have arisen from fear, and a sense of weakness. Then comes in most appropriately what follows, if interpreted according to the explanation of Calvin. The verb 3C, the root of ilDSIBTl, means more frequently to turn to, to return, than to turn away, to apostatize.—Ed. CHAP. XXXI. 22. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 113 and there through windings and strayings, so that our labour is at last useless and even ruinous. We now then understand the meaning of the Prophet: as the unbelief of the people was, as it were, a sealed door, so that they did not receive God's promises as to their liberation and return, his purpose here was to correct this evil, and to reprove the Israelites for wandering and being disobedient. He afterwards adds, For behold Jehovah will create—literally, has created ; but the past tense is here to be taken for the future; and it serves to shew the certainty of a thing when he uses the past tense, as though he was speaking of a thing already done : Jehovah then has created a new thing. He intimates that the Israelites acted foolishly in estimating the promise of deliverance according to their own judgment of things, and the state of things as it appeared to them ; for he says that the favour promised them would be wonderful, for this is what he means by a new thing, as though he had said, " Ye indeed judge, according to your usual manner, of what God promises to you, as to your return, but it will be a miracle ; act not then perversely, by regarding the favour of God as the common order of nature, for God will surpass everything that is usual among men." It ought also to be observed, that what Jeremiah said of the redemption of the people is to be extended to the eternal salvation of the Church ; for God in a wonderful manner raises the dead, defends and preserves his Church, and succours her in her troubles. Whenever then the Scripture speaks of the state of the Church, we ought to ascend above the world, and above our own conceptions, and to realize the miracle which is hid from us. Now follows the miracle, A woman shall surround a man. Christians, almost with one consent, -explain this of the virgin Mary; and the "new thing," leads them to this opinion, and probably, also, they were anxious to lay hold on whatever might seem to refer to the mystery of our salvation. They, therefore, say that the new thing of which the Prophet speaks is the virgin carrying the infant Christ in her womb, and that he is called man, because he was full 114 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXII. of divine power, though he increased according to the flesh in stature, wisdom, and strength. All this is deservedly laughed at by the Jews; yet they themselves, as I think, do not rightly understand the meaning of the Prophet. They apply it to the people of Israel, becaxise they were like a woman divorced from her husband. They then say, " A woman shall embrace a man after having been alienated from him, and prostituted herself to many adulterers." The Jews seem to think that they give the meaning of the Prophet ; but I think otherwise, for there is here a comparison made between a woman and a man, which they do not consider. For the Prophet does not speak here simply of a man, but of a strong man ; for the word ""OJ, geber, means a man who is brave or courageous. When, therefore, he compares a woman to a man, I doubt not but the Prophet means that the Israelites, who were like women, without strength, were destitute of any means of help ; but then he says, that they would be superior in strength to their enemies, whose power filled the whole world with terror. We, indeed, know what sort of monarchy Babylon was when the Jews were led into exile. If then we consider what the Jews at that time were, we must say that they were like weak women, while their enemies were strong and warlike: A woman then shall surround a man} The word MD, sebab, means not to embrace, but oftentimes to besiege; and it is taken in many places of Scripture in a bad sense, " Enemies have surrounded me." When, therefore, a siege is mentioned, the Scripture uses this word. It is then the same as though the Prophet had said, " Women shall bring men into such straits that they shall hold them captive."2 But he uses the singular number, as though he 1 Whatever may be the meaning of this clause, it cannot certainly be applied to the miraculous conception of our Saviour, and for this plain reason, as Blayney observes, that the only thing the passage announces, if viewed in this light, is this,—that a woman shall conceive a male child, which is nothing new, but a common event; for the word here for " woman," is not what signifies a virgin, but what designates only the sex; it means properly a female as distinguished from a male. Henry, as well as Blayney and Adam Clarke, agree materially with Calvin as to the meaning of this sentence.—Ed. 3 The principal objection to this interpretation has been, that it was not by overcoming their enemies by force of arms that the Jews returned. CHAP. XXXI. 23. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 115 had said, " One woman shall be superior to many men, or each Jew shall exceed in valour a Chaldean ; so the Jews shall gain the upper hand, though the strength of their enemies be great and terrible." This is what I regard as the meaning of the Prophet ; and justly does he set forth this as a wonderful thing, for it was a sort of revolution in the world when God thus raised up his servants, so that they who had enslaved them should become far unequal to them. It follows,— " 23. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, 23. Sic dicit Jehova exercituum, the God of Israel, As yet they shall Deus Israel, Adhuc dicent hoc ver- use this speech in the land of Judah, bum (hoc est, pronunciabunt hunc and in the cities thereof, when I shall sermonem) in terra Jehudah et urbi- bring again their captivity, The Lord bus ejus, ubi convertero captivitatem bless thee, O habitation of justice, ipsorum, Benedicet tibi Jehova, ha- and mountain of holiness. bitaculum justitke, mons sanctitatis. He confirms in other words what he has said before ; nor is the repetition, as we have said elsewhere, superfluous ; for it was difficult to convince the Jews that what they had already regarded as impossible could be effected; for by their perverseness they had closed, as it were, the door against the word of God. As then despair had thus laid hold on them, and fast bound their minds, it was necessary to dwell at large on the subject, so that they might at length embrace the promise of deliverance. This is the reason why the Prophet employed many words on the same subject. Now he makes this preface, that he had his message from God; and he speaks in his name, so that the incredible thing might be believed both by the Israelites and the Jews. They shall yet, he says, say in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I shall restore their captivity, &c. By these words the Prophet brings forward the Israelites and the Jews, as it were, into the middle, that they might see placed before their eyes what they deemed impossible. When I shall restore, therefore, their captivity, they shall again say, Bless thee may God, 0 dwelling-place of justice, 0 mountain of holiness. The answer to this is, that this is a sort of proverbial expression, intimating that the weakest would prevail over the strongest. Besides, though the Jews returned by virtue of the edict of the king of Persia, yet they had many and strong enemies to oppose them.—Ed. 116 COMMEHTAllIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXII. It was not without reason that the Prophet employed this mode of speaking ; for Jerusalem, we know, was entirely overthrown, and the Temple pulled down, and even burnt with fire. As then this was a spectacle awful and dreadful to all, there is here described a wonderful revolution, even that Sion would again be the mount of holiness, and Jerusalem the habitation of justice, though then a solitude and desolation. And this passage deserves a special notice, so that we may know that God restores his Church as though he drew it up even from hell itself. When, therefore, there is no form of a Church appearing, let us allow that the power of God can raise it up. Whence 1 even, as it has been said, from hell. It follows,— 24. And there shall dwell in 24. Et sedebunt (vel, habitabunt) Judah itself, and in all the cities inea(nempeierra)Jehudah,etomnes thereof together, husbandmen, and urbes ejus (id est, incolse ejus,) simul they that go forth with flocks. agricolse, et proficiscentur cum grege. He proceeds with the same subject, but sets forth the effect of that favour of which he had spoken, for dwell, he says, shall the Jews again in the land ; that is, they shall rest there and have a quiet habitation. He adds cities, only to amplify the favour of God as to the number and multiplicity of men ; as though he had said, that not a few would return, but a vast number of men, sufficient to fill their cities. Now this was to exceed the hope of all; for when they saw the cities deserted, and the land almost empty, who would have thought that they would again be filled with people ? But this the Prophet confirms by saying, Dwell there shall Judah and all his cities; and he adds, husbandmen. He extends God's favour to the country and the villages, as though he had said, that the land would be filled with inhabitants, not only as to the fortified towns, but as to the fields. It often happens that cities are inhabited when there is any fear or danger from enemies ; for they who dwell in cities have walls for their defence, and mounds and other means of safety. Had then the Prophet spoken only of cities, he would not have sufficiently set forth the favour of God. Hence he adds husbandmen, as though he had said, that dwelling OHAP. XXXI. 24. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 117 in the land would be safe, though there were no gates, no walls, no defences, for husbandmen would rest secure in their cottages as though inclosed within walls. We now then understand what the Prophet means. Some read thus, "Husbandmen, and they who go forth with the flock/' as though the Prophet made a distinction between husbandmen and keepers of sheep ; but this seems to me unsuitable; for I doubt not but that he means that husbandmen with their flocks and herds would be secure, having no fear of the inroads of enemies, but living in the land under the care and protection of God, without apprehending anything adverse or hostile to them. The meaning is, that the restoration of the Church would be such, that its state would not be worse than in former ages, and that it would be in a peaceable and quiet condition, so that the inhabitants of the villages and country places would not be less secure than those in cities.1 Now, were any one to ask, when was this fulfilled ? We must bear in mind what has been said elsewhere,—that the Prophets, when speaking of the restoration of the Church, included the whole kingdom of Christ from the beginning to the end. And in this our divines go astray, so that by confining these promises to some particular time, they are compelled to fly to allegories; and thus they wrest, and even pervert all the prophecies. But the Prophets, as it has been said, include the whole progress of Christ's kingdom when they speak of the future redemption of the people. The people began to do well when they returned to their own country ; but soon after distresses came as Daniel had pre- 1 Blayney renders the verse thus,— And Judah shall dwell in it and all his cities, Husbandmen together, and they shall go about with flocks. Like Calvin he takes " cities " for citizens; but still there is an inappro-priateness in the words! 1 regard the word " land " as understood before " Judah,"— And dwell in it, the land of Judah, And in all his cities together, Shall husbandmen; and they shall remove with their flocks. See chap, xxxiii. 12,13, where the meaning of what is here said is made more evident. " Remove," that is, from place to place, as the word means, for the purpose of feeding their flocks. This betokened a state of liberty and of security.—Ed. 118 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXII. dieted. It was, therefore, necessary for them to look for the coming of Christ. We now taste of these benefits of God as long as we are in the world. We hence see that these prophecies are not accomplished in one day, or in one year, no, not even in one age, but ought to be understood as referring to the beginning and the end of Christ's kingdom. It follows,— 25. For I have satiated the weary 25. Quia irrigabo (vel, inebriabo) soul, and I have replenished every animam sitientem, et omnem ani-sorrowful soul. mam quse deficit implebo. By this verse he removes every doubt, lest any one should reject what he had promised as to the restoration of the people, because the Jews and the Israelites were at the time as dead men. He therefore says, I will water the thirsty soul; some render it "the weary soul;" but PIS'1!? feJ'fiJ, nuphesh oiphe, is often taken metaphorically for a thirsty soul. So in Psalm cxliii. 6, it is said, " I am as a dry land;" weariness cannot be suitably applied to land ; and in Isaiah xxix. 8, we have these words, " As one dreaming he thinks that he eats ; afterwards, when awake, his soul is empty: and as one who thinks that he drinks," &c. The Prophet employs there the same word, because there is hardly ever weariness without thirst; we contract thirst by weariness. Then the soul is said to be HS^, oiphe, by a metaphor, not weary, but on the contrary thirsty ; and the verb corresponds, which means to inebriate, to irrigate, or to water, and often to satiate. I will then irrigate, or water to satiety, thy dry soul, and every soul which faints, &c, but as 3N"7, dab, means to be deficient, and sometimes to be wearied, here it denotes a defect, for it follows, 1 will fill. It is then to be taken for a famished soul.1 The meaning is, that though the Israelites should hunger and thirst, and be for a time without food and drink, yet 1 Both the Sept. and Syr. render the first word " thirsty," and the second, " hungry," agreeably with the verbs which precede them. The " weary" and " sorrowful" of our version are no doubt wrong; the first, adopted from the Vulg.; and the second from the Targ. For I will water the thirsty soul, And every hungry soul will I fill. " Soul" here means the person, the individual,—"I will water him that is thirsty," &c.—Ed. CHAP. XXXI. 26. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 119 their want would not prevent God from affording them relief, for he had the power and the will to satisfy the hungry, and to give drink to the thirsty, or to those who were fainting on account of thirst. It now follows,— 26. Upon this I awaked, and 26. Propterea expergefactus sum et beheld; and my sleep was sweet vidi, et somnus meus dulcis fuit mihi, unto me. (vel utilis.) Here the Prophet comes forth, and by his own example encourages the faithful to be confident, even to recumb on God's promise, as though they really enjoyed already what was as yet hid from them, nay, as it has been said, incredible. He then says, that he awoke and saw. This metaphor ought to be applied to a feeling contrary to that by which the Prophet had been, as it were, astonished. For though the Jews were not yet led into exile, yet the ten tribes were in that miserable bondage,—their kingdom had fallen and perished, and final ruin was nigh the kingdom of Judah. While then the Prophet was considering these dreadful vengeances of God, he was, as it were, overwhelmed with sleep. He now says that he aivoke. As in darkness men lose the vigour of their minds, and sleep also prevails, so that they cannot distinguish between black and white; so also the Prophet confesses that he was for a time, as it were, lifeless; he then says, that he awoke, that is, when God's favour shone forth, not by its own effect, but in this prophecy. We then see that he knew as through a mirror what was yet far distant; for the term of seventy years had not as yet commenced: but faith, as it is well known, is the seeing of things hid, and the substance of things absent; for except the word of God obtains in our hearts this assurance, we betray our unbelief. The Prophet gave a proof of his faith, for he fully acknowledged that all that had been by God predicted, though far distant, would yet be accomplished in due time. We now understand why he says, that he awoke. And he adds, And my sleep was pleasant to me. After having said that he saiu the work of God, which yet could not be seen by the human eye, he now adds that his sleep had been pleasant to him, while yet he had been sorrowful and full of fear ; for the best alleviator of all sorrow is hope. 120 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT.CXXII. But we have said that the sorrow by which the mind of the Prophet had been for a time overwhelmed, is compared to a sleep.1 He now adds, 27. Behold, the days come, saith the 27. Ecce dies veniunt, dicit Je- Lord, that 1 %will sow the house of Israel, hova, et seminabo domum Israel and the house of Judah, with the seed et domum Jehudah semine homi- of man, and with the seed of beast. nis et semine animalis. We see that the Prophet brings forward nothing new, but only animates the Jews with confidence as to their deliverance and their return. He yet employs another similitude, even that God would again sow Judah in the land, that he might produce an increase of men, and also of cattle, and of all kinds of animals. We have said that the land was to be for a time dreary and forsaken. As God then thus condemned as it were the land, that all might regard it as given up to desolation and solitude, the Prophet says that God would cause it to be inhabited again by both men and beasts. But the similitude sets forth still more fully the favour of God. There is to be understood a contrast between a cultivated and a deserted land. It is as though one should say, " They shall sow and reap on mountains, where corn has never been, where a plough has never been seen." Were any one then to promise a sowing and a harvest in a desert land, it would be a new thing, and could hardly be believed. Even so does the Prophet now say, / will sow, &c, as though he said, " The land indeed shall for a time be accursed, so that it will not sustain either men or beasts; but it shall be sown again." I will sow it, he says, with the seed both of men and of animals: and thus he meets a question, which might have been asked, " How can it be that the land will be again inhabited, since it is now deserted by its inhabitants?" even because God will sow it. In this way then, the Prophet answers the question. But at the same time he exalts the 1 It is difficult to see exactly the purport of this verse: what does " beheld," or saw, mean ? May not the verb be considered as in Hophal, " I was made to see," or, had a vision? The verb is often used in this sense : see Zech. iii. 1. Then we may give this version,— Hereupon I awoke and had a vision; And my sleep had been pleasant to me. Visions were of two kinds, given in sleep, and given to persons awake: the previous vision was given to the Prophet while he was asleep.—Ed. CHAP. XXXI. 28. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 12 J favour of God, as though he had said, that there would be no other remedy for the barrenness of the land, until God should cultivate it himself, and scatter seed on it: which is the same as to say, that the restoration of the land would not be the work of human industry or power, but of the wonderful power of God.1 It follows,— 28. And it shall come to pass, 28. Et erit, sicuti vigilavi su- that like as I have watched over per eos ad evellendura et conte- them, to pluck up, and to break rendum, et ad confringendum et down, and to throw down, and to ad perdendum, et ad affligendum, destroy, and to afflict; so will I sic vigilabo super eos ad sedifl- watch over them, to build, and to candum et ad plantandum, dicit plant, saith the Lord. Jehova. By these words the Prophet confirms what he had said ; for the Israelites and the Jews might have ever made this objection, " Why should God promise to be the liberator of his people, whom he had suffered to be oppressed with so great evils, for it would have been easier to prevent them ?" The Jews then might have raised this clamour, "Thou givest us here the hope of a return, but why does God suffer us to be driven into exile ? why then does he not apply the remedy in time; for now too late he declares that he will be a help to us after our ruin." As then the Jews thought that a restoration was promised to them unseasonably, the Prophet says that it was God who chastised them and punished them for their sins, and that he could also relieve them whenever it pleased him. For had the Chaldeans, according to their own pleasure, ruled over the Jews, and had obtained the victory over them, who could have ever hoped that the miserable men, thus reduced, could have been delivered by God's hand ? But now the Prophet shews that there was no reason for the Jews to despair, as though it were difficult for God to free them from the tyranny of their enemies; for nothing had happened to them by chance, or through the power of their enemies, but through the righteous judgment of God. 11 am disposed to render the latter part of this verse according to the Syriac,— That I will sow, as to the house of Israel and the house of Judah, The seed of man and the seed of beast. I take nK as a preposition, which it often is.—Ed. 122 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXII. We now then perceive the design of the Holy Spirit in what the Prophet says, As I have watched over them to pluck up and to break down, and to break in pieces and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch, &C.1 God then sets himself forth as the judge who had punished them for their sins, in order that he might convince them that he would also become their Physician, as though he had said, " I who have inflicted the wound can therefore heal it," according to what is said elsewhere, " God is he who kills and brings to life, who leads down to the grave and brings up." (I Samuel ii. 6.) But he employs many words, for the great mass of so many evils might have plunged the Jews into the abyss of despair. Hence the Prophet anticipates them, and shews, that though they had been reduced to extremities, yet so many and so severe calamities could not prevent God from restoring them, when it seemed good to him. He yet reminds them, that it was not without cause that they suffered such grievous things ; for God takes no delight in the miseries of his people. The people then ought to have learnt that they had been guilty of great sins from the fact, that they had been chastised with so much rigour and severity. He now adds, So will I watch over you to build and to plant. As for the verb destroy, if we read O^Pl, erem, it ought to be rendered, and to take away. The verb O"), rem, as it is well known, means to elevate ; but metaphorically, to take away. But the received reading, as I have said, is D1H, eres. He says, that he would watch to build and to plant them, as he had watched to destroy them ; as though he had said, that they had already been taught by experience, how great was the power of God's hand to save as well as to destroy. They had disregarded threatenings as long as God had spared them, and they thought that they could sin with impunity; and we see how insolently they rejected all the Prophets. But God had at length shewed by severe proofs how his judgments ought to have been dreaded. He now 1 The words here used are the very same with those in eh. i. 10, except the addition, " to afflict;" and yet neither the Targ., nor the Versions, except the Syriac, render them alike, giving in some instances the meaning of one verb to another,—a proof that they are very loose versions. See vol. i., note in p. 47.—Ed. CHAP. XXXI. 29, SO. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 123 then inspires them with hope, for his watching would no less avail for their preservation. It follows,— 29. In those days they 29. In diebus illis non dicent amplius, shall say no more, The Patres comederunt omphacium (uvam a-fathers have eaten a sour cerbam,) et dentes flliorum obstupuerunt: grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge. 30. But every one shall 30. Quin potius vir (hoe est, quisque) in die for his own iniquity: sua iniquitate morietur; omnis homo com-every man that eateth the edens {hoc est, quisquis comederit) uvam sour grape, his teeth shall acerbam obstupescent dentes ejus (aut, om-be set on edge. nis viri qui comederit, dentes obstupescent.) Ezekiel shews that it was a complaint commonly prevailing among the people, that they suffered for the sins of their fathers, as Horace also says, a heathen and a despiser of God, " 0 Roman, thou dost undeservedly suffer for the faults of thy fathers."1 Such, then, was the arrogance of the Jews, as to strive with God, as though he punished them, while they were innocent; and they expressed this by using a proverb, " If our fathers have eaten sour grapes, what is the reason that our teeth are set on edge ?" We know that teeth are set on edge when unripe fruits are eaten; but the word properly means sour grapes, which the Greeks call omphakes. Then the Prophet says, that this proverb would be no longer used, for after having been tamed by evils, they would at length know that God had not dealt so severely with them without a just cause. We now perceive the meaning of the Prophet. And he says, In those days, that is, after God had punished the people, and also embraced them through his mercy; for both these things were necessary, that is, that their per-verseness and pride should be subdued, and that they should cease to expostulate with God, and also that the gratuitous favour of God should be manifested to them. At that time then, he says, they shall not use this impious proverb, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth have been blunted :2 but on the contrary, he adds, every one shall 1 Carm., Lib. 3, Od. 6. 2 The Targum thus interprets this proverb, " The fathers have sinned, and the children have been smitten." " Blunted," or deprived of feeling, obstupuerunt, is both the Vulg. and the Syr.—Ed. ] 24 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXIII. die in his own iniquity; and whosoever eateth a sour grape, his teeth shall be blunted ; that is, at that time the just judgment of God shall be exalted, so that there will be no place for these insolent and blasphemous clamours ; the mercy of God will also be made manifest, for men, worthy of death, will be delivered, but not otherwise than through the gratuitous gcfbdness of God. PRAYER. Grant, Almighty God, that since thou warnest us daily by so many evidences of thy wrath, that we may in due time repent,—O grant, that we may not be slow to consider thy work, and also the doctrine which thou addest, but anticipate thy extreme vengeance, and thus be made capable of receiving thy mercy, that as thou freely offerest it to us, we may anxiously embrace it, and also so retain it in our hearts by true faith, that thou mayest continue its course towards us, until we shall at length reach that blessed rest, which has been prepared for us in heaven by Christ our Lord.—Amen. ULtttuvt ©we IguntrwO anO 31. Behold, the days come, saith 31. Ecce dies veniunt, dicit Je-the Lord, that I will make a new hova, et percutiam cum domo Israel covenant with the house of Israel, et cum domo Jehudah foedus no-and with the house of Judah ; vum : 32. Not according to the covenant 32. Non secundum foedus quod that I made with their fathers, in percussi cum patribus eorum die quo the day that I took them by the apprebendi manum eorum, ut edu-hand, to bring them out of the land cerem eos e terra Egypti, quod of Egypt; (which my covenant they irritum fecerunt foedus, inquam, et brake, although I was an husband ego dominabor illis, dicit Jehova. unto them, saith the Lord.) Jeremiah proceeds with the same subject, but shews more clearly how much more abundant and richer the favour of God would be towards his people than formerly. He then does not simply promise the restoration of that dignity and greatness which they had lost, but something better and more excellent. We hence see that this passage necessarily refers to the kingdom of Christ, for without Christ nothing could or ought to have been hoped for by the people, superior to the Law ; for the Law was a rule of the most perfect doc- CHAP. XXXI. 31,32. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 125 trine. If then Christ be taken away, it is certain that we must abide in the Law. We hence then conclude, that the Prophet predicts of the kingdom of Christ; and this passage is also quoted by the Apostles, as being remarkable and worthy of notice. (Rom. xi. 27; Heb. viii. 8-12; x. 16.) But we must observe the order and manner of teaching here pursued. The Prophet confirms what I have before said, that what we have been considering was incredible to the Jews. Having then already spoken of the benefits of God, which could have been hardly recognised by the senses of men, in order to obviate the want of faith, he adds, that the Lord would manifest his mercy towards them in a new and unusual manner. We hence see why the Prophet added this passage to his former doctrine. For had he not spoken of a new covenant, those miserable men, whom he sought to inspire with the hope of salvation, would have ever vacillated ; nay, as the greater part were already overwhelmed with despair, he would have effected nothing. Here then he sets before them a new covenant, as though he had said, that they ought not to look farther or higher, nor to measure the benefit of God, of which he had spoken, by the appearance of the state of things at that time, for God would make a new covenant. There is yet no doubt but that he commends the favour of God, which was afterwards to be manifested in the fulness of time. Besides, we must ever bear in mind, that from the time the people returned to their own country, the faith of those who had embraced the favour of deliverance was assailed by the most grievous trials, for it would have been better for them to continue in perpetual exile than to be cruelly harassed by all their neighbours, and to be exposed to so many troubles. If, then, the people had been only restored from their exile in Babylon, it was a matter of small moment; but it behoved the godly to direct their minds to Christ. And hence we see that the Prophets, who performed the office of teaching after the restoration, dwelt on this point,—that they were to hope for something better than what then appeared, and that they were not to despond, be- 126 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LEOT. CXXIII. cause they saw that they did not enjoy rest, and were drawn into weary and grievous contests rather than freed from tyranny. We indeed know what Haggai says of the future temple, and what Zechariah says, and also Malachi. And the same was the object of our Prophet in speaking of the new covenant, even that the faithful, after having enjoyed again their own country, might not clamour against God, because he did not bestow on them that happiness which he had promised. This was the second reason why the Prophet spoke of the new covenant. As before, he now repeats the words, that the days would come, in which God would make a covenant with Israel as well as with Judah. For the ten tribes, as it is well known, had been driven into exile while the kingdom of Judah was still standing. Besides, when they revolted from the family of David, they became as it were another nation. God indeed did not cease to acknowledge them as his people ; but they had alienated themselves as far as they could from the Church. God then promises that there would be again one body, for He would gather them that they might unite together, and not be like two houses. Now, as to the new covenant, it is not so called, because it is contrary to the first covenant; for God is never inconsistent with himself, nor is he unlike himself. He then who once made a covenant with his chosen people, had not changed his purpose, as though he had forgotten his faithfulness. It then follows, that the first covenant was inviolable ; besides, he had already made his covenant with Abraham, and the Law was a confirmation of that covenant. As then the Law depended on that covenant which God made with his servant Abraham, it follows that God could never have made a new, that is, a contrary or a different covenant. For whence do we derive our hope of salvation, except from that blessed seed promised to Abraham ? Further, why are we called the children of Abraham, except on account of the common bond of faith ? Why are the faithful said to be gathered into the bosom of Abraham ? Why does Christ say, that some will come from the east and the west, and sit down in the kingdom of heaven with Abraham, Isaac, and CHAP. XXXI. 31, 32. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 127 Jacob? (Luke xvi. 22; Matt. viii. 11.) These things no doubt sufficiently shew that God has never made any other covenant than that which he made formerly with Abraham, and at length confirmed by the hand of Moses. This subject might be more fully handled ; but it is enough briefly to shew, that the covenant which God made at first is perpetual. Let us now see why he promises to the people a new covenant. It being new, no doubt refers to what they call the foi-m ; and the form, or manner, regards not words only, but first Christ, then the grace of the Holy Spirit, and the whole external way of teaching. But the substance remains the same. By substance I understand the doctrine ; for God in the Gospel brings forward nothing but what the Law contains. We hence see that God has so spoken from the beginning, that he has not changed, no not a syllable, with regard to the substance of the doctrine. For he has included in the Law the rule of a perfect life, and has also shewn what is the way of salvation, and by types and figures led the people to Christ, so that the remission of sin is there clearly made manifest, and whatever is necessary to be known. As then God has added nothing to the Law as to the substance of the doctrine, we must come, as I have already said, to the form, as Christ was not as yet manifested : God made a new covenant, when he accomplished through his Son whatever had been shadowed forth under the Law. For the sacrifices could not of themselves pacify God, as it is well known, and whatever the Law taught respecting expiation was of itself useless and of no importance. The new covenant then was made when Christ appeared with water and blood, and really fulfilled what God had exhibited under types, so that the faithful might have some taste of salvation. But the coming of Christ would not have been sufficient, had not regeneration by the Holy Spirit been added. It was, then, in some respects, a new thing, that God regenerated the faithful by his Spirit, so that it became not only a doctrine as to the letter, but also efficacious, which not only strikes the ear, but penetrates into the heart, and really forms us for the service of God. The outward mode of teaching was also new, as it is evident to all; for when we 128 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXI1I. compare the Law with the Gospel, we find that God speaks to us now openly, as it were face to face, and not under a veil, as Paul teaches us, when speaking of Moses, who put on a veil when he went forth to address the people in God's name. (2 Cor. iii. 18.) It is not so, says Paul, under the Gospel, but the veil is removed, and God in the face of Christ presents himself to be seen by us. This, then, is the reason why the Prophet calls it a new covenant, as it will be shewn more at large : for I touch only on things which cannot be treated apart, that the whole context of the Prophet may be better understood. Let us then proceed now with the words. He says that the covenant which he will make will not be such as he had made with their fathers. Here he clearly distinguishes the new covenant from the Law. The contrast ought to be borne in mind; for no one of the Jews thought it possible that God would add anything better to the Law. For though they regarded the Law almost as nothing, yet we know that hypocrites pretended with great ardour of zeal that they were so devoted to the Law, that they thought that heaven and earth could sooner be blended together, than that any change should be made in the Law ; and at the same time they held most tenaciously what God had only for a time instituted. It was therefore necessary that the Law should be here contrasted with the new covenant, that the Jews might know that the favour in reserve for them would be far more excellent than what had been formerly manifested to the fathers. This, then, is the reason why he says, not according to the covenant, &c. He afterwards adds, which I made with their fathers when I laid hold on their hand, &c. Here he shews that they could never have a firm hope of salvation, unless God made a new covenant. Such was their pride, that they hardly would have received the favour of God, had they not been convinced of this truth : for this would have been always in their mouth, " Did not God shew himself a Father to his people when he redeemed them ? was it not a testimony of his paternal favour ? has he not elevated the condition of the Church, which he designs to be perpetual?" They would CHAP. XXXI. 31, 32. COMMENTABIES ON JEREMIAH. 129 have therefore rejected the favour of God, had not the Prophet openly declared that the Law had been and would be still useless to them, and that there was therefore a necessity for a new covenant, otherwise they must have perished. We now perceive the design of the Prophet; and this ought to be carefully observed ; for it would not be enough to know what the Prophet says, except we also know why he says this or that. The meaning then is, that it ought not to appear strange that God makes a new covenant, because the first had been useless and was of no avail. Then he confirms this, because God made the first covenant when he stretched out his hand to his ancient people, and became their liberator ; and yet they made void that covenant. The circumstance as to the time ought to be noticed, for the memory of a recent benefit ought to be a most powerful motive to obedience. For how base an ingratitude it was for those, who had been delivered by the wonderful power of God, to reject his covenant at a time when they had been anticipated by divine mercy? As then they had made void even at that time the covenant of God, it may with certainty be concluded, that there had been no time in which they had not manifested their impiety, and had not been covenant-breakers. He adds, / however ruled over them,, or was Lord over them. Though some confine the verb VTPSD, bolti, to the rule exercised by a husband, and this would not be unsuitable, as God not only ruled then over his people, but was also their husband, a similitude which is often used ; yet I know not whether this view can be satisfactorily sustained We ought therefore to be satisfied with the general truth, that God had the people under his own authority, as though he had said, that he only used his own right in ruling over them and prescribing to them the way in which they were to live. At the same time the word covenant, was more honourable to the people. For when a king enjoins anything on his people, it is called an edict; but God deals with his own people more kindly, for he descends and appears in the midst of them, that he may bind himself to his people, as he binds the people to himself. We hence see, in short, why God says that 130 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXIII. he ruled over the people, even because he had purchased them for himself, and yet he had not enjoyed his own right on account of the untameable and perverse disposition of the people.1 It ought at the same time to be observed, that the fault is here cast on the people, that the Law was weak and not sufficiently valid, as we see that Paul teaches us in Rom. vii. 12. For as soon as the weakness of the Law is spoken of, the greater part lay hold of something they deem wrong in the Law, and thus the Law is rendered contemptible : hence the Prophet says here that they had made God's covenant void, as though he had said, that the fault was not to be sought in the Law that there was need of a new covenant, for the Law was abundantly sufficient, but that the fault was in the levity and the unfaithfulness of the people. We now then see that nothing is detracted from the Law when it is said to be weak and ineffectual; for it is an accidental fault derived from men who do not observe nor keep their pledged faith. There are still more things to be said ; but I now, as I have said, touch but briefly on the words of the Prophet. It then follows,— 33. But this shall be the covenant 33. Quia hoc fredus quod percu- that I will make with the house of tiam cum domo Israel post dies Israel; After those days, saith the illos, dicit Jehova, ponam legem Lord, I will put my law in their in- meam in medio ipsorum (id est, in ward parts, and write it in their visceribus,) et in cordibus ipsorum hearts; and will be their God, and scribam earn; et ego ero illis in they shall be my people. Deum, et ipsi erunt mihi in populum. He now shews a difference between the Law and the Gospel, for the Gospel brings with it the grace of regeneration : its doctrine, therefore, is not that of the letter, but penetrates into the heart and reforms all the inward faculties, so that obedience is rendered to the righteousness of God. 1 This clause, as quoted in Heb. viii. 9, is, " And I regarded them not," according to the Sept. and the Syr., .though the Vulg. is the same with our version. Houhigant says, "Read VwJ, I have rejected, I have repudiated." The only difference is in one letter ; and this word is used by Jeremiah in ch. xiv. 19. There would thus be a perfect correspondence, " and I rejected them, saith Jehovah." " Which my covenant," in the previous clause, is the Vulg.; but according to the Sept., the Syr., and the Targ., it is, " because they have broken my covenant," &c. "ICK is not used, as given in our version, in connection with a noun that follows, though it is so used with pronouns.—Ed. OHAP. XXXI. S3. COMMENTARIES ON JEKEMIAH. IS] A question may however be here moved, "Was the grace of regeneration wanting to the Fathers under the Law ? But this is quite preposterous. What, then, is meant when God denies here that the Law was written on the heart before the coming of Christ ? To this I answer, that the Fathers, who were formerly regenerated, obtained this favour through Christ, so that we may say, that it was as it were transferred to them from another source. The power then to penetrate into the heart was not inherent in the Law, but it was a benefit transferred to the Law from the Gospel. This is one thing. Then we know that this grace of God was rare and little known under the Law ; but that under the Gospel the gifts of the Spirit have been more abundantly poured forth, and that God has dealt more bountifully with his Church. But still the main thing is, to consider what the Law of itself is, and what is peculiar to the Gospel, especially when a comparison is made between the Law and the Gospel. For when this comparison ceases, this cannot be properly applied to the Law ; but with regard to the Gospel it is said, that the Law is that of the letter, as it is called elsewhere, (Rom. vii. 6 ;) and this also is the reason why Paul calls it the letter in 2 Cor. iii. 6, " the letter killeth," &c. By "letter" he means not what Origen foolishly explained, for he perverted that passage as he did almost the whole Scripture : Paul does not mean there the simple and plain sense of the Law; for he calls it the letter for another reason, because it only sets before the eyes of men what is right, and sounds it also in their ears. And the word letter refers to what is written, as though he had said, The Law was written on stones, and was therefore a letter. But the Gospel—what is it ? It is spirit, that is, God not only addresses his word to the ears of men and sets it before their eyes, but he also inwardly teaches their hearts and minds. This is then the solution of the question : the Prophet speaks of the Law in itself, as apart from the Gospel, for the Law then is dead and destitute of the Spirit of regeneration. He afterwards says, I will put my Law in their inward parts. By these words he confirms what we have said, that the newness, which he before mentioned, was not so as to 132 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXIII. the substance, but as to the form only: for God does not say here, " I will give you another Law," but I will write my Law, that is, the same Law, which had formerly been delivered to the Fathers. He then does not promise anything different as to the essence of the doctrine, but he makes the difference to be in the form only. But he states the same thing in two ways, and says, that he would put his law in their inward parts, and that he would write it in their hearts.1 "We indeed know how difficult it is that man should be so formed to obedience that his whole life may be in unison with the Law of God, for all the lusts of the flesh are so many enemies, as Paul says, who fight against God. (Rom. viii. 7.) As then all our affections and lusts thus carry on war with God, it is in a manner a renovation of the world when men suffer themselves to be ruled by God. And we know what Scripture says, that we cannot be the disciples of Christ, except we renounce ourselves and the world, and deny our own selves. (Matt. vi. 24 ; Luke xiv. 26, 27.) This is the reason why the Prophet was not satisfied with one statement, but said, I will put my Law in their inward parts, I will write it in their hearts. We may further learn from this passage, how foolish the Papists are in their conceit about free-will. They indeed allow that without the help of God's grace we are not capable of fulfilling the Law, and thus they concede something to the aid of grace and of the Spirit: but still they not only imagine a co-operation as to free-will, but ascribe to it the main work. Now the Prophet here testifies that it is the 1 All the nouns in Hebrew are of the singular number,—" law, inward part, heart," and also " iniquity and sin;" and so are they in the Vulg., except the second, which is rendered " bowels;" but in the other versions and the Targ., they are mostly pluralized. The words as quoted in Hebrews are not exactly according to any of the versions, but for the most part according to that of the Sept. There is in many copies a 1 before TlfU, " I have put," by which it is turned into a future, " I will even put." This seems to be the true reading,— I will even put my law in their inmost part, And on their heart will I write it. It is the same as if it was said, " I will put my law in the inmost part of each of them:" the persons are individualized, in order to shew that the act extends to every one alike.— Ed. CHAP. XXXI. 33. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 133 peculiar work of God to write his Law in our hearts. Since God then declares that this favour is justly his, and claims to himself the glory of it, how great must be the arrogance of men to appropriate this to themselves ? To write the Law in the heart imports nothing less than so to form it, that the Law should rule there, and that there should be no feeling of the heart, not conformable and not consenting to its doctrine. It is hence then sufficiently clear, that no one can be turned so as to obey the Law, until he be regenerated by the Spirit of God; nay, that there is no inclination in man to act rightly, except God prepares his heart by his grace; in a word, that the doctrine of the letter is always dead, until God vivifies it by his Spirit. He adds, And I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. Here God comprehends generally the substance of his covenant; for what is the design of the Law, except that the people should call upon him, and that he should also exercise a care over his people ? For whenever God declares that he will be our God, he offers to us his paternal favour, and declares that our salvation is become the object of his care ; he gives to us a free access to himself, bids us to recumb on his grace, and, in short, this promise contains in itself everything needful for our salvation. The case is now also at this day the same under the Gospel; for as we are aliens from the kingdom of heaven, he reconciles us by it to himself, and testifies that he will be our God. On this depends what follows, And they shall be my people ; for the one cannot be separated from the other. By these words then the Prophet briefly intimates, that the main object of God's covenant is, that he should become our Father, from whom we are to seek and expect salvation, and that we should also become his people. Of these things there is more to be said again; but I have explained the reason why I now so quickly pass over things worthy of a longer explanation. He adds,— 34. And they shall teach no more 34. Et non docebit amplius vir every man his neighbour, and every (id est, quisque) proximum suum, et man his brother, saying, Know the quisque fratrum suum, dicendo, cog-Lord : for they shall all know me, noseite Jehovam; quia omnes cog-from the least of them unto the noscent me a parvo ipsorum, et (sed 134 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXIV. greatest of them, saith the Lord: abundat copula) ad magnum ipso- for I will forgive their iniquity, rum, dicit Jehova; quia ignoscam and I will remember their sin no peccatis ipsorum, et iniquitatum ip- more. sorum non recordabor atnplius. But I cannot now proceed farther, for the clock strikes. PRAYER. Grant, Almighty God, that as thou hast favoured us with so singular a benefit as to make through thy Son a covenant which has been ratified for our salvation,—O grant, that we may become partakers of it, and know that thou so speakest with us, that thou not only shewest by thy Word what is right, but speakest also to us inwardly by thy Spirit, and thus renderest us teachable and obedient, that there may be an evidence of our adoption, and a proof that thou wilt govern and rule us, until we shall at length be really and fully united to thee through Christ our Lord.— Amen. And no more shall every one teach his neighbour, and every one his brother, saying, Know ye Jehovah ; for all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, saith Jehovah : for I will forgive their sins, and their iniquities will I remember no more. Here is mentioned another difference between the old and the new covenant, even that God, who had obscurely manifested himself under the Law, would send forth a fuller light, so that the knowledge of him would be commonly enjoyed. But he hyperbolically extols this favour, when he says that no one would have need of a teacher or instructor, as every one would have himself sufficient knowledge. We therefore consider that the object of the Prophet is mainly to shew, that so great would be the light of the Gospel, that it would be clearly evident, that God under it deals more bountifully with his people, because its truth shines forth as the sun at noon-day. The same thing Isaiah promises, when he says that all would become the disciples of God. (Is. liv. 13.) This was indeed the case also under the CHAP. XXXI. 34. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 135 Law, though God gave then but a small taste of heavenly doctrine : but at the coming of Christ he unfolded the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, so that under the Gospel there is the perfection of what had been begun; for we know that the ancient people were like children, and hence God kept them in the rudiments of knowledge : now, as we are grown up, he favours us with a fuller doctrine, and he comes, as it were, nearer to us. Hence, he says, No more shall every one teach his neighbour, and a man his brother} I have said that the Prophet here amplifies the favour of God. But we find that some fanatics have ignorantly and foolishly abused this passage, seeking to put down teaching of every kind, as the Anabaptists in our day, who reject all teaching; and flattering themselves in their ignorance, they proudly boast that they are endued with the Spirit, and say, that dishonour is done to Christ, if we are still disciples, because it is written as one of the praises and encomiums given to the new covenant, that no one shall teach his neighbour any more. And hence it has also happened, that they are inebriated with strange and horrible doctrines: for the devil, when they become swollen with so much pride, can fascinate and delude them as he pleases; and their own pride also so leads them astray, that they invent dreams ; and many unprincipled men have drawn aside this passage to serve their own purposes. For when they boast themselves to be prophets, and persuade the simple that they are so, they hold many attached to themselves, and derive gain by this sort of boasting. But the Prophet here does not mean inspiration, nor does he exclude the practice of teaching, as I have already said ; he only shews to us the superior brightness of the gospel light, as God, under the Law, did not so perfectly teach his people as he does us at this day. And hence is that saying 1 Literally the words are,— And they shall teach no more, a man his neighbour, And a man his brother, by saying, " Know ye Jehovah ;" For all of them shall know me, Prom the least of them to the greatest of them, Saith Jehovah. 136 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXIV. of Christ, " Blessed are the eyes which see the things which ye see, and the ears which hear the things which ye hear; for many kings and prophets," &c. (Luke x. 23.) Christ, then, is the best interpreter of this passage, even that God would cause the truth to shine forth more fully under the Gospel; and hence Christ is called by Malachi " the Sun of Righteousness," (Mai. iv. 2 ;) for the Prophet there intimates that the Fathers had indeed some light, but not such as we have. In short, we ought to bear in mind the comparison, of which mention was made yesterday, even that God held his people in suspense with the hope of a better state. And that we may no farther seek an explanation, let us carefully weigh the words; for it is not simply and without exception said, " No one shall teach his neighbour," but it it is added, " Saying, Know ye Jehovah." We hence see that the Prophet promises knowledge, so that they might be no longer alphabetarians ; for these words, " Know ye Jehovah," point out the first elements of faith, or of celestial doctrine. And, doubtless, if we consider how great was the ignorance of the ancient people, they were then only in the elements. He who is at this day the least among the faithful, has so far advanced, that he knows much more clearly what pertains chiefly to salvation than those who were then the most learned. The meaning then is, that all God's chosen people would be so endued with the gift of knowledge, that they would no longer continue in the first elements. Now, were any one pertinaciously to urge this one clause, it would be right to set before him a passage in Isaiah, for he certainly speaks of the kingdom of Christ, when he says, " Lay hold shall each on the hand of his neighbour, and say, Come, let us ascend into the mountain of the Lord, and he will teach us his ways," &c. (Isa. ii. 3.) Now, let us reconcile these two prophecies. The design of both is to set forth the favour of God, manifested by Christ at his coming. The one passage says, " No one will teach his neighbour ;" and the other, " Lay hold will each on the hand of his neighbour, and say, Let us come and ascend into the mountain, that Jehovah may teach us." Now the way of recon- CHAP.XXXI.34. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 137 ciling them is this,—that Jeremiah says, that the people would not be so ignorant under the new covenant as to stand in need of the first principles of truth ; hut that Isaiah says, that each would lay hold on the hand of his neighbour, that they might mutually help one another, so as to attain the knowledge of God's law. The question is thus solved ; and we, at the same time, see how remarkable is the benefit with which God favours his people, as he thus makes himself familiarly known to them. He says, All shall know me, from the least to the greatest. He does not mean that knowledge would be in all in an equal measure. Experience indeed proves this to be false; and further we know, that God has testified from the beginning, as Paul also reminds us, (Rom. xii. 2, 3,) that the measure of his gifts is according to his good pleasure. But the Prophet means, that those who are the least or the lowest among God's people shall be endued with so much light of knowledge that they will be almost like teachers. To the same purpose is the prophecy of Joel, " Prophesy shall your sons, your daughters shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams." (Joel ii. 28.) He promises that there would be everywhere prophets and teachers, because the grace of God would be at that day more abundant; and these things ought ever to be understood comparatively. Though, then, many are now ignorant among the children of God, and among those who are really of the number of the faithful, yet if we consider how great was the obscurity of the Law, those who are at this day the least among the disciples, are not otherwise than prophets and teachers. And for this reason Christ says, " He who is least in the kingdom of heaven, is greater'than John the Baptist," who yet was superior to all the Prophets. (Matt. xi. 11.) John the Baptist was, in his office, exalted above all the Prophets, and he excelled them in knowledge ; and yet the least of those who professed the Gospel and bore testimony to it, was greater, says Christ, than John the Baptist. And this is not to be applied only to them individually, nor be confined to them, but rather to the clear and plain doctrine which the Gospel conveys, according to the passage we quoted yesterday, 138 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXIV. where Paul says that there is now no veil intervening, but that we are allowed to see God, as it were, face to face in the person of Christ. (2 Cor. iii. 18.) It follows, For I will forgive their sins, and their iniquities will I remember no more. The Prophet, no doubt, shews here the foundation of God's kindness, even that he would receive the people into favour by not imputing to them their sins. If we then seek for the origin of the new covenant, it is the free remission of sins, because God reconciles himself to his people. And we hence conclude, that there is no other cause that we can imagine, why God appeared in his only-begotten Son, and manifested so great a bounty: for the Prophet here reduces to nothing all the glory of the flesh, and lays prostrate all merits, when he says, that God would be so bountiful to his people as to become propitious to them, freely to remit their sins, and not to remember their iniquities. This passage, then, cannot properly be taken as referring to the perpetual remission of sins, though this he included in the general doctrine ; but we must bear in mind the design of the Prophet, which was to shew, that God from the beginning, with regard to his Church, was moved by no other cause than a desire to abolish sins. The Apostle, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, gives rather a refined interpretation of this passage, for he dwells on the word more, ^tf, od. He says, that under the New Testament God forgives iniquities, because expiation has been made, so that there is no more need of sacrifices. For he assumes the opposite idea, that God remembered iniquities until he made the new covenant. If he remembered sins, he says, until he made a new covenant, it is no wonder that he then required daily sacrifice to propitiate him : but now under the New Testament he remembers them no more. Then sacrifices cease, because there is now no need of satisfaction when sins are forgiven. He hence concludes, that we have been so expiated by the blood of Christ, and so reconciled to God, that confidence as to our salvation ought to give us an entire rest. But we ought to bear in mind what I have said, that the Prophet here expressly, and in the first place, speaks of the beginning of the mercy and grace which God promises ; CHAP. XXXI. 34. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 139 he therefore declares that God would be so kind and so gracious as not to remember iniquities. What, then, does the particle more intimate ? Even that God had for a time been angry with his people, and visited their sins with judgment. For God is said to call our sins to remembrance, he is said to be angry with us, he is said to be the avenger of our iniquities, when he punishes us, when he gives evidences of his severity and of his vengeance. Whenever then God severely handled his people, he seemed to remember their iniquities; but when he made the new covenant, all iniquities were then buried, and cast, as another Prophet says, into the depths of the sea. (Mic. vii. 19.) Then the Apostle misapplied the testimony of the Prophet: by no means ; for he wisely accommodated it to the subject he was discussing: what God promises, that he would not any more remember iniquities, after having made the new covenant, was accomplished through the coming of Christ. Then Christ alone has effected this—that our iniquities should no more be remembered before God. Hence also we easily learn what the Apostle intended to prove, even that sacrifices cease when sins are expiated. These things indeed harmonize well together, and there is nothing forced or too refined. Moreover, the Prophet does not here discuss the whole question respecting the difference between the Old and New Testament, but only takes this as granted, that the grace of God would be more abundant than formerly, in order that the faithful, supported by hope, might patiently endure their evils and most grievous trials with which they had to contend, and not despond until Christ was manifested, as we said yesterday. Here, then, he speaks of the grace of regeneration, of the gift of knowledge, and at the same time promises that God would be propitious to his people in a different and more perfect way than he had been in former times. But the Apostle in that Epistle seems to apply this to ceremonies, because these things are connected together; that is, the abrogation of ceremonies and the regeneration of the Spirit which is promised here. Then the Apostle does not wrest the words of the Prophet; but as he com- 140 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXIV. mends the new covenant, which was to be more excellent than the Law, he hence concludes, that it is no wonder that ceremonies were not to continue but for a time. For he assumes this principle, that a new covenant was to succeed the old : then some change was necessarily to be. He assumes also that the new covenant was opposed to the old, and that the old was subject to destruction. The Jews could not endure any change in the types, for they would have them to remain the same. But the Apostle says that it is nothing strange that a thing should decay ; for God, he says, does not certainly without reason call that covenant old which he made by Moses; then it will not always continue valid. (Heb. viii. 13.) Since it is so, it cannot be inconsistent with the truth and faithfulness of God, that the ceremonies should cease as to their use, while the Law itself remained unchanged. We now then see that the Apostle faithfully interpreted the design of the Prophet by accommodating his testimony to the abrogation of ceremonies. But as I have to explain only the words of the Prophet, there is no need to speak further of the difference between the Old and New Testament, that is, in what particulars they differ ; for the Old and New Testament differ also in other things. But the Prophet, as I have said, thought it sufficient to touch on this point,—that something better was to be hoped at the coming of Christ than what the Fathers in all ages had found. And thus, as I have said, he sought to alleviate the sorrow of the faithful, whom God exercised with hard trials before Christ was manifested in the flesh. Moreover, the Law and the Gospel form a contrast like Moses and Christ. Then the New Testament is more excellent than the Law, as Christ excels Moses. But we must come to a passage in John, that we may more fully understand why the Prophet says that the grace of the new covenant would be different from that of the old. John says, " The Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." (John i. 17.) John seems there to leave nothing to the Law but an evanescent shadow. For if Christ only brought truth to us, then there was no truth in the Law, and there was no grace in the Law; but this seems CHAP. XXXI. 34. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 141 to cast a reproach on the Law. Now this question was in part answered yesterday. But as I wish to finish this passage, let it be briefly observed, that whenever the Law is thus extenuated, it is only that the benefit of Christ may be set forth, so that we may know how invaluable is God's mercy which appears in his only-begotten Son. Were now any one to object and say, " But why had he previously published the Law ? and why did he command it to be reverently received, if it was without grace and truth ?" To this I answer, according to what I said yesterday, that the Law was not destitute of those benefits which we at this day receive under the Gospel, but that these benefits were then, as it were, adventitious, and that they do not properly belong to the Law ; for if the Law were separated from the Gospel, it would be the same as if one was to separate Moses from Christ. If Moses be regarded, not as opposed to Christ, he was the herald and witness of God's paternal kindness towards his people; his doctrine also contained promises of a free salvation, and opened to the faithful the door of access to God. But if Moses be set in opposition to Christ, he becomes the minister of death, and his doctrine leads to destruction; for the letter, as Paul in 2 Cor. iii. 6, calls it, killeth,—how so ? Because whosoever is attached to Moses departs from Christ; and Christ alone possesses in himself the fulness of all blessings. It then follows, that nothing remains in Moses when considered in himself. But God promised salvation to his ancient people, and also regenerated his chosen, and illuminated them by his Spirit. This he did not do so freely and extensively as now. As then God's grace is at this day more abundant, it is justly extolled in high terms by all the Prophets ; and then, as I have already said, whatever God at that time conferred, was, as it were, adventitious, for all these benefits were dependant on Christ and the promulgation of the Gospel. Let us now proceed,— 35. Thus saith the Lord, which 35. Sic dicit Jehova, Qui ponit giveth the sun for a light by day, solem (vel, posuit) in lucem diei, et and the ordinances of the moon and leges (vel, statuta, decreta) lunse et of the stars for a light by night, stellarum in lucem noctis; scindens which divideth the sea when the mare, et resonant (tumultuantur) 142 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXIV. waves thereof roar; the Lord of fluctus ejus; Jehova exercituum no-hosts is his name : men ejus : 36. If those ordinances depart 36. Si remota fuerint decreta hsec from before me, saith the Lord, a conspectu meo, dicit Jehova, etiam then the seed of Israel also shall semen Israel cessabit (vel, deficiet,) cease from being a nation before ne sit gens coram facie mea cunctis me for ever. diebus. He confirms the promises which we have been considering; for it was difficult to believe that the people would not only recover what they had lost, but also be made much more happy ; for the Church was then wholly in a desponding state. It was not then an easy matter to raise, as it were, from the lowest depths a miserable people, and to comfort them so that they might overcome their dreadful trial; for the disorder of the Church was such, that had it been raised a hundred times from the dead, it might again be a hundred times crushed into death, for there still remained for it most grievous evils in future. This is then the reason why the Prophet dwells at large on proving the same thing. He says in the person of God, " I am he who created the sun, the moon, and the stars ; the regular order of things in creation still continues, for the sun performs its course, and so does the moon." He speaks, indeed, of their diurnal course, for we know that the Prophets spoke popularly, and according to the common notions. Had they philosophized, as astrologers do, and spoken of the monthly course of the moon, and of the annual course of the sun, they could not have been understood by the common people. They were, therefore, satisfied to state things which even children could comprehend, even that the sun made its circuit daily round the world, that the moon did the same, and that the stars in their turns followed; so that the moon holds the first place in the night among the stars, and that the sun rules during the day. " I am the Lord," he says, " who have fixed this order of things which still remains:" I cut or divide the sea, he says, that is, I stir it up with tempests, and make a noise, or roar, do its waves." He mentions things which are contrary, but not inconsistent, though different. For the course of the sun, moon, and stars is regular and fixed, and so he calls their courses CHAP. XXXI. 35,36. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 143 p cheket, and D^pCl!"!, echekim, that is, decrees, which are not changeable.1 Then in the heavens we find an order so arranged and regulated, that nothing deviates from its appointed course. But in storms and tempests God seems as though he would shake the world and overturn what appears otherwise immovable; for even the very rocks, as it were, tremble when the sea is violently stirred up; and yet God calms the very sea, and thus puts an end to storms and tempests, so that there ever appears to be a stability and a perpetuity in nature. He then adds, If removed shall these laws be from my presence, the seed of Israel shall also fail; that is, " As certain as is the stability of the order of nature, seen in the course of the sun and the moon, and in the turbulent sea, so certain will be the deliverance of my Church, nor can it ever be destroyed." The tempest on the sea seems to shake the world, and yet the world remains fixed. The sun and moon, when they rise, might overwhelm the whole earth ; for we know that the sun is much larger than the earth. While so large a body, and almost immeasurable, hangs over our heads, and rolls on so swiftly, who ought not to be afraid ? Yet the sun proceeds in its course, and the earth remains firm, because it so pleases God. There is, therefore, no reason to fear that the safety of the Church should ever fail, for the laws or decrees of nature shall never cease ; that is, God, who has from the beginning governed the world, will not disregard the welfare of his Church, for whose sake the world has been created. Nor, indeed, is it a matter of wonder, that the safety of 1 " Ordinance," and " ordinances," would perhaps be the best words. The word means a fixed order of things, sometimes rendered in our version " statute," and sometimes " ordinance,"— Thus saith Jehovah,— He who hath appointed the sun for light by day, The ordinance of the moon and stars for light by night, Who calms the sea when roar do its waves,— Jehovah of hosts is his name, Two opposite meanings are given by many Lexicons to Jtti,—to divide, to break, to cleave, and also to give rest, to calm. Parkhurst holds that it has only the last. However, that it means here to make quiet, or to calm, is most probable,*as God's restraining power as to the sea is mentioned before in ch. v. 22 as a proof of his greatness. The word for " ordinance" before " moon" is left out in the Sept., and in one MS.; and the passage would read better without it.—Ed. 144 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXIV. the Church is here shewn to be so secure, for it may justly be preferred even to the fixed course of the sun and of the moon, and toother institutions of nature. But God deemed it enough in this place to use this comparison, according to what is said in the Psalms, where the sun and the moon are called his faithful witnesses in heaven. (Ps. lxxxix. 36, 37.) But there also the covenant is spoken of, which God was about to make with his people through his only-begotten Son. He mentions the moon as his witness in heaven ; but as I have already said elsewhere, he raises us far above the world and above all the elements, yea, above the sun and the moon, when he treats of the certainty of our salvation ; and, doubtless, the condition of the Church does not depend on the state of the world; for it is said in another place, " They shall grow old, but thou wilt remain for ever/' (Ps. cii. 26-28.) And the Prophet there compares the heavens to garments, which wear out by use, and at length become useless ; but the condition of the Church, he says, is far different. He does not, indeed, express these words; but after having said, " Thou, 0 God, art the same from eternity," he comes to the eternity of the Church, " Thy children's children shall endure." We now see that the Church has the preference over the whole world. But God had a regard in this place to the weakness of his people, when he said that his grace to his people would be as sure and certain as the institutions of nature. Some refer the last clause in verse 35 to the Red Sea; because God divided the Red Sea ; but this is wholly foreign to the meaning of the Prophet, nor does it require any confutation ; but I have pointed it out that no one may be led astray. PRAYER. Grant, Almighty God, that as we enjoy the light of the sun by day, and of the moon by night, we may learn to raise higher our eyes, and not be like the unbelieving, who have this benefit in common with us, but look forward in hope of our eternal salvation, nor doubt but that as thou settest before our eyes a proof of thy immovable constancy in these created things, so also secure and certain shall be our salvation, which is founded on thy most CHAP. XXXI. 37. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 145 certain truth, which renders sure all things, until at length we come into that blessed kingdom, which has been obtained for us by the blood of thy only-begotten Son.—Amen. antt 37. Thus saith the Lord, If hea- 37. Sic dicit Jehova, Si mensuren- ven above can be measured, and the tur coali sursum, et investigentur foundations of the earth searched out fundamenta terra deorsum, etiam beneath, I will also cast oft' all the ego rejiciam (vel, spernam) totum seed of Israel, for all that they have semen Israel, propter omnia qiue done, saith the Lord. fecerunt, dicit Jehova. He confirms the same thing by another comparison, even that it would be impossible for God wholly to forget his covenant, but that he would again gather his people. Exile might indeed appear as a permanent death ; and thus the truth of God might have been brought to nothing ; and the covenant could not have been made void without giving the people a sort of right to complain, that they had been deceived. For we know, that though a condition was added to the covenant, yet it was not founded on the integrity of men ; and hence it is said, that God is not a liar, though all the Jews were perfidious. (Rom. iii. 3, 4.) Then the Prophet teaches us here, that though God had severely punished the sins of the people, and had resolved to punish them in future, even so as to destroy their city, there would yet be a place for mercy after the people had been chastised. He had said before that God's covenant with Abraham's children could no more fail than the laws of nature: he now says, that if any could measure the heaven, and investigate the foundations of the earth, that is, penetrate into the very centre of the earth, then, he says, I will reject the seed of Israel. But God brings before us these strange and impossible things, that we may know that he -will at length be reconciled to his people after having justly punished them. And this promise could not have afforded any consolation to hypocrites, because God does not include the whole seed of Abraham, but says, that he would not allow the whole seed of Abraham to perish, for some remnant would continue, according to what is said by Isaiah, " Though thy people were ] 46 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXV. as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved." (Isa. x. 22.) God then does not here affirm that he would be merciful to all, but that there would be still some remaining, so that the name of the people would continue immortal: in short, he promises that the Church would be saved, but that the number would be small. "We now perceive the design of the Prophet: he doubtless had regard to the faithful, who might have been overwhelmed with despair, on seeing themselves driven far away from their own country, and having no hope of a return. Then he testifies that God had such a care for the safety of the faithful, that he would gather the scattered seed. But we must bear in mind what we have said, that this promise is to be confined to the elect alone, for they were alone capable of receiving this favour. As to the unbelieving, who were perverse in their wickedness, God might have wholly cut them off, and yet save the remnants of grace. Now there is no need here to enter into a subtle discussion, whether the centre of the earth can be found out. The philosophers do indeed bring some probable reasons as to the extent of the heavens, and the dimension of the earth is also conjectured by them. But the Prophet's purpose was to declare, according to the common and popular mode of speaking, that God's mercy would be perpetual and immeasurable towards the children of Abraham, like the immensity of the earth and the heavens, which exceeds the comprehension of the human mind. He adds, On account of all the things which they have done ; that is, though they have deserved to die eternally a hundred times, I will yet have a regard to my covenant and my mercy. The Prophet then designedly sets before us here the sins of the people, that we may know that God's mercy would be very great, as that the whole mass of so many evils would not hinder God to forgive them. This is the reason why he says, on account of all the things which they have done. It now follows,— 38. Behold, the days come, saith 38. Ecce dies (addmt alii D'Wa, the Lord, that the city shall be built veniunt,) dicit Jehova, et edificabi- to the Lord, from the tower of Ha- tur urbs Jehovse e turri Chananeel naneel unto the gate of the corner. usque ad portam anguli: CHAP. XXXI. 38-40. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 147 39. And the measuring-line shall 39. Et exibit adhuc funiculus yet go forth over against it upon the mensurae coram ipso (vel, coram hill Gareb, and shall compass about ipsa porta) et usque ad collem Ga-to Goath. zeb, et circumdabit Goathath, 40. And the whole valley of the 40. Et omnem vallem (alii legunt dead bodies, and of the ashes, and in nominalivo cam, et omnis vallis) allthefieldsuntothebrookofKidron, cadaverum et cineris, et omnes re-unto the corner of the horse-gate to- giones (vel, agri,) ad torrentem ward the east, shall be holy unto Kedron usque ad angulum portse the Lord; it shall not be plucked equorum versus orientem, sanctitas up, nor thrown down, any more for Jehovte; non evelletur, et non ever. destruetur amplius in perpetuum. Here the Prophet speaks of the rebuilding of the city. I doubt not but that his object was to shew them that the largeness and splendour of the city after the return of the people would not be less than it had been under David in its most flourishing condition. We must, however, first speak of the words before we proceed to the subject. Behold, the days are coming, saith Jehovah, and built shall be the city. It was not as yet destroyed ; but the Prophet intimated that its utter ruin was nigh at hand ; he therefore makes now their hope to depend on God's mercy alone, as to the deliverance of the people from exile : Built then shall be the city to Jehovah from the tower of Hananeel, &c. This tower was, no doubt, placed in the wall of the city. Almost the same prediction is found in Zech. xiv. 10, though there is some diversity in the words ; but both the Prophets refer to the same thing. Zechariah's object was to animate the people under this circumstance, because the beauty, greatness, and extent of the city did not at first correspond with what it had formerly been. He then promises that its glory would at length be the same as it had been ; and he names there the tower of Hananeel. Jeremiah adds, to the gate of the corner. The corner, !"l2£n, ephene, is in the singular number; but in Zechariah it is D^5!"l, ephenim, in the plural; and it is thought that corners or corner is thus called metaphorically, because a corner shews two faces while it stands out, and thus two parts appear; but whether it be the gate of the corner or of the corners, it makes but little difference. He afterwards adds, Yet go forth shall the line of measure before him. Some apply this to the gate, because from the gate the line was to be extended to the hill Gareb, and go 148 COMMENTARIES 015 JEBEMIAH. LECT. CXXV. round to Goath. Of these names of places I cannot say much, for we do not know the ancient situation of the city ; and the Jews themselves, when they make conjectures about these uncertain things, shew only their own ignorance. However, the greater part of interpreters understand this,—that the city was to be large, as though God promised that he would extend it beyond the walls ; and this they illicit from the verb &W1, itsa, go forth shall the line, or cord, of measure. But when the Prophet says yet, he compares the ancient greatness of the city with that which he perceives it to be hereafter. Then Zechariah seems to promise that it would be such a city as would contain the same measure ; for he says, " Inhabited shall the city be under itself," or in its own place. (Zech. xii. 6.) As then Zechariah promises that the city would occupy the same place as formerly, I do not conclude anything else from the words of our Prophet, especially as the particle yet intimates the same thing. When it is said before him, I apply this to God and not to the gate ; for mention is previously made of God, Built shall be the city to Jehovah ; and then he adds, before him. I have no doubt but that the Prophet here bids the Israelites to raise up their eyes to God, that they might expect from him what was incredible according to the comprehension of men and of the flesh: then before him, that is, when God restores the city, then Go forth shall the line, that is, he will extend the line to the hill Gareb, and surround Goath. He then adds, And the whole valley. Some read, " the whole valley shall be holiness to Jehovah:" and it may be suitably taken, that all the places near to the city were to be holy to God ; but this verse may be connected with the preceding, as though he said, extended shall be the line to the whole valley of the carcases and of the ashes. The word |^1, dixshin, means ashes and fatness; but here it is to be taken for ashes ; and it is thought that the place was so called, where they were wont to throw the ashes gathered from the altar, after the sacrifices were burnt: as then there was there a great heap of ashes, the place had this name given to it. Another place was also called the place of carcases, because there a host of enemies had been slain by an CHAP. XXXI. 38-40. COMMENTARIES OX JEREMIAH. 149 angel, in the reign of Hezekiah. As then a great and a memorable slaughter had taken place there, it is thought that it received this name, in order that God's favour might remain known to posterity. If then this name became the monument of God's favour, Hezekiah, I have no doubt, was the cause of it. It is then added, and all the regions to the brook Kidron. It is probable enough that the places here named were outside of the city, for we know that the brook Kidron was not within the city. Then he adds, to the corner of the gate of the horses. It is thought that through this gate went forth the chariots of the king when he wished to exercise his horses. It might have been the market-place for horses. Conjectures only have place here ; for no one knows of a certainty whether the king had a place of exercise for his horses. But this gate lopked towards the east. He s&js that all the places would be holiness to Jehovah; and then he promises them a quiet and a perpetual condition, It shall not be cut off nor destroyed any more for ever ; for which it is said by Zechariah, " there shall be no more 0*111, cherim, destruction."1 1 The whole of this passage is diflferentlj rendered in the early versions and the Targum; some of them evidently wrong and some doubtful. Blayney gives the most literal and most consistent version. I give the following,— 38. Behold the days are coming, saith Jehovah, That built shall the city be for (or to) Jehovah, From the tower of Hananeel to the gate of the corner : 39. Yea, go forth again shall the measuring line From over against it, over the hill of Gareb, And shall surround Goath 40. And all the valley of the carcases and ashes, And all the fields to the river Kidron, To the corner of the gate of the horses eastward: Holy to Jehovah, it shall not be rooted up, Nor demolished any more for ever. The 38th verse contains a general description ; this is particularized in the following verses. The beginning of measuring was to be at " the tower of Hananeel;" hence " from over against it," or before it: the " gate" being feminine cannot be meant; it is then " the tower." As to the word for " fields," the reading of the Keri and of several MSS., countenanced by the Vulg., ought no doubt to be adopted. " Eastward,"—thus the line came round to the same point where it began; for the tower of Hananeel was eastward. But what is referred to in the two last lines ? The verbs are in the masculine gender, and " city" is feminine; and there is nothing in the passage with which they can agree except the tower of Hananeel. Then this tower seems to stand here for the rebuilt city ; and then rooting 150 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT.CXXV. We now see the design of the Prophet : after having spoken of the return of the people, he adds that the city would again become splendid and large, as it had been ; for the land continued in a state of disorder until the restoration of the city, as God had thei'e chosen a habitation for himself. And as the Temple had been built there, it behoved the Israelites, wherever they dwelt, ever to direct their eyes to the Temple and the sanctuary of God, that they might live under his protection. Except, then, the city had been built again, the goodness of God could not have been really enjoyed ; for a sort of desolation would have otherwise ever presented itself to the eyes of the people, as the city was as it were the banner under which God protected them. This then is the reason why the Prophet expressly announced this prophecy respecting the future restoration of the city. Now, when he says that the city wouldbe built to Jehovah, he intimates what was especially expected by the Jews, that that city would again be holy ; for if it only flourished in wealth and power like other cities, it would have been but a small comfort to the Israelites. But he points out here a difference between Jerusalem and all heathen cities ; for God was, as it were, the architect of that city, as it is said in the Psalms, " He himself founded it," (Ps. lxxxvii. 5 ;) and further, " His foundations are on the holy mountains," and this ought to be understood of himself. (Ps. lxxxvii. 1.) The meaning is, that God would again care for that city, as the Temple would become as it were his royal throne and earthly sanctuary. At the same time when the Prophet affirms that the extent of the city would not be less than it had been, we see that this prophecy must necessarily be referred to the kingdom of Christ: for though Jerusalem before Christ's coming was eminent and surrounded by a triple wall, and though it was celebrated through all the East, as even heathen writers say that it excelled every other city, yet it was never accomplished, that the city flourished as under David and Solomon.1 We must then necessarily come to the spi- up, i.e., undermining the foundations, and demolishing, are suitably applied to a tower.—Ed. 1 Some think, such as Qataker and Blayney, that according to the description here given, the dimensions of the city are much larger than what CHAP. XXXI. 38-40. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 151 ritual state of the city, and explain the promise as the grace which came through Christ. But we must especially notice what is said, that it would be holiness to Jehovah, and also that no ruin or destruction would be dreaded any more. Had the condition of the elect people been the same as that of other nations, the promise of restoration would have been small and of no great moment; for it would have been better for them to dwell in exile where they inhabited a pleasant and fertile country. But the Prophet here commends a privilege with which God had favoured the children of Abraham above all other nations, when he adopted them as his peculiar people. There is however to be understood an implied contrast between the profanation which then prevailed, and the sanctification which is here promised. The Jews had so polluted the land that it differed nothing from other countries; and God, as Ezekiel says, had thence migrated, (Ezek. viii. 6 ;) and we know that the Temple was called by the prophets the den of robbers, (cli. vii. 11;) and that the city was also compared to Sodom and Gomorrah. (Is. i. 10.) Hence the Prophet here promises that the city, with its whole vicinity, would be holy to God, because God would cleanse it from all the defilements by which it had been polluted : and he also claims this as his own work, for to sanctify is a work peculiar to himself. The promise of perpetual favour is added, as it is also done by Zechariah; for it would not be sufficient to have God's mercy promised to us for a short time, except its perpetuity were secured. The Prophet then promises now that the course of God's benefits would be permanent. The city indeed was again destroyed by Titus, and at length wholly demolished by Adrian; but this fact does not militate against this promise ; for as we have said, God gave some taste of his favour in the external aspect of the city until Christ came ; but after Christ was manifested, the heavenly Jerusalem be- they had ever been before. The " line" was to inclose a part at least of the hill of Gareb, the whole of Goath, supposed to be Golgotha, the valley of the carcases, and the fields of Kidron, all which were formerly without the walls of the city.—Ed. 152 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXV. came the object to be sought, for all the types and shadows then ceased. The perpetuity then of which the Prophet speaks, is that -which corresponds with the character of Christ's kingdom, and is therefore spiritual. Moreover, this passage teaches us that the Church will be perpetual, and that though God may permit it to be terribly shaken and tossed here and there, there will yet be ever some seed remaining, as long as the sun and the moon shall shine in the heavens, and the order of nature shall continue ; so that all the elements, everything we see with our eyes, bear evidence to the perpetuity of the Church, even that it will ever continue : for though Satan and all the world daily threaten its ruin, yet the Lord will in a wonderful manner preserve it to the end, so that it will never perish. This is the import of the passage. Another prophecy follows. CHAPTER XXXII. 1. The word that came to Jere- 1. Sermo qui datus fuit Jeremiae miah from the Lord in the tenth a Jehova anno decimo Zedechiie re-year of Zedekiah king of Judah, gis Jehudah ; hie annus est decimus which was the eighteenth year of octavus Nabuchadnezer: Nebuchadrezzar. 2. For then the king of Babylon's 2. Et tune exercitus regis Baby-army besieged Jerusalem: and Jere- lonii obsidebat Jerosolymam, et Je-miah the prophet was shut up in the remias propheta erat inclusus in court of the prison, which was in atrio custodise quseestinpalatioregis the king of Judah's house. Jehudah ; 3. For Zedekiah king of Judah 3. Quia incluserat ipsum Zede-had shut him up, saying, Wherefore chias rex Jehudah, dicendo, Quare dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus tu prophetizas dicendo, sic dicit Je-saith the Lord, Behold, I will give hova, Ecce ego trado urbem hanc this city into the hand of the king of in manum regis Babylonii, et capiet Babylon, and he shall take it. earn. The Prophet here declares, that though he was shut up in prison, the Word of God was not bound, and that he himself was not less loose and free in his confinement than if he rambled through the whole city and visited all the lanes and the streets. He then did not desist from his office as a Prophet, though he was cast into prison. And thus we see that the course of heavenly truth cannot be impeded, how much soever the world may rage against all its ministers, and bind them in order to make them mute: and then also we see CHAP. XXXII. 1-3. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 153 here that the constancy of the Prophet was invincible, because he was not cast down with fear, though he was a captive and not beyond the reach of danger; for we find that even then he proceeded in the discharge of his office. He points out then the circumstances of that time, and not without reason, when he says, that he was then shut up in prison, and also mentions the year, even the tenth of Zedekiah and the eighteenth of king Nebuchadnezar.1 It was about the end of the ninth year that the army of Nebuchadnezar came up to Jerusalem ; the city was besieged for two months in that year. The tenth year followed, in which this vision was given to the Prophet. The siege continued for a year and a half; but there was some interruption ; for the Egyptians came to its aid. Thus for a short time, while the Chaldeans went to meet them, it had some liberty. But the Egyptians, as we shall hereafter see, were forced to retire in disgrace, and afterwards suffered punishment for their audacity and rashness. It was then about the middle of the siege that God, as we shall see, foretold to the Prophet the future return of the people. But though God shewed a regard for the miserable exiles, he yet at the same time confirmed what he had previously said of his future vengeance ; for the people could not be restored before they had been driven into exile. It was indeed a dreadful instance of hardness and obduracy, that having been so often scourged they received no benefit. They had experienced the heavy judgment of God under Jehoiakim, and also under Jeconiah; but the memory of these calamities had soon vanished, and they lived as securely as though they had never heard a word from the mouth of Jeremiah : and he was not the only one who had threatened them, but there were before him Isaiah and others, and at the same time with him was Ezekiel, who had been exiled into Chaldea. 1 The 2d, 3d, 4th, and 5th verses ought to be put as parenthetical, as they only relate the circumstances connected with Jeremiah when he received the vision which he proceeds to relate in the 6th verse. Instead of " For then" in the 2d verse, " And then" would be more proper; and " Where" would be better than " For" at the beginning of the 3d verse, " Where Zedekiah had shut him up," &c. It is " In which" in the Sept. —Ed. 154) COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT.CXXV. Then from the number of years we conclude how great must have been the obstinacy of the people. At the same time we must observe how seasonable was this prophecy for alleviating the minds of the godly, as they were not far from extreme calamity; for it was in the eleventh year of Zedekiah and in the fourth month that the city was taken and demolished, the people driven into exile, and the Temple burnt. Then there were not more than six or seven months, perhaps, to the time of their utter ruin ; there is indeed no mention made here of the month in which the Prophet received the vision, but the tenth year is only mentioned. Now, the city was taken at the beginning of the eleventh year, as we have stated. Hence then comes more fully to light the extreme perversoness of the people ; for while the enemy surrounded the city, they held Jeremiah captive. He had already foretold many years past what experience then taught them to be true. For forty years he had not ceased to cry out and to strive by warning, exhorting, and threatening them to lead them to repentance. As then nothing new happened to them, and as they found by the evils which came on them that Jeremiah had been a true and faithful servant of God, what was their object in shutting him up in prison ? was not this to carry on war with God ? for what had they to do with Jeremiah 1 He had not evidently acted a private part, nor had he only dreamt of what he had so often foretold them. Then they did not fight with a mortal man, but like the giants they dared to raise up their horns against God himself. For the same reason also, he calls himself a Prophet. This indeed he often did, but there is no doubt but that the indignity offered to him is pointed out, that even at the time when the Chaldeans surrounded the city with their army, Jeremiah the Prophet was shut up in the court of the prison. He might have only said, that Jeremiah was shut up, but for honour's sake he assumed the title of a Prophet, that hence might appear more evidently the baseness of the people's contumacy, that though they perceived that God was angry with them, they yet ceased not from their presumption ; for they then held the Prophet in prison as though they were CHAP. XXXII. 1-3. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 155 fighting with God himself. We know that fools, according to the old proverb, being chastised, become wise. If then the Jews had a particle or a spark of wisdom, they might have been so subdued by evils and calamities as to cast aside their haughtiness and obstinacy. But we see that they were untameable,and through a mad fury persisted in their wickedness ; for though besieged by their enemies, they yet attempted to hold God as it were captive in the person of his servant. As to the court of the prison, I doubt not but it was a milder sort of imprisonment, for we shall hereafter see that the Prophet prayed that he might not be thence thrown into the dark prison where he had been. He sought it as no common favour to remain in some prison; and he was as yet exposed to the mockeries of all. However this may have been, we see that the people had then become nothing better, though they had already been chastised and scourged by God. We ought at the same time to bear in mind what I have already said, that though the ungodly sought in all ways wholly to extinguish the word of God, they yet did not attain what they wished ; for God broke through all hinder-ances, and continued the course of his word notwithstanding all their attempts. And this ought to be carefully noticed, for we see at this day all sorts of contrivances made by the wicked to impede the course of celestial truth. Let then this history be remembered, that though Jeremiah was a captive, yet his word was free and his tongue at liberty, as Paul also boasts, that though he was bound with chains, yet God's word was not bound. (2 Tim. ii. 9.) Then the reason is added why he was shut up in prison,— he had dared to prophesy against the city and the king himself. It was no wonder that the king's mind was exasperated when Jeremiah boldly said that he would come into the hands of his enemies, for he had not only spoken of the ruin of the city, but also of the fall of the king ; he had said that he would be brought before king Nebuchadnezar, and be led to Babylon, and be there until God visited him. We know how delicate are the ears of kings; it was then no 156 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXVI. wonder Zedekiah became incensed against Jeremiah ; but yet he ought to have been softened and humbled when he found that this oracle had come from God. That he then still kept Jeremiah a prisoner, proves his madness and stupidity, for he had no regard for God. I shall proceed with the subject to-morrow. PRAYER. Grant, Almighty God, that since we cease not daily to provoke thy wrath against us, we may be warned by thy word and repent, and so humble ourselves before thee that we may anticipate the rigour of thy judgment, and that being also chastised by thy hand, we may not become hardened, but be submissive to thee and teachable, and so profit under thy discipline, that being at length wholly devoted to thee, we may have no other object than to glorify thy holy name, until we shall become partakers of that glory which thine only-begotten Son has obtained for us.—Amen. Hectare @«c ?£ttttB«& atxB We began yesterday to speak of the presumption, and also of the madness of King Zedekiah in keeping the Prophet in prison, while he was yet besieged by his enemies, as it had been foretold. He saw that Jeremiah had spoken as from the mouth of God, for the accomplishment of the prophecy proved that he had brought forward nothing rashly, but what had been committed to him from above ; and yet he did not throw aside his own perverseness. The words themselves shew sufficiently that he was wholly blinded, for he said, Wherefore dost thou prophesy to us, The Chaldeans will come and take this city ? It was not indeed the design of this foolish and insane king to close the mouth of the Prophet, and, at the same time, to confess that he had a command from God ; but thus it is commonly with the wicked, they assail as it were blindly the servants of God, without any judgment or discrimination. Were any one to ask them, whether they mean openly and professedly to resist God as their judge, they would deny it; but yet they cannot bear to be warned and reproved. Here then, as in a mirror, we CHAP. XXXII. 4,5. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 157 see how madly all the wicked resist God, and try as much as they can to extinguish his Spirit. In short, they may, indeed, concede some authority to God, provided they be allowed to live without having anything said against their lusts by his prophets. There is yet no doubt but that the king was especially exasperated by the following words of the Prophet,— 4. And Zedekiah king of Judah shall 4. Et Zedechia rex Jehudah not escape out of the hand of the Chal- not effugiet e manu Chaldeorum, deans, but shall surely be delivered into quia tradendo tradam in manum the hand of the king of Babylon, and regis Babel, et loquetur os ejus shall speak with him mouth to mouth, cum ore illius, et oculi ejus oculos and his eyes shall behold his eyes; ejus videbunt. When, therefore, the king saw that he would not be exempt from the common judgment, he was especially displeased with Jeremiah ; for kings seek to be exempt from all laws, and when they allow the people to be reproved, they yet wish themselves to be deemed sacred. As then Jeremiah classed the king Zedekiah with all the common people, it was a thing not to be endured by a proud king. Hence his indignation was such, that he shut up Jeremiah in prison ; and he became implacable, even when God's hand pressed hard on him. It afterwards follows,— 5. And he shall lead Zedekiah to 5. Et Babylonem abdueet Zede- Babylon, and there shall he be until chiam, et illic erit usque dum visita- I visit him, saith the Lord : though vero ipsum, dicit Jehova ; quando ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall proeliati fueritis adversus Chaldeos, not prosper ? non prospere vobis cedet ? He follows the same subject, Lead, he says, will King Nebuchadnezar Zedekiah captive; and hewill remain in exile until I shall visit him. Some understand this time of visiting of his death, for it is certain that he died in Babylon ; and as his condition was not improved like that of Jeconiah who was taken from the filth of a prison to the table of the king, this exposition at the first view seems probable, that is, that he was worn down to death by poverty and disgrace. It, however, seems that some alleviation was promised, if indeed a certain kind of death may be deemed a favour; for he was not slain with the sword ; and though he was not restored to his own country, there is j^et nothing improper ] 58 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXVI. in this way of speaking, that he would be in exile until he was visited, for nothing particular could be hence concluded; and we shall hereafter see that when dead he was buried honourably and with mourning. It is then no wonder that God points out here a time of favour, though Zedekiah was never restored to his own country, and we know that his eyes were plucked out by King Nebuchadnezar, after having been tried and condemned. But this favour of God, however, is not here without reason mentioned, for Nebuchad-nezar at length treated him more kindly, at least as far as his burial was concerned: Lead him, then he says, shall Nebuchadnezar into Babylon, and he shall be there until 1 shall visit him; that is, he shall remain an exile in a filthy prison, and there he shall pine away and be destitute of all help; he shall be then as one of the lowest, and shall, in short, drag on life ignominiously until the time of my visitation. He lastly adds, When ye fight against the Chaldeans, ye shall not succeed. Here the Prophet meets those foolish notions which still filled the minds of the Jews, so that they did not submit to God nor humble themselves under his mighty hand ; for there was yet a large number of men, and the city had strong fortifications. As then they saw that they were furnished with men and forces, they were still confident; and then they became hardened on account of the length of the time they had sustained the siege. When enemies make the first attack, fear fills the minds of all; but when the event disappoints them, then they who before trembled gather courage. So it was with the Jews ; for when the city was first encompassed by the Chaldean army, the miserable inhabitants no doubt were greatly terrified; but when they saw their enemies stopped, and effecting nothing by their attacks, they then hardened their hearts more and more. For we must notice what I said yesterday, that they had been besieged probably six or eight months when this vision was given to Jeremiah. Hence it was that their confidence was greater. But the Prophet repels this folly by saying, " Ye fight against the Chaldeans, but the issue will be unsuccessful; for God will CHAP. XXXII. 5. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 159 lay you prostrate before your enemies, for with him ye carry on war." The sum of this introduction is, that Jeremiah was then shut up in prison, and that the king continued in his contumacy, though God's hand pressed hard on him ; and then the cause of this is set forth, even because he boldly threatened the king and the city, and declared that God's vengeance was nigh them, so that the king would be led into exile and the city taken and plundered by their enemies. It now follows,— 6. And Jeremiah said, The word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 7. Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum, thine uncle, shall come unto thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth; for the right of redemption is thine to buy it. 8. So Hanameel, mine uncle's son, came to me in the court of the prison, according to the word of the Lord, and said unto me, Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin: for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine ; buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord. 9. And I bought the field of Hanameel, my uncle's son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver. 10. And I subscribed theeyidence, and sealed it, and took witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances. 11. So I took the evidence of the purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open : 12. And I gave the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the sight of Hanameel, mine uncle's son, and in the presence of the witnesses 6. Et dixit Jeremias, Fuit sermo Jehovae ad me dicendo, 7. Ecce ChanameeLfilius Sellum patrui tui venit adte (aut, venturus est ad te) qui dicet, Erne tibi agrum meum qui est in Anathoth ; quia tibi jus affinitatis (verlimt, jus redemp-tionis, sed redemptio ilia refertur ad affinitatem, vel cognationem, jus igi-tur cognationis) ad emendum. 8. Et venit ad me Chanameel filius patrui mei,sicut loquutusfuerat Jehova, ad atrium custodial, et dixit mihi, Eme agedum agrum meum qui est in Anathoth, quod oppidum est in terra Benjamin, quia tibi jus hsereditatis (vel, possessions ; tJH* significat proprie hasreditario jure possidere,) et tibi redemptio; eme tibi: tune cognovi quod hie esset sermo Jehovse. 9. Et emi agrum ab Chanameel filio patrui mei qui erat in Anathoth, et appendi ei pecuniam, septem siclos et decem nummos argenteos. 10. Et scripsi in libro et obsignavi, et contestatus sum testes, et appendi pecuniam in statera (vel, in lanci-bus; est in auribus, sed metaphorice trutinam in duali nwtnero vocant anres.) 11. Et sumpsi librum emptionis obsignatum ex prsescripto et ritu(vel, more, vel, statute) et apertum. 12. Et dedi librum emptionis Baruch filio Nerise filii Maassise coram oculis Chanameel patruelis mei, et coram oculis testium qui scripti erant in libro emptionis, co- 160 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXVT. that subscribed the book of the pur- ram oculis omnium Judseorum qui chase, before all the Jews that sat in sedebant in atrio custodise ; the court of the prison. 13. And I charged Baruch before 13. Et prajcepi Baruch coram them, saying, oculis ipsorum, dicendo, 14. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, 14. Sic dicit Jehova exercituum, the God of Israel, Take these evi- Deus Israel, Sume libros istos, lib-dences, this evidence of the purchase, rum emptionis hunc et obsignatum (both which is sealed,) and this evi- et librum apertum (hoc est, tam ob-dence which is open, and put them signatum quam apertum hunc lib-in an earthen vessel, that they may rum) et pone eos in vase testaceo, continue many days: ut perstent ad multos dies, (nunc sequitur applicatio visionis ;) 15. For thus saith the Lord of 15. Quia sic dicit Jehova exerci-hosts, the God of Israel, Houses, and tuum, Deus Israel, Adhuc ement fields, and vineyards, shall be pos- domos et agros et vineas in terra sessed again in this land. hac. The whole of this passage ought to be read together, for the Prophet at large explains how and by what symbol this prophecy had been confirmed. Now the purpose of the whole is to shew that after a long time the Jews would return to their own country, for God would restore them, and their captivity would have an end. God's design, then, was to give them a hope of deliverance, but yet they were admonished to wait patiently for the end of their exile. Let us now come to the external symbol. The Prophet was commanded to buy a field of his uncle's son. Now this appeared strange, for the enemies had taken possession of that part of the country, and none of the Jews could then venture to go out to their own fields. As then they were deprived of the very sight of their own fields, the Prophet must have appeared to have been beside himself when he bought a field in the possession of enemies. But in this way God intended to shew, that after the Jews had for a time been deprived of«the possession of the land, they would again return to it, so that every one would recover his own right, and thus everything would become completely their own, that is, after God had shewed them mercy. But in the first place, let us see whether this was, as they say, a naked vision, or a real transaction. Some think that it was exhibited to Jeremiah by the prophetic Spirit; but it may be easily gathered from the context that the field was actually bought. It is first said, that the word came to Jeremiah; but shortly after it is added, that after his uncle's CHAP. XXXII. 6- 15. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 161 son came, Jeremiah was informed that the whole business was directed by God. God then foretold the Prophet what was to be, Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum, thine uncle, shall come to thee, and shall offer to sell his field to thee. This is what God said to the Prophet; and thus far we may say, that Jeremiah was informed of what was to be either by a dream or a vision ; but when he afterwards adds, that Hanameel himself came, and that Jeremiah testifies that he now knew that it was from the Lord, there is no doubt but that it is a real narrative. God then induced Hanameel to come to Jeremiah and to offer him the field on sale, and to ask him to buy it, because he was the next heir, and therefore had the right of redemption. We then perceive that it was a communication from above, but then the reality was connected with it, for Hanameel came and sold the field before witnesses ; and all this was necessary, not so much on account of Jeremiah as of the whole people, and especially of the faithful, for whom this prophecy was particularly designed; for God did not intend this to be a common treasure, but laid it up for his chosen people, as we may gather from the conclusion. Before Hanameel then came, the Prophet was instructed that nothing was done unadvisedly, but that God had arranged and ordered the whole. He was then commanded to buy the field, and as it were to cast away his money; for who would not have said that it was the same thing as to throw it away ? And then we are to notice a circumstance as to the time; for the Prophet was then in danger of his life, to what purpose then was the field to him ? We have also said that he could not have a free access to it, had he not been shut up in prison ; for he could not have ventured to go out of the city. It was then a most strange and ridiculous purchase according to the judgment of the flesh ; for Jeremiah squandered away his money, and the possession of the field was only imaginary. But yet as God would have him to buy it, he spared not his money, but purchased the field from his uncle's son. He then says, that Hanameel his uncle's son came, as Jehovah had spoken, that he came into the court of the 162 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXVI. prison, and that he spoke to him as God had foretold. As to the end of the verse, it may seem strange that the Prophet says, that he now knew that the word came from God : for if he before doubted, where would be the certainty as to the prophetic spirit ? He had already received a vision; he ought to have embraced what he knew had been foretold to him from above, even without any hesitation : but it appears that he was in suspense and perplexity. It then seems an evidence of unbelief, that he did not put a full and an entire trust in God's testimony, and was not fully persuaded as to the heavenly oracle, until he saw the whole thing really accomplished. But it is right to distinguish between the knowledge received from the revelation of the Spirit and experimental knowledge, as they say. The Prophet therefore did not then for the first time learn that God had spoken, but as he was confirmed in the certainty of his faith, and in the thing itself, there is no inconsistency ; for nothing is taken away from the credit and authority of God's word, when the reality and experience confirm us ; and thus God often has a regard to the weakness of his people. Jeremiah then relied on God's oracle, and was fully persuaded that he was directed from above to buy the field; but afterwards, when Hanameel came to him, the event was as it were the sealing of the vision: then the truth of God was more and more confirmed in the heart of the Prophet. This, as I have said, was experimental knowledge, which detracts nothing from the credibility of the word, but is rather a help and a comfort to human infirmity. In this sense it was that he said, that he now knew it; and thus he intended also to make others to believe the prophecy. For when the faithful compare a vision with its accomplishment, this consent and harmony, so to speak, avails not a little to confirm their faith, that as when in one part they hear that God had spoken, and when in another they see that what the Prophet had been taught was really fulfilled.* 1 Oataker and Venema give another view of this clause. The Lord, as we find from verse 7, did not tell him to buy the field, but only informed him of the coming and offer of Hanameel. When Hanameel came, he knew that it was God's will that he should buy the field, and he instantly CHAP. XXXII. 6-15. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 163 He afterwards adds, that he bought the field of Hanameel his uncle's son, ivhich was in Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin. There is nothing superfluous in these words, for though the Prophet speaks of places well known, yet he had a regard to the time of the purchase, for the land of Benjamin was then in the power of enemies: the Jews had been reduced to such straits that they were not safe at Jerusalem. Anathoth was a village, as it was well known, exposed to the ravages of enemies, and was seized on as a prey at their first coming. And he adds, in the land of Benjamin, for it was nigh the borders of Judah, but it had been forsaken by its inhabitants, and all had fled to Jerusalem. As then the land of Benjamin had no inhabitant, it was by no means reasonable for the Prophet to pay even the smallest sum for a field there. It may now be asked, how could Hanameel, who was of the Levitical order, sell a field, for we know that fields did not belong to the Levites, and that they had tithes for their inheritance. (Num. xviii. 21.) But this is to be taken for a suburban field, for they had the suburbs, and each had a meadow: they neither ploughed nor reaped, nor was it indeed lawful for them, according to the law, to labour in agriculture, but they fed cattle and sheep: and this is proved by the smallness of the sum given; for what was the field sold for ? for seven shekels and ten pieces of silver.1 We hence see that it was not a large field, but only a meadow like a garden; for the price would have been larger, had it been some acres of land. Then the difficulty here is easily removed, for Hanameel sold to Jeremiah a small meadow, as every Levite had in the suburbs a meadow to feed his sheep or his cattle ; at the same time none of them had large herds, but each had a cow or two. This, then, is what we are to understand by the field. The Prophet adds, that he wrote a book, that is, the writing acted accordingly. He knew from the very circumstances that it was God's message, sent to him to buy the field.—Ed. ' We may render the words literally thus, " And I weighed for him the money, seven shekels and ten, the money." The word is "silver," but it is often taken for money. The seventeen shekels, according to Lowth, were about two pounds of our money__Ed. IGt COMMENTARIES OH JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXVI. of the purchase ; for "13D, sepher, means in Hebrew, not only a volume, but what we call a document, and theLatins tablets, (tabulas.) Then he says that the writing of the purchase was made, and then it was sealed, not as we do by appending a seal to it, but it was closed up, as the custom then was. He also adds, according to the law and custom; and at last he says that another writing was made which remained open; and it is thought that the open writing means what we call a copy; and so the sealed writing was deposited in a chest, and the open copy could be referred to at any time.1 Though the Prophet alludes to a common custom, yet I doubt not but that he wrote this prophecy on rolls, one sealed and the other open, in order that those who were then living might receive some benefit from his doctrine, and also that the authentic copy, or the original itself, might remain for posterity, as we shall hereafter see. And doubtless God not only intended to strengthen the hope of the faithful after the completed time of exile, as this prophecy would lie dormant for seventy years ; but he designed also that it should be then of use, so as to be a support to them in their sufferings. There was also another benefit to be derived from this prophecy, even that the Jews while in exile might begin to entertain hope, and remembering this vision, might feel assured that God would be their Deliverer, according to what he had promised. This then was the reason why two writings of the purchase were made, the sealed and the open.2 The open had 1 There were no doubt two rolls or writings, as it appears clear from ver. 14, where the two are distinctly mentioned, " Take these rolls, this roll of the purchase, even the sealed, and this open roll," &c. The wordnDD ought to be rendered throughout either a roll, or a book, or writing, when preceded by an article, and not " evidence," as in our version. There seems to be an incongruity in verse the 10th, as rendered by most; the roll is represented as "sealed," before the "witnesses" are mentioned, and before the money was weighed. The rendering, I conceive, ought to be as follows, " So I wrote in a roll; and I sealed it, when I had made witnesses to witness it, and weighed the money in balances." The 1 may often be rendered " when," and also " so," as it is done in the next verse in our version, though there "and" would be more suitable. The " witnesses" are expressly said in ver. 12 to have subscribed, or written in, the book or roll of purchase, which was sealed.—Ed. 2 The 11th verse, where the two rolls are first mentioned, is difficult to CHAP. XXXII. 6-15. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 165 a present benefit, as it would make the faithful to go more willingly into exile, and calmly to submit to the chastisement allotted to them by God; and for this reason the Prophecy was to be open to all. It was also sealed, in order that after the lapse of seventy years it might animate the godly, and inspire them with the hope of their promised deliverance. This, therefore, is the reason, as I think, why the Prophet relates that he made a writing and sealed it, and then that he made another writing which remained open. He afterwards adds, that he gave both to his scribe Ba-ruch, the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the presence of Ilanameel, and in the presence of the witnesses who had subscribed the writings, and in the presence of all who stood there, that is, in the court of the prison. Hence we may again plainly conclude, that he is narrating a real history, and not a vision exhibited to him : the seller, Hanameel, was present together with witnesses and other Jews; and he says that he gave up the writing with certain orders, for otherwise it would have been merely the delivering up of a book. If he had only deposited it with Baruch, the people would have learnt nothing; but the orders are added, / charged Baruch, saying, &c. We hence may also conclude, that this oracle was given to the Prophet, not only that it might con-be rendered. I offer the following literal version of the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th,— 11. And I took the writing of the purchase,—it the sealed, the command- 12. ment and the conditions,—and it the open; and I gave the writing of the purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the sight of Hanameel my uncle's son, and in the sight of the witnesses who wrote in the roll of the purchase, and in sight of all the Jews who 13. sat in the court of the prison; and I commanded Baruch in their sight, 14. saying, " Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, ' Take these rolls,—this roll of the purchase, even it the sealed, and this open roll; and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may continue many days.'" The two rolls are called "the writing of the purchase" in ver. 11, but distinguished, one being "sealed," and the other "open," or unsealed. The sealed contained " the commandment," that is, to purchase, and " the conditions," literally "ordinances;" which Blayney renders, "the assignment and the limitations," and the Vulg., "the stipulations and ratifications." But niVD never means anything but a precept or a commandment, and D'pn are things defined, settled, or appointed, and may be rendered "stipulations." Thus the contents of the sealed roll are specified, but those of the open roll are not expressly mentioned.—Ed. 166 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXVI. tinue for posterity, even after the time of exile was completed, but that it might also be then published and made known to all the Jews. He then says, Thus saith Jehovah. He had not yet shewn the design of the prophecy ; but when he said that the affair was carried on by the command of God, he rendered them all attentive. Take, he says, these writings, and put them in an earthen or a potter's vessel. It seems strange that he did riot bid him to put them in another kind of vessel, for that vessel might become decayed, and so the writings might have perished. But we know that even the most precious treasures are deposited in earthen vessels. It is then no wonder that God commanded the prophecy to be put in an earthen vessel. Were any one disposed to understand something more refined, it might be said, that the promise, which apparently was not very firm, was an earthen vessel; for what is more frail than a voice which is dissipated into air ? The Jews were driven into exile ; they had heard from the mouth of Jeremiah, that the prefixed period was seventy years : but they might, in the meantime have despaired, since only the sound of the voice had reached their ears. However this may be, since the oracle, which was a pledge of deliverance, had been laid up in an earthen vessel, it remained safe and undecayed, because the treasure had been deposited there by God's command. He says, That they may continue for many days. By these words he intimates that the prophecy would not only be profitable to the Jews, who were to be driven soon after into captivity, but also to their posterity, who were not yet born, and that they might know that this prophecy would stand valid after their death, for we ought not to measure the faithfulness of God by the extent of our life. This, then, was the reason why this clause was added: the prophecy was to be preserved in earthen vessels, that it might remain safe and secure for many days, that is, until God delivered his people. PRAYER. Grant, Almighty God, that since we have at this day the evidence of eternal salvation sealed in earthen vessels, and thou invitest us to the hope of that blessed inheritance by the voice of men,— O CHAP. XXXII. 16-18. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 167 grant, that we may not judge of the permanence of thy faithfulness by the appearance of those whom thou hast made our ministers, but relying on thy perpetuity, may we never doubt but that that life will be kept safe for us, which now every moment seems to vanish away, until at last we shall come to the full fruition of it in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Amen. Though we sufficiently perceive the meaning of the preceding prophecy, it may, however, be proper to touch briefly on the last part, which is the application of the vision, Houses, and fields, and vineyards shall yet be bought in this land. God's design then was, that his servant should lay out his money without any regard to his own interest, in order that he might, by this expense, cherish the hope of the faithful to the time of restoration. What is here said was deemed incredible, for no one thought that such a change would happen, as that a permission would be given to the Jews to return to their own country; for the power of the Chaldean monarchy was deemed invincible, and it was necessary for it to be wholly overthrown, in order that God's people might be set free. For this reason then the vision was given, even that the Jews might know that their calamity would not be perpetual, for God had resolved to restore the people and the land. But by the word field, all possessions were designated, for he names not only fields, but also houses and vineyards. It now follows— 16. Now, when I had delivered 16. Et precatus sum Jehovam the evidence of the purchase unto postquam dedi librum emptionis Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed Baruch filio Nerise, dicendo, unto the Lord, saying, 17. Ah Lord God! behold, thou 17. Heu Domine Jehova! Ecce hast made the heaven and the earth tu fecisti coelos et terram in potentia by thy great power and stretehed-out tua magna et brachio tuo extento ; arm, and there is nothing too hard non est ulla res abscondita a te, (vel, for thee ; mirabilis ;) 18. Thou shewest loving-kind- 18. Faciens (vel, tufacis) clemen-ness unto thousands, and recom- tiam erga mille et rependis iniqui-pensest the iniquity of the fathers tatem patrum in sinum filiorum into the bosom of their children eorum post ipsos; Deus fortis, po-after them: The Great, the Mighty tens, Jehova exercituum nomen ejus, God, the Lord of hosts, is his name, (et qua; sequuntur.) 168 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXVII. Though the Prophet was discharging his own office, yet he confesses that he was himself perplexed at the vision. It hence appears that God's counsel was not always made known in everything to the Prophets, but as far as it was expedient. However, the Prophets were not seized with ecstasies like heathen soothsayers, who pretended they were carried away beyond all their senses. There was not then this fanaticism in the Prophets, so that they spoke like sounding brass, or like the ass of Balaam ; but the Lord discovered to them what they taught. They were then disciples, so that they delivered faithfully to the people, as if it were from hand to hand, what was committed to them. But the knowledge with which they were endued was not inconsistent with ignorance as to some things ; as when the Prophet said, Houses, and fields, and vineyards shall yet be bought, he knew that God promised the restitution of the land and of the people, nor was the vision itself an obscure enigma ; but yet the reason was hid from him, and hence the perplexity of which he now speaks ; for being astonished at so wonderful a thing, he had recourse to prayer, and confessed that his mind was perplexed. The wonder then of the Prophet proceeded from his ignorance ; but that ignorance was not incompatible with prophetic knowledge. For as far as it was necessary, and the office of a teacher required, he no doubt understood the counsel of God; but such was the height or the depth of this mystery, that he was constrained to confess that it was a work of God which surpassed all his thoughts. We now then perceive how these two things are consistent, —the prophetic knowledge with which Jeremiah was endued, and the ignorance which compelled him to make this exclamation. He knew with certainty what had been shewn to him in the vision, but what was the design and how the work could be done by God, seemed incomprehensible, and hence his astonishment. He therefore says that he prayed : and by this we are taught, that whenever thoughts creep into our minds, which toss us here and there, we ought to flee to prayer. For many increase their anxieties by fomenting them, while they turn themselves to all quarters, and CHAP. XXXII. 16-18. COMMENTARIES ON JEKEMIAH. 169 indulge their own thoughts, and weary themselves without any benefit. Whenever, therefore, any anxiety stealthily lays hold on our minds, let us know that the remedy ought to be in due time applied, that is, to pray to God ; so that he may relieve us, and not suffer us to sink into the deep, as it usually happens to all who are curious, and give loose reins to their own imaginations. We now see that the Prophet was greatly astonished, and yet in such a way as not to look for more than what was profitable ; but he immediately prayed, that God would make him to understand what grieved his mind. His prayer follows, which, however, does not immediately discover the mind of the Prophet, for he does not shew the purpose of his prayer until he comes to the 25th verse. But he seems here to refer to many things unconnected with his subject. His design must be ascertained from the conclusion of his prayer, " 0 Lord," he says, " why hast thou bidden me to buy the field which is now in the hand of enemies ? the Chaldeans possess it; and thou hast bidden me to throw away my money." This was substantially his prayer. But Jeremiah seems to wander and take long circuits when he says, " Thou hast made the heavens and the earth by thy great power and stretched-out arm ; nothing is wonderful to thee ; thou shewest mercy to thousand generations; thou repayest the iniquity of fathers to their children; thy name is Jehovah of hosts ; thou art great in council and excellent in work; thine eyes are open," &c. These things seem not to belong in any degree to the present subject. But the Prophet's object, no doubt, was to restrain himself, as it were, by putting on a bridle, so that he might acquiesce in the counsel of God, though it was hid and incomprehensible to him : for if he had immediately rushed into prayer, he might, at the first burst of his feelings, have contended with God ; for such is the disposition and character of man, when he suddenly addresses God, that he boils over beyond all moderation. The Prophet then, who well understood that there is no such moderation in men as to judge rightly and calmly of God's works, set up against himself these fences, and placed, as it were, barriers around him, that he 170 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXVII- might not take more liberty than what was right. Let.us then know that these high terms in which the Prophet spoke were designed for this end,—that he might produce moderation and humility in himself, so that he might check all those roving thoughts by which men are wont to divert themselves. Let us come now to the words: Ah, Lord Jehovah! he says ; behold, thou hast made heaven and earth. Were any one not to attend to the circumstances of the passage, he might think that the Prophet is here rambling, and does not connect his sentences, so that his prayer seems incoherent. But as I have already said, that as the Prophet knew that men take too much liberty when they speak of God's works, he bridled himself in due time, before he came to his subject. He then made this sort of introduction, " 0 Lord, it does not behove me to contend with thee, nor is it right in me to require thee to give me a reason for thy doings, for thou hast made heaven and earth by thy great power and extended arm." There is here then an implied contrast between God and mortal man; " For who am I to dare to summon thee to a contest! for thy power is justly to be dreaded by us ; when we raise up our eyes to heaven, when we look on the earth, there is nothing which ought not to fill us with admiration of thy power, for its immensity appears above and below." We hence see that the Prophet extols in high terms the power of God, in order that he might keep himself in a meek and humble state of mind, and not dare to clamour against God, nor presumptuously rush forward to pronounce a judgment on his works. Behold, he says ; he sets before his eyes the wonderful workmanship of the world, in which the immeasurable power of God shines forth most conspicuously. He then adds, Nor is there any thing hid. from thee. This clause admits of two meanings; for «?£, pula, means wonderful, and also hidden. Now the greater part of interpreters give this explanation,—that nothing is hid from God, because all things are before his eyes, for his knowledge penetrates to the deepest depths. It may then be a commendation of God's knowledge, as an eulogy on his power has previously been given ; and this meaning is not unsuitable. CHAP. XXXII. 16-18. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAEI. ] 71 I do not, however, reject the other meaning, given by Jerome, that there is nothing difficult to God, or wonderful, because all things are subject to his will. Thus the Prophet might say, continuing the same thought, that the power of God, which shines forth to our view in the heavens and in the earth, may at the same time be observed in the permanent government of the world ; for he who has created the heavens and the earth can do all things, so that nothing is wonderful to him, that is, nothing is difficult for his power as soon as he has decreed this or that. The main object of the Prophet is, however, still the same.1 He now adds, Thou shewest mercy to thousands, and re-payest the iniquity of the fathers to the bosom of their children. Here the Prophet acknowledges God's judgments to be right, though the reason for them escapes human minds. Both these things were necessary, that is, that Jeremiah should set before himself the awful power of God, and that he should also regard God's judgments as right, though men often think otherwise. For God has hidden reasons for his judgments ; and so it happens, that various thoughts disturb us, and every one is disposed to set himself up against God. Hence the Prophet, after having spoken of the immeasurable power of God, now declares also that he is a just judge of the world ; and he again restrains himself by another bridle, lest he should pronounce a judgment on God's works according to his own perceptions. Thou, he says, shewest mercy to thousands. This is taken from the Law of Moses, (Ex. xx. 6 ;) for the Prophets often borrowed their chief sentences from Moses, of whom they were the interpreters. Since God then under the Law declared that he is merciful to thousand generations, though it appears unnaccountable to us, yet nothing remains for us to do, but to learn reverently to receive what we cannot compre- 1 The Targ. and the versions, except the Vulg., give the first sense; but the latter is no doubt the true meaning, as the word never means properly to be hidden. The phrase here literally is, " Not harder (or more marvellous) than thou shall anything be," that is, not harder than what thou canst do. Exactly the same phrase occurs in Gen. xviii. 14. The %word, in a similar clause, in Deut. xxx. 11, is rendered " hidden;" but the clause literally is, " It is not harder than thou," that is, than what thou canst attain, or do, as the context proves, see verse 14. Ed. 172 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. GXXVII. hend. The Prophet then here confesses that the method which God adopts as to his mercy is hid from the human mind. But the latter clause seems, however, less reasonable, —that God should repay the iniquity of fathers to their children. Shortly before we saw that this was set forth as an impious blasphemy, (ch. xxxi. 29,) when they said that their fathers had eaten sour grapes, and that their children's teeth were set on edge ; for it is always true that the soul that siuneth, it shall die. (Ezek. xviii. 2, 20 ; Deut. xxiv. 16.) But if God repays the iniquity of fathers to their children, he punishes the innocent, and transfers to children what he ought to have rendered to their fathers. But the Prophet, regarding it a wicked thing to contradict what God had spoken by Moses, adores here this mystery, and thus brings himself to humility and meekness, so that he might not break forth into extremes when speaking of the hidden works of God. We must at the same time briefly observe, that the innocent are not punished when God includes children with their fathers, and casts the iniquity of fathers into the bosom of their children, for he does not refer to the innocent and the righteous, but to the wicked. Some, when they saw that this truth militated against the common feelings of mankind, have laid hold of an evasion, that is, that God by a temporal punishment renders to children what their fathers had deserved. But God speaks without exception, that he repays to the bosom of children the reward due to their fathers. But how ought this to be understood? It is a part of this punishment, that God withholds from them his Spirit. When, therefore, his purpose is to punish the vices of fathers in their posterity, he withholds from their posterity the light and grace of his Spirit. It cannot then be but that they will ever accumulate evils on evils, and thus they are entangled in the guilt of their fathers. God then proceeds by degrees in the work of punishing sins ; for when it is his purpose to forgive the son the punishment which he together with his father has deserved, he draws him to himself by his Spirit, so that he is freed from punishment ; but if his purpose is to execute vengeance on sons and grandsons, he withholds from CHAP.XXXII. 16-18. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. ] 73 them, as I have already said, the gift of the Spirit, so that they do nothing hut provoke his wrath more and more, and thus they become involved in the same guilt with their fathers; hence fathers and children receive in common the same punishment. This indeed seems not at the first view to be just and right; but let us remember that God's judgments are hid from us, and for this reason,—that we may cultivate meekness and humility and learn to be soberly wise, and so confess God to be a just judge as to know that our minds cannot penetrate into this deep abyss. But still the solution given seems plain enough, that is, that God never punishes the innocent. For when he visits the sins of fathers on their children, a part of that punishment is, as I have already stated, that he withholds from the children the light of his Spirit; being blind, they ever run headlong to their own ruin, and thus by the continual commission of new sins they provoke God's vengeance against themselves. When therefore God renders to them the reward due to their fathers, he punishes them at the same time for what they themselves have deserved; nor have they any reason to complain, because they have been guilty in common with their fathers : there is, therefore, nothing strange that they share with them in their punishment. But it, however, depends on the hidden mercy of God, that he favours some with pardon, and thus delivers them from ruin, while he forsakes others ; and as they are wicked, they deserve all the punishment he inflicts on them : Thou, then, repayest into the bosom of their sons after them, that is, after their death. He afterwards exclaims, God, strong and mighty ! Jehovah of hosts is his name. He again declares the greatness of God's power, that he might restrain himself, and not rashly undertake any new inquiry, as the case is with curious men, who indulge themselves in speculations, and thus summon God as it were to an account, as though there could be appointed a tribunal before which he might be found guilty. As then the insolence and arrogance of human nature are so great, the Prophet here sets barriers around himself, so that he might keep within the bounds of humility and soberness. 174 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXVII. He afterwards changes the person, which is a proof of vehemence and ardour ; for it is, as we have seen, a prayer. He does not now address God directly, but says, Jehovah of hosts is his name, speaking in the third person.1 Had he continued in the same strain, he would have said, " Thou art God, strong and mighty," &c, but he says, " Jehovah of hosts is his name." We then see that the Prophet as it were turns aside ; and this change of person, as I have stated, proceeded from the vehemence and ardour of his mind. And it often happens to the faithful, that they break off their direct address when they pray, while they contemplate God's works, as displaying, now his power, then his goodness, or his wisdom. The faithful then do not always pray in a continued strain ; but as feeling guides them, they now address God, then they turn aside and blend apostrophes. It follows,— 19. Great in counsel, and mighty 19. Magnus consilio, excellens in work: (for thine eyes are open opere; cujus oculi (quandoquidem upon all the ways of the sons of men: oculi) tui aperti sunt super vias to give every one according to his filiorum hominum ad reddendum ways, and according to the fruit of cuique secundum vias ejus, et secun- his doings:) dum fructum operum ejus. He goes on with the same subject, for he expresses his wonder and admiration as to God's judgments. He first declares that God is great in counsel and great in work. By 1 The change of person seems to begin at the 18th verse, and includes the first clause in the 19th,— 18. He who sheweth mercy to thousands, And who returns the iniquity of fathers To the bosom of their children after them, Is God, the great, the powerful; Jehovah is his name,— 19. Great in counsel and mighty in his doings : Who—thine eyes are open On the ways of the sons of men, To give to each according to his ways, And according to the fruit of his doings ; 20. "Who, &c, &c. " God, the great," &c, is connected with shewing mercy and requiting iniquity. His greatness is in counsel or wisdom, and his power or might is manifested in his doings. The H after doings is the Ohaldee for 1. Then his omniscience is referred to, as necessary for carrying to effect his purposes and directing his doings. Here he returns to the second person, and the " who" is idiomatic, and the Welsh is exactly the same, Yr hum y mae dy lygaid, &c.; and the " Who" is continued in the 20th verse. In saying that each is to have " according to his ways," he intimates what Calvin says, that the children like the fathers are guilty.—Ed. OHAP. XXXII. 19. COMMENTAHIES ON JEKEMIAH. 175 counsel, he understands the wisdom of God, which not only surpasses all our thoughts, but also absorbs them. And then he mentions the execution of his counsel, which affords evidences of that wisdom which appears to us. By the works of God we learn how great and how unequalled is his wisdom: for that in itself cannot be comprehended, nay, men could not have the least knowledge of it, except it were rendered conspicuous by works. The works of God then through their excellency are evidences of his immeasurable wisdom. For this reason and in this sense the Prophet calls God great in counsel and great in work. He adds, that his eyes are open on all the ways of men. By these words he intimates that he is the judge of the whole world, and that whatever men may consult, sjjeak, or do, must come to a reckoning. The meaning is, that the providence of God so extends to all parts of the world, that the works of men cannot possibly be hid from him, and that no one can escape his hand ; for after having spoken of God's eyes, he adds, that he may render to every one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings. The Prophet then does not speak here of any idle speculation such as ungodly men entertain; for they confess that all things are seen by God, but imagine that he is satisfied with having only this bare knowledge ; and thus they deprive him of the dignity and office of a judge. But the Prophet here shews what the end of God's providence is, why God has his eyes open, even that he may at last produce at his tribunal all the sayings and doings of men, yea, their thoughts also. We are further taught by these words that our life cannot be rightly formed, unless we bear in mind the presence of God, so as to know that his eyes are on us, and that there is nothing hid from him : for whence is there so much liberty in sinning, except that men grow wanton like fugitives ? as when a rebellious son withdraws himself from the eyes of his father, he can then abandon himself wholly to sin, for he is freed from all fear and shame. So our thoughtlessness is like a flight, for we think that we are far removed from God. This then, as I have said, ought always to be remembered, that the eyes of God are open on all our ways, 176 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXVII. and for this end,—that he may render to every one according to his ways, and that every one may gather the fruit of his own doings. Though, then, God for a time may connive at what we do, and may not manifestly shew that he is the judge of men, there is no reason that indifference should creep over us, as though we could escape from his hand ; but let us know that all our doings and sayings are now noticed by him, that he may hereafter shew that he is not an idle observer, as some ungodly men dream, but that he is an eye-witness of all things, that he may at last appear as our judge. This passage is turned by Papists for the support of merits by works ; but it is a frivolous attempt; for when Scripture declares that it shall be rendered to every one according to his works, it does not exclude the gratuitous mercy of God ; and when God renders a reward to the faithful, it depends on gratuitous pardon, because he forgives them whatever would otherwise vitiate their good works : and to speak more exactly, God does not render to the faithful according to their works, except as he gratuitously pardons them and forgives whatever they have done amiss. Reward then depends on the free mercy of God only. As to the wicked, it is no wonder that a just reward is said to be rendered to them ; for we know that they are worthy of eternal perdition, and that God is a righteous judge when he punishes their sins. It follows,— 20. Which hast set signs and won- 20. Qui edisti signa et portenta ders in the land of Egypt, even unto in terra Egypti usque ad diem hunc, this day, and in Israel, and among et in Israel et in hominibus; et other men; and hast made thee a fecisti (hoc est, comparasti) tibi no-name, as at this day. men secundum diem hunc. The Prophet here especially commemorates the singular kindness of God, by which he had testified his paternal favour towards his Church. He then says, that signs and wonders had been done by him in the land of Egypt, that is, for the sake of his people. For why were so many miracles done, except to prove the care he had for his chosen people, and thus to confirm his covenant ? We hence see that God's favour towards the children of Abraham is here set forth, that is, when he refers to the signs and wonders CHAP.XXXII.20. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 177 which had been done in the land of Egypt. And he adds, and in Israel. He extols not only God's power in miracles, but especially the mercy with which he favoured his chosen people. He says also, to this day. Not that God performed miracles in every age, but he means that they were worthy of being perpetually remembered, and throughout all ages. Then this refers to the remembrance and celebration of God's power, when the Prophet says, to this day. God, indeed, performed miracles at a certain time, but he performed them that they might be remembered in all ages, and that j>osterity might acknowledge how wonderfully God had dwelt with their fathers.1 As then the power which he manifested in Egypt was worthy of being remembered, miracles are said to have been done to this day; and they are said to have been done in Israel, because it was God's purpose to prove the certainty of his faithfulness when he redeemed his people as he had promised. He afterwards adds, and among men. The Prophet goes on still further. After he had spoken of the redemption of the people, he intimates that wherever he turned himself, he observed and admired the evidences of God's power, as though he had said, " 0 Lord, thou hast indeed given peculiar testimonies as to thy wonderful power and goodness; the redemption of thy people was a singular work, and ought to be commemorated through all ages ; but wherever we turn ourselves, there is no corner in the whole world where some miracles do not appear, which ought to lead us to celebrate thy praises." We hence see that the Prophet proceeds from what is particular to what is general: after having considered God's power and goodness in the redemption of his people, he extended his thoughts to all parts of 1 This is commonly the meaning given to this verse. It may be rendered as follows,— 20. Who hast set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, To be for signs and wonders to this day Both to Israel and to mankind ; And hast made to thyself a name, Such as it is at this day. They were "signs" or evidences of God's power, and in their character " wonders," that is, supernatural.—Ed. 178 COMMENTARIES ON JEKEMIAH. LECT. CXXVII1. the world, and contemplated God's miracles everywhere. And this is what often occurs in Scripture; after having been reminded of some particular instance of divine power or grace, we are carried away so that we make a transition to what is general. And he adds, and thou hast made thee, or acquired to thyself, a name according to this day; that is, thou hast made thy name to be perpetual, as its glory still at this day shines forth before our eyes. Then the Prophet means that God had so wonderfully manifested his power, that the knowledge of it would be perpetual, and could never be buried by the ingratitude of men. PRAYER. Grant, Almighty God, that as our whole wisdom is this, to submit ourselves to thee, to admire, and receive, and reverently to adore thy judgments,—0 grant, that we may not indulge the perverse thoughts of our flesh, but so learn to check and restrain ourselves as ever to render to thee the praise due to thy wisdom, and justice, and power, and thus walk in sobriety of mind while we sojourn in this world, until we shall at length contemplate thy glory face to face, being made partakers of it in Christ Jesus our Lord__Amen. fUcture <&nt ^unOrrti attS 21. And hast brought forth thy 21. Et eduxisti populum tuum people Israel out of the land of Egypt Israel a terra Egypti in signis et with signs, and with wonders, and with portentis, et in manu robusta, et a strong hand, and with a stretched- in brachio extento, et in terrore out arm, and with great terror ; magno ; Jeremiah comes now nearer to the point in hand; for, after having spoken of the unequalled power of God, he now extols his righteous judgment in inflicting punishment on an ungodly and wicked people. For this end he refers to the favour of redemption, and he then adds that the land had been given to Israel which had been promised to their fathers. He afterwards states that this favour had been conferred on the ungrateful, for they immediately shook off the yoke and despised God their redeemer, together with his Law. He then says, that the people had been brought up from CHAP. XXXII. 22. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 179 the land of Egypt with signs and wonders. This is an amplification, for God had in an unusual manner made it sufficiently evident that without his favour the people could not have been delivered from Egypt. For had it not been for the manifest display of God's power in miracles and wonders, the Israelites might have appropriated to themselves the favour of God, or to some worldly instrumentality; but God's favour appeared so resplendent in signs and wonders, that the liberation of the people could not have been ascribed either to fortune, or to the efforts of men, or to any other means. And for the same purpose he mentions the strong hand and the extended arm. He intimates by these words, that the people had been so delivered, that the hand of God, yea, his extended arm, openly appeared, that is, his power, as we have explained elsewhere, was manifested far and wide. He refers at last to great terror: such was the haughtiness of their enemies, that they would have never suffered the people to depart, had they not been filled with great terror. As then the Egyptians had been by terror subdued, Jeremiah amplifies by this circumstance the favour of redemption, as though he had said, that God's favour was not obscure, because the Israelites might have known by these extraordinary evidences that they were delivered by a divine power. For so great was the power, the valour, and cruelty of their enemies, that no hope of a free departure could have been entertained, had not God put forth his hand from heaven. It afterwards follows,— 22. And hast given them this 22. Et dedisti illis terram hanc land, which thou didst swear to their quam juraveras patribus eorum ad fathers to give them, a land flowing dandum ipsis (hoc est, te daturuui with milk and honey; ipsis) terram fluentem lacte et melle; Here the fruitfulness of the land is commended, so that the ingratitude of the people for their redemption might appear less excusable. God had already bound them, as it were, more than enough to himself, but when the wealth and fruitfulness of the land were added, the bounty of God was doubled, which, by a stronger and more sacred chain, bound the people to obedience. But when they buried, as it were, both their benefits, their impiety was extreme, and so much 180 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXVIII. baser was their ingratitude. We hence see why the Prophet said that the land was given to the people. He at the same time mentions the reason, even because it had been promised to their fathers. It is not, however, right to suppose that the fathers had any merits, as Jerome says, who ignorantly perverts this passage; for he says, that nothing was due to the people on the ground of merit ; but that the fathers were yet worthy on account of their great virtues. But we know that God's covenant was from the beginning gratuitous. The Prophet then means here, that the land was not given as a reward rendered to the people for their works, but that it was given them because it had been gratuitously promised. And he mentions the oath, because God, regarding the infirmity of Abraham and the fathers, confirmed by an oath his own promise. But as I have spoken elsewhere more at large on this subject, I touch on it but slightly now. However, whenever there is mention made of an oath, let us know that reproof is indirectly given to the inconstancy of men, who always vacillate, and can never recumb on God's promise, except they are helped by this confirmation. However this may be, the Prophet here reminds us that God confirmed the pledge which he had given to the fathers when the people entered into the land, because they could not have obtained it by their valour, or by any other means. In short, Jeremiah calls the attention of the people to God's gratuitous covenant, that they might understand that they became possessors of the land by no other right than this,-— % that God of his own free will had promised to Abraham and his seed that he would give them that land. He speaks, as I have just said, of the fruitfulness of the land, because it was God's design to allure the people in every way, that they might continue in his service. And when the people, thus bountifully dealt with, did not acknowledge God's favour, their extreme and base stupidity was fully proved. What the Prophet then means is, that the land was most fruitful, in which the people had all abundance, and that yet they despised God the giver of so much bounty, accoi'ding to what immediately follows,— CHAP. XXXII. 23. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 18 1 23. And they came in, and pos- 23. Et ingressi sunt, et hsereditate sessed it; but they obeyed not thy adepti sunt earn; et non audierunt vo- voice, neither walked in thy law: cem tuam (ad verbum, in voce tua) et they have done nothing of all in lege tua non ambulaverunt (hos est, that thou commandest them to secundumlegenituam;)qusecunqueillis do; therefore thou hast caused prsecepisti ut facerent, non fecerunt; all this evil to come upon them. ideo occurrere fecisti illis malum hoc. The Prophet in this verse confesses that God's vengeance was just, when the people were cast out of the land and driven into exile, because they, after having entered into the land, did not obey the voice of God. The very sight of the land ought to have made the people obedient to God; for they could not have eaten a crumb of bread, without being always reminded whence their food came, even because God had expelled the Gentiles from that land. When, therefore, they were filled with all kinds of good things, and at the same time despised God, no excuse could have been pretended ; for if they made ignorance their pretence, the \ery land itself was before their eyes, which recalled them to the fear of God. This, then, is the reason why the Prophet joins those two things together, that the Israelites entered into the land, and that they disobeyed the voice of God. Now, by this clause he intimates that they had not fallen through ignorance, because God had sufficiently made known his will. God had indeed spoken, but it was to the deaf. The Prophet then here shews that there was no other cause for the sin of the people, but that they obstinately refused to attend to the voice of God. Then he adds for the same purpose, that they had not walked in his Law. The Law is often compared to a way ; for except God prescribes to us what his will is, and regulates all the actions of our life according to a certain rule, we should be perpetually going astray. God's Law, then, is justly said to be like a way, according to what Moses also speaks, " This is the way, walk ye in it." (Deut. v. 33; see also Is. xxx. 21.) Then Jeremiah, after having shewn that the people had been taught, mentions this,—that the way had been made known to them, so that they went astray knowingly and wilfully ; for they could not have turned aside either to the right hand or to the left without being called back by the doctrine of the Law. 182 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXVIII. He says, in the third place, What thou hast commanded them to do they did not. He explains here the same thing more clearly and without any figurative expression, even that they had been unwilling to obey God, while yet they sufficiently understood what was right; for the Law suffered them not to go astray, and God had included in it everything necessary to be known. The Prophet then shews that they had not turned aside except through perverseness, because they knew what God required. As a certain Lacedaemonian said, that the Athenians knew what was right, but were unwilling to do it; so the Prophet in this place distinguishes the open impiety and contempt of the people from ignorance and inadvertence, and does not mean that the people did not satisfy all the precepts of the Law. And this passage also Jerome explains very absurdly ; for he says that the Israelites did not stand to their promises, because they had said that they would do whatever God commanded. But the Prophet here does not condemn them as to one thing only, as though he had said that there had been some defect, but he says that they had been wholly disobedient, for they had not despised only one precept of the Law, but had as it were designedly cast aside the whole Law, and obeyed none of God's commandments. Then this negative sets forth the defection of the people as to the whole law, and as to every precept of it. And this passage is worthy of special notice, because the Prophet advisedly repeats the same thing,—that the people had not walked in the Law,—that they had not obeyed the voice of God,—that they had done nothing of what had been commanded;1 for a heavier condemnation and vengeance await those who have been faithfully taught what pleases God and what is right, and yet follow their own will, and are carried away by the passions and lusts of the flesh. In a word, Jeremiah points out the highest pitch of impiety, 1 There is this difference between these three things: the " voice" was that of God by his prophets,—the " law" was the ten commandments,— and " all which" had been " commanded" were the statutes and ordinances, the civil and ceremonial appointments. To "hearken to his voice," rather than to obey it, is what is meant: so far from obeying it, they would not hear the Prophets. This had been throughout their sin.—Ed. CHAP. XXXII. 24,25. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 183 that is, when people clearly and familiarly know what the will of God is, and yet disregard it and shake off the yoke, and thus shew manifestly a contempt for the whole Law. It follows, Therefore thou hast made to come on them all this evil. The Prophet here testifies that whatever had happened to the people, was not by chance, but that a reward was rendered to their sins. Men in some measure acknowledge God's judgments, but this acknowledgment presently vanishes. Wisely then does the Prophet here shew that God's vengeance is evident in adversities, and that the people thus received the reward which they had deserved. It now follows,— 24. Behold the mounts, they are 24. Eece aggeres (vel, catapulte, come unto the city to take it; and vel, arietes) venerunt ad urbem ad the city is given into the hand of capiendum earn; et urbs tradita est the Chaldeans that fight against it, in manum Chaldseorum oppugnan-because of the sword, and of the fa- tium earn, propter gladium, famem mine, and of the pestilence : and et pestem; et quod tu loquutus es what thou hast spoken is come to (quicquid loquutus es) evenit; et pass; and, behold, thou seest it. ecce tu vides. 25. And thou hast said unto me, 25. Et tu dixisti mihi, Domine O Lord God, Buy thee the field for Jehova, erne tibi agrum pecunia et money, and take witnesses; for the testare testes; cum tamen urbs tra-city is given into the hand of the dita sit in manum Chaldseorum. Chaldeans. Here then at length the Prophet discovers his own perplexity. We have already stated the reason why he made so long an introduction before he came to the main thing : it was necessary for him to put on as it were a bridle ; for except we restrain our thoughts, we shall become petulant against God, and there will be no moderation. The Prophet then, that he might not peevishly expostulate with God, set before himself his immeasurable power, and then he added that nothing happens except through his righteous vengeance. He now however asks, how it was, that he was bidden to buy the field when the city and the whole country were delivered up into their enemies. He then mentions here this inconsistency, and confesses that his mind was embarrassed, for he could not discover why God had bidden him to buy the field, and yet had determined to drive the people into exile and to scatter them into remote lands. But we have said that the Prophet was fully persuaded of 18-i COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXVIII. God's truth ; and hence it was that he was so willing and ready to obey; for he made no delay in buying the field ; and he afterwards laid up with Baruch the writings of the purchase. But after having performed all this, he brought a complaint against God ; and as the thing appeared unreasonable, he desired this knot to be untied. He then says, Behold the mounts, or, the warlike engines, for the word may mean either. The word T\\77D, sallut, often means mounts ; but as mention is made here of a siege, the Prophet seems to refer, as we have said in the sixth chapter, to warlike engines or battering rams. And there were engines to beat down walls ; great stones or a number of stones were also cast. I am therefore inclined to the opinion of those who consider that they were either engines to shoot stones and darts, or battering rams. Behold, then, he says, there are moved to the city battering rams to take it, and the city is delivered up to the Chaldeans. It was, it seems, the tenth year of Zedekiah, and at the beginning of the eleventh month the city was taken. But the Prophet is the best interpreter of his own words, and what he means may be easily gathered from the context, for he says that the city was taken by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence ; as though he had said, that though the enemies had not as yet entered into the city, yet it was all over with it, that there was no hope remaining, because it was not only assailed by arms and a powerful force, but it had also enemies within, which pressed hard on it, even famine and the pestilence. As then a great number had already been consumed by pestilence and famine, the Prophet says, that though the enemies should cease to assail it, and make no forcible entrance into it, yet it was all over with it, because the pestilence and famine had so prevailed, that there was no hope of deliverance. By these words he intimates an extremity of despair ; and hence also arose the thought which tormented the mind of the Prophet, that it appeared wholly unreasonable that God should bid him to buy the field when the city had been already delivered up into the power of enemies. He adds, and what thou hast spoken is come to pass ; and, behold, thou seest it. He confirms what he had just said, even CHAP. XXXII. 24,25. COMMENTARIES ON JEKEMIAH. 185 that the destruction of the city did not otherwise happen than through God's judgment. And he confirms it, because whatever then happened, had already been testified during the time of the Prophet himself. And it hence appeared, that the city was not distressed through chance, because God had foretold nothing by his servants but what he had decreed and resolved to do. Then the ruin of Jerusalem was the work of God, of which he had foretold by his servants. For these two things ought to be joined together— the mouth of God and the hand of God. Nor is it lawful to imagine such a thing as some fanatics do, that God sees from heaven whatever is done on earth, and yet continues in an idle state. But he decrees what is right, and then when it is necessary, he testifies it by his servants the Prophets. However, the mouth of God ought not to be separated from his hand. The Prophet then shews that the destruction of the city was the righteous judgment of God, because the Prophets had previously spoken of it. The words, thoio seest it, refer to the preceding sentence, or to that which immediately follows, even because it seemed inconsistent or unreasonable that the Prophet should buy the field as God commanded, and yet that God knew that the land was possessed by enemies, and that the people were to be driven into exile. Since then God had resolved to cast out the people from the land, how was it that he had bidden his servant to buy the field ? Had all this been unknown to God, the inconsistency would not have been so evident. But when God perfectly knew that what he had so often proclaimed as to the exile by his Prophets could not be changed, what could be his purpose in bidding the field to be bought and the purchase to be confirmed by witnesses, when yet the city was delivered up to enemies ? Jeremiah, after having mentioned the substance of his prayer, now adds the answer he received from God, in which is seen the fruit of his prayer, even that he had been taught what had regard to the deliverance and return of the people, in order that the faithful might entertain hope, and also that they, relying on the promise, might cheerfully bear their exile until the prefixed time came. The words are these,— 186 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LEOT. CXXVIII. 26. Then came the word of the 26. Et fuit sermo Jehovae ad Je-Lord unto Jeremiah, saying, remiah, dicendo, 27. Behold, I am the Lord, the 27. Ecce ego Jehova Deus uni-God of all flesh : is there any thing versse carnis, An a me abscondita too hard for me ? erit ulla res ( %»«?, An mihi difficilis erit ulla res) ? We have already said that the verb is?fl, pela, admits of two meanings ; it means to be hid and to be wonderful, and hence by a metaphor it means what is difficult and impossible. Many take it to mean here, that nothing escapes the observation of God. But as I have said in the last lecture, I am more inclined to refer it to God's power, even that all things are in the hand and at the pleasure of God, so that there is no difficulty in his way. For whence comes to men so much anxiety, except that they are stopped by obstacles ? but God can surmount all obstacles without any labour. That our minds then may not be perplexed, rightly is set before us the power of God. And this meaning is most suitable to this passage : for Jeremiah, when that which seemed inconsistent occurred to him, was constrained to cast his anxiety as it were into the bosom of God. Then God, in order to relieve him, says that nothing is difficult to him, because he is the God of all flesh. Though by the words all flesh, the Scripture often means all kinds of animals, yet oftener the human race only. I do not, however, refinedly explain this passage, as though God did set the Gentiles in opposition to the Jews, and thus denied that he would be any longer the God of Abraham's children, because he had repudiated them on account of their sins ; but he says that he is in an especial manner the king of the whole earth, and rules over the whole human race. As God then, he says, is the God of all flesh, can anything be impossible to him ? 28. Therefore thus saith the Lord, 28. Propterea sic dicit Jehova, Behold, I will give this city into the Ecce ego trado urbem hanc in ma-hand of the Chaldeans, and into the num Chaldreorum et in manum Ne-hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of buchadnezer regis Babylonis, et Babylon, and he shall take it: eapiet earn ; 29. And the Chaldeans, that fight 29. Et ingredientur Chaldsei, qui against this city, shall come and set oppugnant urbein hanc, et succen-fire on this city, and burn it with dent urbem hanc igne, et exurent the houses upon whose roofs they earn, et domus in quibus suffitum have offered incense unto Baal, and fecerunt super tecta ipsarum Baal, CHAP. XXXII. 28,29. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 187 poured out drink-offerings unto et Hbamen libarunt diis alienis ad other gods, to provoke me to anger, me proyocandum. The import of the answer is, that though God would bring to an end the seventy years of exile, yet there was no reason for hypocrites to gather encouragement, for this promise did not belong to them. God then speaks here, in the first place, of his vengeance, in order to fill the despisers of his Law with dread, and to intimate that they were excluded from the favour of redemption. He afterwards adds, that he would at length be merciful to the exiles ; but this favour is confined to the elect and faithful alone. The two parts of the answer ought then to be noticed, for God seems here to set in opposition one to another two contrary things. But as I have said, in the former clause, he has in view the hypocrites, who applied to themselves, without faith and repentance, what the Prophet had testified of restoration. God then sets forth here his extreme severity, and then he mitigates that rigour; but he then turns his discourse to the elect, because they alone were capable of receiving his favour. Let us now come to the words, / will deliver this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of King Nebuchadnezar, and he will take it. His purpose was, that what Jeremiah himself had predicted by his command, should remain unalterable, that the city could not be delivered. For it might have disturbed the mind of the Prophet were the Jews shortly after to be delivered, and were the siege of the city to be raised: he might, in that case, have been exposed to ridicule, together with his prophecies, and rashness might have been objected to him, because he had dared to announce in God's name what we before noticed. For this reason and purpose God declares that nothing could be changed, for the Chaldeans were to take the city ; and thus he bids the Prophet to retain a quiet mind, and not to disturb himself, as though it was his intention to expose his prophecies to ridicule ; for God's sacred name would thus have been subjected to many reproaches. Had Jeremiah been proved guilty of falsehood, what would have been the consequence, but that the Jews 18S COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT.CXXIX. would have insolently triumphed over God ? God then declares again that the city was given over to destruction. And therefore he adds, enter in shall the Chaldeans who assail the city ; for he does not say that they would come, but he confirms in other words what he had said; Break then into the city shall the Chaldeans, though it was closed up and fortified ; and shall set on fire this city. It was not without purpose that he mentioned the word city so often; for as it was the sanctuary of God, and the royal seat, the Jews thought that it was impregnable, and that the sun could be sooner cast down from heaven than that enemies could take possession of it: in order then to subvert this false confidence, God often mentioned the word city. He at last adds, that the Chaldeans would burn it, as though he had said, that whatever Jeremiah had predicted would certainly be fulfilled, not only respecting the attack on the city, but also its destruction, so that not a stone woiild be left on a stone, but that there would be a dreadful desolation imtil the time of its restoration. The rest to-morrow. PRAYER. Grant, Almighty God, that as thou shewest that thou so rulest over the whole world as to exercise a peculiar care over us whom thou hast been pleased to gather into the bosom of thy Church,—O grant, that we may he so restrained by thy awful power within the bounds of our duty, as that we may yet be always fully persuaded that thou art our God and Father, and thus submit ourselves willingly to thy word, and not only taste of thy goodness, which is laid up for thy children, but also feed on it, so that we may at length come into thy blessed kingdom above, where there will be full satisfaction and fruition, through Jesus Christ our Lord.—Amen. I did not, in the last lecture, fully explain the passage in which the Prophet announced the burning of the city. After having spoken of the city, he mentions the houses on which they had offered incense to their idols, and poured out libations. He then expresses the cause why so heavy a vengeance from God awaited that holy city, even because its CHAP. XXXII. SO. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 189 houses had been polluted by superstitions. And he says, that incense had been made to idols on their tops or roofs ; for the roofs, as it appears from many parts of Scripture, were places, as it were, to walk in ; and we know that idolaters ever sought high places, as they imagined that they were thus nearer to God. Then the design is to shew, that the punishment of which the Prophet had spoken, was not too severe, because all the houses had been contaminated by many sacrilegious acts. He first mentions Baal, and then foreign gods. Baal, we know, is sometimes taken specifically, and sometimes includes all sorts of idols, and yet the Prophets often used the plural number, and called them Baalim, that is, patrons ; whom the Jews thought that they were first to propitiate, in order that they might in the same manner pacify God. For superstition is never satisfied with the one only true God, but seeks many gods, as we shall hereafter see in the 35th verse, where Molech is mentioned, being added to Baal. And the Prophet says here, that they had poured libations to foreign gods. We hence see that Baal includes idols of every sort. He adds, that they might provoke me. By these words God intimates, that no ignorance could have been pretended by the Jew3, for they had been more than sufficiently taught from the Law how God was to be worshipped ; and a rule had been also prescribed to them to worship God alone : but they worshipped many gods, and according to their own fictitious superstitions. Justly, then, does God here complain that they had, as it were, purposely provoked him, for ignorance could not have been made a pretext, since the doctrine of the Law was sufficient to guide them. It now follows— 30. For the children of Israel, and 30. Quia fuerunt filii Israel et the children ofJudah,have only done filii Jehudah tantummodo patrantes evil before me from their youth: for malum in oculis meis a pueritia the children of Israel have only pro- sua; quia Israel tantummodo fue- voked me to anger with the work of runt provocantes me in opere ma- their hands, saith the Lord. num suarum, dicit Jehova. He amplifies the sin of the people, that they never departed from their vices. And he mentions the ten tribes, and also the tribe of Judah. The ten tribes, we know, had departed from the pure worship of God, when as yet true ] 90 COMMENTARIES ON JKKEMIAH. LECT. CXXIX. religion continued at Jerusalem. By mentioning then the children o/Judah, he no doubt aggravated their guilt, intimating that they had fallen together with the Israelites, while yet they had for a time been preserved. The Israelites had become degenerated, afterwards the whole seed of Abraham became implicated in the same defection, so that they forsook the true worship of God. But afterwards he mentions only the children of Israel, but he includes also the tribe of Judah. For it ought to be observed, that when Scripture connects Israel with Judah, Israel then means the ten tribes, and that for the sake of honour or reproach the house of Judah is referred to separately from the kingdom of Israel; but that when Israel is alone mentioned, it includes generally all the children of Abraham without exception. So it is in this place, when he says that the children of Israel and the children of Judah had done nothing but provoked God. Afterwards he mentions only Israel, and includes the twelve tribes. But he says that the children of Israel and of Judah had only provoked him from their youth. The particle *1N, ak, is sometimes taken as an affirmative, and sometimes as an adversative, but, or nevertheless ; and this latter sense would be suitable, were the context to allow it. I am inclined to agree with those who render it " only ;" and the Prophet seems to have removed all ambiguity, for he not only says, that they had done, but that they had been doing evil, which is a mode of speaking that intimates a continued action ; they had then been doing evil, that is, they never ceased. And he confirms this declaration by saying *"!X, ak, only, that is, their purpose had been nothing else, or all their study has been no other than to provoke me without end and measure.1 We hence see that every ground of complaint is taken away from the Jews, because God, by long forbearance, had deferred his vengeance, for he might have punished them many ages before. As then they had never ceased to pro- 1 The particle "]N means also truly, verily, surely. It is rendered " only," by the Sept.,—" continually," by the Vulg.,—" verily/' by the Targ.,— and is omitted by the Syr. Its most proper meaning is, "nevertheless," but is often rendered " surely" in our version: and it might be rendered here, surely or doubtless.—Ed. CHAP. XXXII. 30. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 191 voke God, the rigour shewn to them could not have appeared too much, for he had, in his goodness, invited them to repentance, but with no effect. And from their youth here is not to be understood of individuals, but is to be extended to the whole people ; and so youth is to be taken for the time of their redemption, as we shall hereafter see. For the Church was in a manner then born, and in the desert, when they had been recently brought to the light, for God had delivered them from the darkness of death. In their very childhood they began to provoke God ; from that time they had always been perverse in their wickedness. The meaning then is, that the people of Israel had been of such a perverse disposition that it became necessary at length to punish them severely, for they ceased not to add evils to evils. And the particle *"|X, ak, shews their aggravated guilt, because they applied their whole minds to provoke God, and had been ingenious in devising superstitions, by which they polluted the worship of God: They have then, he says, been only doing evil. And he adds, with the work of their hands. This explanation is added, because the Israelites might have raised a clamour, and asked what that evil was. God had indeed shewn sufficiently that it availed them nothing to seek evasions, for he had made himself their judge when he said, before my eyes ; for by these words the Prophets intimate that a right judgment cannot be formed of men's works by themselves, for willing or unwilling, they must stand or fall according to the judgment of God. Whenever then God declares that men have sinned before his eyes, he means that it is in vain for them to seek subterfuges, by alleging their good intentions, as they are wont commonly to say, because with him is the authority to judge. But this truth he confirms, when he says, that they had provoked him by the work of their hands.1 By the work of their hands the Prophet means the 1 It appears evident, that the last clause of this is explanatory of the first, as Calvin shews. " The evil," for the article precedes it, was " the work of their hands," that is, idolatry : For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have doubtless been doing the evil before mine eyes from their youth; for the 192 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXSIX. superstitions which the people had invented for themselves. And we must ever bear in mind the contrast between God's commands and the works of our hands, for whatever we obtrude on God besides his Law is the work of our hands ; but obedience is better than sacrifice. Then God here expressly condemns all the inventions of men, as though he had said, that however men may delight in their own superstitions, they are yet impious and detestable, for it is not lawful to devise anything. For God having given us his Law. has left nothing for us to do, except to follow what he has commanded ; and when we turn aside and add something of our own, we do nothing but what is sacrilegious. It now follows— 31. For this city hatli been to me 31. Quia ad iram meam et ex- as a provocation of mine anger and candescentiam meam fuit mihi urbs of my fury, from the day that they ista ex quo die sedificarunt earn ad built it even unto this day, that I diem hunc usque, ad tollendum should remove it from before my face; ipsam e conspectu meo ; He confirms what we have just said, even that God, however severely he might punish the Jews, would not yet exceed due limits in his judgment, because their iniquity had reached the highest pitch. It was a dreadful judgment when the city was wholly demolished by fire, and the Temple destroyed. Hence the atrocity of the punishment might have driven many to complain that God was too severe. Here he checks all such complaints, and says, that the city had been built as it were for this end, even to provoke him, as we say in French, Elle a estefaite pour me depiter, pour me facher. Some read, " Reduced to me has been the city ;" but they pervert and obscure the meaning. It might more properly be rendered, " The city has been destined to me for my wrath and indignation." But the meaning which I have given is simpler. Thus the words ^H, aphi, and TlftPt, chemeti, are to be taken passively, even that the city Jerusalem had been in a manner devoted to this madness, so that it ceased not to inflame more and more against itself the vengeance of God. In a word, he repeats in other words what he had before said, even that the children of Israel did nothing else than provoke God by their misdeeds. children of Israel have doubtless been provoking me with the work of their hands, saith Jehovah. The connection in this way appears more obvious__Ed. CHAP. XXXII. 32. COMMENTARIES ON JEBEMIAH. 193 There is then nothing new said here, but as it was a thing diiEcult to be believed, the Prophet dwells on it, and says, that the city Jerusalem had been for the wrath and indignation of God, from the time in which it had been founded. And we may gather from the end of the verse that this is the true meaning, for he says, Even to this day, that I should remove it from my sight; as though he had said, that the Jews had made no end of sinning, so that it was now quite the time to punish a people so wicked, whose impiety was un-healable. And he points out their persistency when he says, even to this day} For the people had not only begun to sin in the wilderness, but they pursued in a regular course, so to speak, their impiety, so that at no age, in no year, in no day, did they cease from their vices. Here then is pointed out their constant habit of sinning. It follows— 32. Because of all the evil of the 32. Super omne mahmi (vel, children of Israel, and of the chil- propter omne malum) filiorum dren of Judah, which they have done Israel et filiorum Jehudah, quod to provoke me to anger, they, their patrarunt ad provocandum me, ipsi, kings, their princes, their priests, reges eorum, proceres eorum, sa- and their prophets, and the men of cerdotes eorum et prophetse eorum, Judah, and the inhabitants of Jeru- et viri Jehudah et incolae Jerusa- salem. lem. This verse is connected with the last: God had complained, that the city had been so perverse in its character, that it seemed to have been founded and built for the purpose of seeking its own ruin by its sins. He confirms that declaration by adding, On account of all the wickedness of the children of Israel, and of the children of Judah. By all the wickedness or evil, he means what he before said, that they had been doing only evil, for they had offended not only in one thing, but had abandoned themselves to impiety, so that 1 It has been found difficult to render this verse literally, though the general meaning is evident, and is given in our version, which is more paraphrastic than usual. If we take ?V for n?y, in its Chaldee sense, as in Dan. vi. 5, 6, we shall find the version easy,— 31. For the occasion of my wrath, and the occasion of my indignation, has this city been to me from the day that they have built it even 32. to this day; so that I shall remove it from my sight on account of all the wickedness of the children of Israel, &c. &c. So the latter part of verse 31st ought to be connected with the following verse. The verb for " remove" is in the infinitive mood preceded by h. It is an elliptical phrase, as is sometimes the case, where a resolution, obligation, or duty is intended.—Ed. 19-t COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXIX. there was nothing pure or honest among them ; for they had given themselves up to impiety, so that they omitted nothing that was calculated to provoke God. A universal blot is extended to every part of life, as though he had said, that they were imbued with so much wickedness, that no sound part remained in them. It is possible for man's body to labour under one or two diseases, while there may be soundness in some of the members ; but the Prophet means here, that the Israelites had become so corrupt, as it is said in Psalm xiv. 1, that nothing remained whole among them. Now God condemns here all ranks of men : in the first place he says, that the kings had sinned ; for they not only themselves had forsaken the true worship of God, but had become the cause of defection or apostasy to others. To kings he adds princes, or counsellors, and then priests and prophets. And, doubtless, the kings with their counsellors ought to have been one eye, the priests and the prophets the other; for the two eyes in a true and legitimate government are the judges and the pastors of the Church. But the Prophet says, that the kings and their counsellors had been ungodly, and then that the priests and the prophets had been implicated in similar crimes. And it was indeed something monstrous to see such blindness and madness in those priests whom God had, by a hereditary right, set over the Church as the interpreters of the Law, according to what is said, " The priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the Law at his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts." (Mai. ii. 7.) And when the priests failed in their office, either through ignorance or sloth, God raised up prophets in their place, and his purpose was to prevent by such a help the ruin of his Church. But Jeremiah says, that the prophets had become like the priests. This passage deserves to be carefully noticed; for we see how delighted many are when the Church is disturbed by discords; for they think that they are thus excused, when they cast aside every care and every concern for religion ; and many indulge in this kind of indifference. But if the faithful had been so careless at that time, must not religion have a thousand times vanished away, having been CHAP. XXXII. 32. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 195 wholly extinguished and obliterated from their hearts ? Let us then learn, that though false prophets may rise and obscure pure doctrine by their fallacies, and though the sacri-ficers should become apostates, and raise up, as it were, a banner to demolish the whole Church—yet let us learn to be firm; for our faith ought not to be shaken, though the whole world were in confusion, nay, though Satan mingled heaven and earth together. In short, it is the real trial of our faith, when we firmly abide in God's truth at the time when Satan attempts above all things to throw everything into confusion. For Jeremiah does not speak here of the Egyptians or the Assyrians, but of the chosen people, the children of Abraham, the sacred heritage of God ; and yet he says that the priests and prophets had become leaders to the people in their sinful courses, so that they cast aside the true worship of God, perverted the Law, and in short, departed from religion. He afterwards adds, and the men o/Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. He speaks not of the Israelites, who had long ago become polluted, and had abandoned themselves to ungodly superstitions, for they had become, as it were, aliens to the people of God ; but he names only the Jews, who remained alive, that God's Church might continue in the world. He proceeds by degrees, for he mentions the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the last place. It was indeed less to be endured that those, who had the Temple before them, who were constantly reminded of God's true worship, should be apostates, than if they dwelt in villages ; for those who lived in the country, and were wont to come to the Temple three times a-year, had apparently some excuse. But as the citizens of Jerusalem enjoyed so many religious means, as the Law of God continually sounded in their ears, as the sacrifices were as trumpets by whose blast they were summoned to serve and fear God, it was, as we have said, a great aggravation to their guilt. Hence the Prophet, for the sake of a greater reproach, joins them to the men of Judah. It follows— 33. And they have turned unto 33. Et verterunt milii cervicem et me the back, and not the face : non faciem; et docendo eos, et mane though I taught them, rising up surgendo et docendo, et non audierunt early and teaching them, yet they (et ipsi non audientes, ad verbum, 196 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIATT. LECT.CXXIX. have not hearkened to receive in- sed, non audierunt) ut reciperent struction. correctionem (vel, disciplinam.) Here the Prophet expresses more clearly the perverseness of the people, as though he had said, that they had deliberately rejected every instruction, and had shewn no regard for God ; for he who turns his back on us, does this knowingly and wilfully, and indeed not without contempt. When any one addresses me, and I look another way, is it not a manifest sign of contempt or disdain ? and he who speaks, does he not see that he is disregarded ? Thus God then complains that the Jews had not fallen away through ignorance, but as it were through a premeditated obstinacy : they then turned to me, he says, the neck? when yet they ought to have been attentive to hear the doctrine of the Law. For God shews to us his face whenever he is pleased to prescribe what ought to be done, or to shew the way of salvation. When he looks on us, how detestable must be our pride, if we look not also on him in return ? This, then, is the first thing, that the Jews had knowingly and wilfully despised God and his Law. Then he amplifies their guilt by saying, And I taught them, I rose up early and taught them, and they hearkened not? If the Law had been only once promulgated, the Jews might have objected and said, that they were for the most part illiterate ; but no colour of pretence remained for them, since the Prophets were continually interpreting the Law, as God had also promised by Moses, " A Prophet will I raise up for thee from the midst of thy brethren." (Deut. xviii. 18.) For he intimates that this benefit would be perpetual in the Church, so that there would ne*ver be wanting Prophets to shew the right way to the people. For he sets Prophets in opposition to soothsayers, diviners, foretellers, and all other ministers of Satan, as though he had said, that there 1 So the original is; but we say the back. The same words are found in chap. ii. 27.—Ed. ' The words for teaching, and early rising, are participles, dependent on " me," in the previous clause, and by making a little change in the order of the words, the sense would be more evident,— And they turned the neck and not the face to me, while teaching them, early-rising and teaching; yet they hearkened not to receive instruction. They turned their back, while God was teaching them!—Ed. CHAP. XXXII. 33. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 197 was no reason for the people to seek the fallacies of Satan, since the Prophets were sufficient. Lest the Jews then should complain that they were hardly dealt with, God here shews that he had taught them, for he ascribes to himself what he had done by his Prophets: and doubtless Prophets and teachers are nothing else but the instruments of the Holy Spirit; for no one is fit to teach, but when he is guided by the Spirit of God. Justly then does God claim for himself these offices, so that all the praise for the building up of his Church is due to him, though he employs the labours of men. In this sense it is, that he says, that he had taught them. Then he adds, that he rose up early, that is, that he had been sedulous. As a master of a family, who is solicitous for his own, early inquires how they are, and looks around the whole house; so also God represents himself here, speaking of his care in teaching the Israelites, as though he had said, that not only his Law was set before their eyes, by which they might learn what was right, but that Prophets were also given who ceased not to admonish and exhort them. Now this manner of speaking ought to be particularly observed, as we hence learn how base their ingratitude is who reject the teaching of the Prophets ; for they not only disregarded men, but God himself, as Christ also declares, "He who hears you, hears me; and he who rejects you, rejects me." (Luke x. 16.) This form of speaking, then, commends the truth of the doctrine taught by the Prophets ; for God comes forth and shews that he speaks by his servants. And on the other hand, we learn what an incomparable blessing it is to have faithful and true teachers ; for God, through them and their labours, with certainty declares that he cares for our salvation, as though he watched over us, as though he rose up early, as though he visited us; and the preaching of the Gospel is not without reason called the visitation of God. There is, then, no reason for us to seek anything better, when God is present with us by his word ; for we have a sure testimony of his presence whenever true and faithful teachers rise up. He adds, to receive correction. He in timates by the word 198 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXIX. , mwsar, that the Jews had not sinned through ignorance, but that they had been intractable, for they refused to be corrected. The word is, indeed, taken sometimes for doctrine, but it means here correction, even when any one, who generally holds a right course, deviates from the right way, but being warned, repents. We hence see what the Prophet means, even that the Jews had not only closed their eyes against the clear light which shone forth in the Law, but that they had been wholly refractory, so that they could not be subdued when God called them to repentance, that when he sought to heal their diseases, they shewed such stubbornness that they cast aside all correction and discipline.1 We hence learn that the time of vengeance had come, because God had tried all means to promote their welfare, and had lost, as the common saying is, both pains and cost. It follows,— 34. But they set their abomi- 34. Et posuerunt abominationes suas nations in the house which is in domo super quam invocatum est called by my name, to defile it. nomen meum, ad polluendum ipsam. There was here, as it were, an extreme wickedness, for the Jews had profaned the Temple itself. It was a grievous offence, when every one had, as we have seen, private services at home, where they burned incense on the roofs, and poured libations to foreign gods ; but when impiety had gone so far, that even the Temple itself was polluted with idols, what hope was there of repentance ? He says that they had set their abominations in the Temple. It is called, indeed, a house after the manner of the Hebrews, but it is afterwards distinguished from private buildings, when he says, on which my name is called,2 and then, that they might defile it. God here shews that the Temple had been dedicated to him; it was then a sacrilegious 1 It is true that the word means correction as well as instruction ; but as " teaching" is what was previously mentioned, our version, which gives the latter word, seems to present the true meaning here. It is so rendered by Blayney.—Ed. ' The Vulg. and the Targ. very incorrectly render the words, " In which my name is called." The Sept. and the Syr. are the same as our version. It was, no doubt, a house of prayer; but what is here meant is, that it was called God's house.—Ed. CHAP. XXXII. 35. COMMENTARIES ON JEKEMIAH. 199 profanation when they offered their sacrifices to idols. They were, indeed, already apostates ; but such a sacrilege was not so notorious in their private superstitions as in the Temple j for this was to deprive God of his own honour. Though it was not right in them to abandon themselves to all kind of wickedness when they came forth from the Temple ; yet the Temple itself ought to have continued, as it were, safe and free from every defilement. For this reason, therefore, he says that it was called by his name, and then that the Temple itself had been defiled, so that they did not spare his sacred name. The rest X shall defer till to-morrow. PRAYER. Grant, Almighty God, that as thou stretchest forth thy hand to us daily, and invitest us also by continual exhortations to repentance,—0 grant, that we may not be so ungrateful as by our obstinacy to reject such and so great a benefit; but that, if at any time we should happen to turn from the right way, we may immediately turn to thee and become obedient to thy will, and that thus the medicine which thou hast provided for us may avail for our salvation, until, being at length purified from all vices, we shall enjoy that blessed and immortal glory which thou hast prepared for us in heaven, through thine only-begotten Son, our Lord.—Amen. ILtttrxve <©ne ^untrrrti anD 35. And they built the high places 35. Et adificarunt ezcelsa ipsi of Baal, which are in the valley of Baal, qui erat in valle filii flinnom the son of Hinnom, to cause their (vel, quse erant,) ad trajiciendum sons and their daughters to pass filios suos et filias suas ipsi Moloch through the fire unto Molech, which ("|tai>, idolo,) quod non mandavi I commanded them not, neither came ipsis, et non ascendit in cor meum, it into my mind, that they should ad faciendum abominationem hanc, do this abomination, to cause Judah ut peccaret Jehudah (vel, ut peccare to sin. facerent Jehudah.) After having complained of the profanation of his own Temple, God now says that the Jews had sinned through another superstition, even because the valley of the son of Hinnom had become to them a temple instead of the true one. God had forbidden in the Law sacrifices to be offered 200 COMMENTARIES OK JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXX. except where lie appointed, " Thou shalt not do so to thy God, but thou shalt come to the place where he has put the memorial of his name." (Deut. xii. 4, 5.) As God then had expressly testified that sacrifices are not acceptable to him except in one Temple, and on one altar, he shews here that the lawful worship had been corrupted by the Jews, even because they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire in honour to Molech. And yet in a former passage he calls him Baal. Hence it appears, as we said yesterday, that the word Baal includes all kinds of idols. For the Jews, no doubt, while they worshipped their Baalim, ever wished to ascribe to the one true God the chief sovereignty, but, at the same time, they devised patrons for themselves, and hence was the multitude of their gods. But Molech was a particular deity, as we learn from other parts of Scripture. We now, then, perceive the Prophet's meaning,—that the Jews had not been satisfied with one kind of idolatry, but built high places or altars for themselves; for so do some explain fYllbi, bemut: n£Q, bem.e, means a high place, and is everywhere taken for the groves, as they were called, that is, tall trees. But as mention is here made of a valley, some think that the word high-places is not suitable here ; therefore they render the word " altars."1 As to the main point, God no doubt condemns the Jews here, because they had dared to set up a foreign mode of worship in the valley of Hinnom, when the Law expressly forbade it. The relative "IJJ'X, asher, as I have said, may be applied to the altars as well as to Baal. But it seems to me a more suitable meaning, if we say that Baal himself, that is, the idol, was in the valley of Hinnom. Of the passing through the fire, I have 1 In chap, vii. 31, we have "the high places," or elevations, " of Tophet." Blayney thinks that they were artificial mounts thrown up for the purpose of performing some of their superstitious rites. Trees were, no doubt, planted on some of the high places; but there might be mounts without trees. That these high places were in a valley, favour the idea that they were artificial mounts without trees. And it indeed appears from this verse and from ch. vii. 31, that the image of Molech was set on the artificial mounts, for it is said that they built or erected these high places for this purpose,—that they might burn their children to Molech. And, probably, there were several mounts in this valley, in order to accommodate a large number of people.—Ed. CHAP. XXXII. 35. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 201 spoken elsewhere—it was a kind of lustration. There is no doubt, however, but that some exceeded the moderation commonly observed, who wished to excel others in the fervour of their zeal; for they actually burned their sons and their daughters, which was a deed the most savage. But they yet thought that it was a service acceptable to God. Others performed their superstition in a milder manner, as they deemed it enough that their children should pass through the fire as a symbol of purification, as also the heathens were wont to purify themselves.1 But the Prophet speaks of sons and of daughters, in order to shew that so great was the intemperate zeal of the Jews, that they not only prostituted themselves before their idols, but also contaminated their offspring with these defilements. He at last says, that he had commanded no such thing, and that it never came to his mind. We have said elsewhere, that whenever this manner of speaking occurs, God cuts off every handle from objectors, because the superstitious ever have something to allege as a pretence when they are summoned to an account. We know that the Papists, by pretending good intentions, confidently glory against God ; and they think that this one pretence is sufficient to defend them against all reproofs ; and they think also that the servants of God and the Prophets are too morose and scrupulous when such an excuse does not satisfy them. But God, that he might not tediously contend with the superstitious, assumes this principle,—that whatever they attempt beyond the Law is spurious, and that, therefore, the inventions of men cannot be defended by any disguise or pretence. Let us then know that true religion is always founded on obedience to God's will; and hence everything devised by men, when there is no command of God, is not only frivolous, but also abominable, according to what was said yesterday respecting the work of the hands ; and so here the command of God is set in opposition to all the inventions of men. But 1 There is no ground for this supposition as to the practice in Tophet; for, in other parts of Scripture, what they did is specifically mentioned. In this very book it is said, that they burnt their children in the fire, ch. vii. 31, and that they burnt them as burnt-offerings to Baal, ch. xix. 5. See also Deut. xii. 31; Ezek. xxiii. 37.—Ed. 202 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT.CXXX. as such declarations often occur, I now touch but slightly on this passage. This doctrine, however, ought to be especially noticed, that is, that there is no need of a long refutation when we undertake to expose fictitious modes of worship, which men devise for themselves according to their own notions, because, after all that they can say, God in one word gives this answer, that whatever he has not commanded in his Law, is vain and mischievous. He then says, that he had not commanded this, and that it had never entered into his mind. God in the last clause transfers to himself what applies only to men ; for it cannot be said with strict propriety of God, that this or that had not come to his mind. But here he rebukes the presumption of men, who dare to introduce this or that, and think that an acceptable worship of God which they themselves have presumptuously devised ; for they seek thus to exalt their own wisdom above that of God himself. And we even find at this day that the Papists, when we shew that nothing has proceeded from the mouth of God of all the mass of observances in which they make religion to consist, do always allege that they do not without reason observe what has been commanded by the fathers, as though some things had come into the minds of men which had escaped God himself! We then see that God in this place exposes to ridicule the madness of those, who, relying on their own inventive wits, devise for themselves various kinds of worship ; for they seek, as we have said, to be wiser than God himself. We now, then, perceive the force of the expression, when God says that it never came to his mind, because men boast that it had not been contrived without reason, and glory in their own acuteness, as though they were able to appoint a better thing than God himself. He afterwards says, That they should do this abomination. God now goes farther, and calls whatever he had not commanded an abomination. And this clause confirms what I have before said, that there is no need of long arguments when the question is respecting the inventions of men, for nothing can be approved of in the worship of God but what he ha3 himself commanded. Whatever therefore has pro- CHAP. XXXII. 36", 37. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 203 ceeded from the notions of men, is not only frivolous and useless, but it is also an abomination ; for God so represents it in this place. It is therefore not enough at this day to repudiate and to treat with disdain the fictitious modes of worship in which the Papists so much glory ; but if we would prove that we have a true zeal for religion, we must abominate all these fictitious things ; for God has once for all declared them to be abominable. He adds, that Judah might sin, or, that they might make Judah to sin: either is admissible, and there is a twofold reading.1 However this may be, he declares that those who build not on the Law, do nothing but sin, though they may think that they render to God the best service, even because they ought to have begun with this principle,—to do nothing but according to what the Law prescribes. It follows,— 36. And now therefore thus saith 36. Et mine propterea sic dicit the Lord, the God of Israel, concern- Jehova, Deus Israel, ad urbem hanc ing this city, whereof ye say, It shall (vel, de urbe hac) de qua vos dicitis, be delivered into the hand of the Tradita est in manum regis Baby-king of Babylon, by the sword, and lonii in gladio et fame et peste; by the famine, and by the pestilence ; 37. Behold, I will gather them 37. Ecce ego congrego eos ex out of all countries whither I have omnibus terris, ad quas expulero eos driven them in mine anger, and in in ira mea, et excandescentia mea, my fury, and in great wrath; and I et indignatione magna; et reducam will bring them again unto this eos ad locum hunc, et habitare fa-place, and I will cause them to dwell ciam secure. safely; God has hitherto been shewing that the Jews were worthy of that extreme punishment with which he had already visited the kingdom of Israel, and that they could not complain of extreme severity, though they were to rot in exile after the ruin of the city and the Temple, for they had polluted the land which ought to have been sacred to God, and had everywhere spread abroad their abominations, so that even the Temple was not free from their filth and defilements, and they had not thus offended for a short time, but, as we have seen, they had despised all warnings ; and though God had been solicitous for their safety, they had yet proudly 1 The Keri, N^nn, " to cause to sin," is no doubt the true reading, even the fiN before Judah is a proof of it, and it is the meaning given by the versions and the Targ,—Ed. 20-1 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT.CXXX. rejected and even extinguished his favour. As then they were of a disposition so wicked, and their impiety had become altogether incurable through so much hardness, God shews that he would render to them the reward due to their works, by wholly rejecting them. But now he adds the promise of favour, in order to shew that he would in such a manner be the avenger of wickedness, as ever to have a regard for the gratuitous covenant which he had made with Abraham. We have already said often, that whenever God mitigates the bitterness of punishment with some hope of mercy, he has a peculiar respect to his chosen people. The word then is not indiscriminately addressed to all, when God declares that he will be at length merciful and propitious, for he encourages his chosen people alone, as I have said, to entertain hope. As then there were some godly seed remaining among the people, God intended to relieve them, so that they might not wholly despond. We now see the Prophet's object; and this truth ought to be carefully observed; for we shall be mistaken as to the doctrine taught by the Prophets, except we know, that after having threatened the wicked and the despisers of God, they then turn their discourse to the elect, to encourage them to bear patiently and with calm minds the punishment laid on them, as Jeremiah did in his own case when he exhorted the faithful to lay their mouth in the dust, and then patiently to wait for God, though he would for a time hide his face from Jacob, that is, from his Church. Jeremiah then, after having shewn that the Jews could not be too severely treated, because they had been wholly intractable, now adds,— And now therefore, thus saith Jehovah, the God of .Israel, concerning this city, or, to this city. The preposition 7X, al, signifies both, but it is more suitable to take it here in the sense of "concerning:" of which, it is added, ye say that it has been delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.1 This does not seem to be consistent with facts, for the Jews themselves had not announced this sentence respecting Jerusalem, ' " Ye are saying," is the original, which betokens a habit at that time; they were continually saying this during the siege.—Ed. CHAP. XXXII. 36,37. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 205 but on the contrary they sturdily rose up against the Prophets, and made a clamour whenever the ruin of the city was announced. What then is meant when God upbraids them with speaking in this manner ? To this I answer, that this had indeed proceeded from the Spirit of God, and also that the Prophets had been the testifiers and heralds of this punishment ; but when the Jews saw that they could not escape, they then had such a dreadful apprehension of God's judgment, that they became wholly stunned with fear; and thus it always happens to the despisers of God, for except he presses hard on them, they scorn all his threatenings; or they think that fables are told them, when God announces that he will execute on them his vengeance. But when they come to extremities, they are filled with amazement, and without any hope confess only that God is angry with them ; hence their despair. The Prophet then does not without reason upbraid them with this—that they said that the city was delivered up to the Chaldean king, even while he was not only assailing it with a strong army, but was also assisted by the sword, the famine, 'and the pestilence as his associates. For before the siege pressed hard on them, they esteemed as nothing, according to what we have seen, all that Jeremiah declared to them; for he lost all his labour for nearly forty years, though the prophecy concerning the ruin of the city, exile, the rejection of the people, and the abolition of all holy things, was proclaimed daily. But now when they saw that the affair was serious, and that they could not escape God's vengeance, they went to another extreme, and said, that God was false in his promises, that his covenant was void and useless, that they had in vain worshipped him, that he had deceived them and had given them false hopes, when he promised that he would dwell in the midst of them. It is, then, in this sense that they said, that the city was delivered up into the hand of the king of Babylon; it was the same as though they had said, that the hope of retwn had been cut off. For they wholly cast away the favour held forth by God, and said that all that Jeremiah had promised was vain, because terrors had laid such hold on their minds and feelings, that they could not entertain any hope of God's mercy. 206 COMMENTARIES ON JEEEMIAH. LECT. CXXX. I have said that the case with all the reprobate is, that they deride God while he spares and bears with them ; but when they find that he is a judge, then they do not look to his mercy, but lie prostrate in despair as though they were lifeless. We now understand what the design of the Prophet was, when he spoke of the Jews as saying, that the city was delivered up to the Chaldeans and the Babylonians, even because the promised deliverance could afford them no comfort, inasmuch as they fully believed that their salvation was hopeless. Ye then say, he says, that the city has been delivered up; but I, he adds, will gather them from all the lands to which I shall drive them in my wrath and hot displeasure and great indignation} Here God promises that the exile would only be temporary, because he would at length gather, as it is said in Ps. cxlvii. 2, the dispersed of Israel. No name is here expressed, but a pronoun ; there is however no ambiguity, for it is sufficiently evident that he speaks of the Jews when he says, I will gather them. As they had been scattered here and there, the gathering of them might have appeared incredible; for had they been only driven from their own country, and a place of exile had been granted them where they might have lived together, they might have hoped some time to return : but the scattering took away every hope, for they had been driven into different countries, and far distant from each other. In order then to obviate this difficulty, God expressly says that he would restore them from all the lands into which he had driven them. And the Prophet no doubt alludes to a passage in Deut. xxx. 4, " Though they be scattered to the four quarters of the world, I will thence gather them." As then God had through Moses promised, that though they were banished into the farthest parts of the world, yet their restoration would not be difficult to him; so the Prophet applies this declaration of Moses to his own prophecy, even that God would gather from the whole of the East those who had been scattered. 1 This promise clearly shews what Calvin says as to their meaning in saying " The city has been delivered up," &c, that is, irretrievably. No, says God, I will restore it.—Ed. CHAP. XXXII. 36,37. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 207 He adds, in my wrath, hot displeasure, and great indignation.1 God does not here speak of his wrath, but in order that the Jews might perceive that they deserved so great a punishment: for we know that as God is the judge of the world, nothing unjust can belong to him. When therefore God's wrath is said to be great, we may with certainty conclude that the vices of men are great; for he is never angry with us, except when he is offended by the greatness of our sins. We hence perceive the reason why the Prophet mentions here the wrath, the hot displeasure and great indignation of God, even that the faithful might feel assured that God would be propitious to them, though they were worthy of eternal ruin. In short, Jeremiah shews that there would be a place for God's mercy, though the Jews had merited destruction a hundred times through their obstinacy. And he adds that his favour would be continued, And I will cause them to dwell safely. After having promised to them a, return, he promises now a tranquil condition : for it would have been better for the Jews to remain always in exile and in foreign lands, than to return to their own country and to live there in misery. This was the reason why the Prophet expressly added, that there would be a quiet habitation for them. But we know that this was not fulfilled when the Jews returned to their own country; for they were greatly harassed by their neighbours, and the building of the Temple was at first hindered, and they endured many troubles from all quarters, and at length they were oppressed with tyranny by the Syrian kings, and reduced to such extremities, that exile would not only have been more tolerable, but even pleasanter and more desirable, in comparison with the many miseries with which they were oppressed. But, as it has been said elsewhere, whenever the Prophets prophesied of the return of the people, they extended what they taught to the whole kingdom of Christ. For liberation from exile was no more than the beginning of God's favour: God began the 1 There is a gradation in the words,—wrath, hot wrath, foaming wrath. Extreme displeasure betokens, as Calvin intimates, extreme wickedness, and inflicts extreme punishment.—Ed. 208 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT.CXXX. work of true and real redemption when he restored his people to their own country ; but he gave them but a slight taste of his mercy. This prophecy, then, with those which are like it, ought to be extended to the kingdom of Christ. He afterwards adds,— 38. And they shall be my people, 38. Et erunt raihi in populum, et and I will be their God: ego ero ipsis in Deum. This promise held the first place in the restoration of the Church ; for had the Jews been filled to satiety with wealth and plenty, and all variety of blessings, their condition would still have been by no means superior, had they not been the people of God ; for men have no happiness, if they live only on the good things of this earthly and frail life, or on its pleasures and delights. Most truly it is said in the Psalms, " Happy is the people whose God is Jehovah." (Ps. cxliv. 15.) For though God commands his own blessings, and designs them as testimonies of his paternal favour towards the godly, yet he will not have them to live as it were on these ; but he raises up their minds by means, as it were, of these steps to the spring-head of true felicity, the very fountain itself, so that they may know that they are under his protection, and that he will ever be a Father to them. We hence see that the Prophet, when he spoke of the restoration of the people, propounded to them the chief and the most desirable thing, even to know that God was reconciled to them, and that they were become thus his people. We hence learn, that though God in his kindness bore with the infirmities of his ancient people, and so mentioned the fruitfulness of the land and other things, yet the end of all the promises was spiritual; nor would have this promise been true, were it explained only of God's temporal blessings. For we must bear in mind that saying of the Prophet, "Thou art our God, we shall not die." (Hab. i. 12.) And doubtless the Prophet in the Psalm which we have just quoted, meant to distinguish the Church of God from all heathen nations, and meant also to distinguish the felicity of the Church from all the pleasures, honours, and those advantages, by which men persuade themselves they can be made happy, provided they obtain them. Since then the Prophet there CHAP. XXXII. 38. COMMENTARIES ON JEItEMIAH. 200 marks the difference between the felicity of the Church and all the fleeting and empty things wished for by those who look no higher than to this world and the present life, it follows, that whenever these words are mentioned, " I will be your God," the hope of an eternal and a celestial life is set before us. There is another thing to be noticed,—that whatever we seek as to the things of this world can yield us no real good, except God be reconciled to us. When therefore we have all things in abundance, when nothing is wanting as to every kind of pleasure, when we are favoured with great wealth, when peace and security are granted to us, yet all this, as I have said, will prove ruinous to us, except God owns us as his children, and becomes a Father to us. Therefore when we seek to become happy, we must direct our minds to the principal thing, even to be reconciled to God, so that we may be able with confidence to call him our Father, to hope for salvation from him, and ever to flee to his mercy. Ungodly men desire this and that, as their own cupidity leads them : the avaricious wishes for a large quantity of money, wide farms, and great revenues; the ambitious seeks to subdue the whole world ; the man of pleasure wishes for everything that may satisfy his lusts, and even he who seems to be moderate, yet desires what is suitable to his disposition ; and thus God is neglected, and also his grace. Let us then know that the wishes of men are wholly unreasonable, when they anxiously seek anything in this world except what flows from this fountain, even from the gratuitous favour of God, and when they do not prefer this singular privilege to all blessings, even that God may be reconciled to them. We now apprehend the meaning of the words, when God declares that the Jews, after their return to their own country, would become his people, and that he would be their God. Let us at the same time observe, that though God possesses the sovereignty of the whole world, he is not yet properly called the God of any, but of his chosen people; for as he gathers the Church for himself as a peculiar treasure, as he speaks everywhere, so this privilege cannot exist without a mutual relationship, that is, exept men know that God is 210 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXX. their God, and are also fully persuaded that they are counted by him as his peculiar people. Now follows an explanation of this verse, which, on account of its brevity, might seem somewhat obscure. 39. And I will give them one heart, 39. Et dabo illis cor unum et and one way, that they may fear me viam unam, ut timeant me cunctis for ever, for the good of them, and of diebus, ut bene sit illis et filiis their children after them: eorum post ipsos. He more clearly explains the last verse ; for he mentions the effects of the favour referred to. God indeed includes everything in one word, when he declares that he will be our God, for he thus adopts us as his children. Hence comes the certainty as to our heavenly inheritance, and also as to his mercy, which is better than life. There is then nothing that can be desired beyond this benefit, that is, when God offers himself to us, and deigns to receive and embrace us as his people. But as I have already said, we do not fully comprehend the benefit of this doctrine ; for, first, we are very tardy and dull, we perceive not what God means by this expression, and then we know how much our nature is prone to diffidence, so far is the distance between us and God. Hence this doctrine has need of explanation. Therefore the Prophet, after having pointed out the cause and the beginning of all blessings, now mentions the effects, which more fully confirm what he had said. Hence he says, I will give to them one heart and one way, that they may fear me for ever : for God does not otherwise own us as his people, nor can he be our Father, except he regenerates us by his Spirit; for it is of regeneration that the Prophet here speaks. But I must defer the rest until to-morrow. PRAYER. Grant, Almighty God, that since our earthly life is appointed as a life of warfare, and we must necessarily be exposed to continual disquietude as long as we sojourn here,—O grant, that we may always look forward to that blessed rest, to which thou invitest us, and in the meantime remain quiet in dependence on thy protection, and courageously fight to the end, not doubting but that CHAP. XXXII. 3.9. COMMENTARIES ON JEBEMIAH. 2J1 through thy favour all things shall turn out for good, until we shall at length enjoy that eternal and glorious inheritance, which is laid up for us in heaven, through Christ our Lord.—Amen. We began yesterday to explain the words of Jeremiah, in which are promised to the people a new heart and a new way. Now, as God promises these, it is certain that they are in his power, and not in the power of man. We hence learn that it is not in man to form his heart for God's service; for it would have been a superfluous, nay, an absurd promise, had God said, that he would give us a heart which was already ours, or which any one might confer on himself. The promises, then, are sure evidences of God's favour, not only as to the end and effect, but also in order that we may know that God ascribes to himself the praise of all these things which he promises to us. And it is with this argument that Augustine often fights against the Palagians, and rightly, because it would be a mere mockery, as I have said, had God promised anything, which depended not on his favour, but on the will and power of man. When he now speaks of one heart, he refers to union and consent, but of such a kind that they all obey God. Men often unite together for evil, and the children of God are often compelled to separate themselves from the ungodly ; and hence are those discords which now prevail in the world, the blame of which is cast on us. But as it is necessary for us to separate from the Papists if we wish to follow God, it is better a hundred times to separate from them than to be united together, and thus to form an ungodly and wicked union against God. Agreement or union is, indeed, singularly a good thing, because there is nothing better or more desirable than peace. But we must ever bear in mind, that in order that men may happily unite together, obedience to God's word must be the beginning. The bond, then, of lawful concord among us is this—that we obey God from first to last; for accursed is every union where there is no regard to God and to his word. We must also observe, that when God promises one heart, 212 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXXI. he adds one way ; and this is to be understood of outward works. And Paul seems to have borrowed from this place when he says that God gives us to will and to do according to his good pleasure. (Phil. ii. 13.) He mentions " to will" first, and the Prophet names the heart, and the heart, we know, is the seat of all the affections. By one heart, then, the Prophet means united affections ; and then by way he means what Paul expresses by " to do ;" for it is not enough "to will," except "to do" be added to it ; while yet the external work is of itself of no value, except it be preceded by the will and a genuine feeling. We now, then, understand what the Prophet means : first, he shews how God would become a God to Israel, even because he would give them one heart and one way. We hence learn, as I have said, that to change the heart, to put off or cast aside corrupt affections, is not in the power of man, because it is a benefit that proceeds from God. But it would not be sufficient for us to be formed for obedience, except God added another favour, even to lead the will itself into action. With regard to concord or union, we have said, that the principle of a right and lawful agreement is, to have regard to God, to depend on his word, and, with one consent, to obey what he commands. According to this meaning, he afterwards adds, That they may fear me. Hence, also, it appears that the fear of God is not otherwise produced than by the regeneration of the Spirit. For were men naturally inclined to fear God, it would not have been ascribed to God and to his grace ; and God claims nothing for himself except what is his own. It then follows that the beginning of the fear of God is the regeneration of the Spirit. But we ought to notice the words when he says, that he would give them one heart and one way, that they might fear him ; for he does not say, " That they may be able to fear me," or, " That there may be a free option, and yet a flexible will;" but he mentions, so to speak, the actual fear of God, as the result of forming anew the hearts of men.1 This, I have said, ought to be carefully 1 " One heart" and " one way," seem to refer to the previous divisions between Israel and Judah. They were before divided in thoughts respect- CHAP. XXXII. 39. COMMENTARIES ON JEKEMIAH. 213 observed, because the Papists confess with us that we are wholly weak as to what is good, and that all our faculties are so corrupt, that the will cannot move itself, nor can any effect follow, without the constant co-operation of the grace of the Holy Spirit; but, at the same time, they imagine that the Holy Spirit does only one half of the work in us ; and hence the grace of the Spirit is called by them aid and cooperation. We hence see how far we and the Papists agree; for they are ashamed to deny, that man's nature is so corrupted by original sin as not always to need the grace of the Holy Spirit. But when God claims entirely for himself whatever good there is in us, the Papists concede to him only the half, and imagine a two-fold grace of God, a grace going before and a grace following. What do the Papists mean, or what do they understand by this grace going before ? Even that God inspires us with good and pious feelings, so that if we wish we may be free to follow what is right; for, as I have said, the Papists confess that we are under the tyranny of the devil, and slaves to him, and that there is no right will in men, except through the prevenient (prceeunte) grace of the Holy Spirit. But as I have already said, they talk vainly of the grace of the Spirit, and say that it is an influence by which God enables us to follow that which is right, if we have a will to do so. Thus, then, the grace of God, according to them, leaves men in suspense, so that they are free either to receive or to reject the grace of God. Afterwards, they join the subsequent grace, which, in their view, is a reward ; for if I assent to God, that is, if I suffer myself to be ruled by his Spirit, and embrace the grace offered to me, God will then reward me with another grace to confirm me in my right purpose. And thus they confess that perseverance is in part the gift of God; but they always imagine it a co-operating grace.. And then, as perseverance, according to them, is God's subsequent grace, and is, as it were, a handmaid, it ceases to be grace, for it is rather the reward of merit. But what does the Prophet say ? I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me. ing God, and in the way of worshipping him. This division would no longer exist.—Ed. 214 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXXI. We hence see that the grace of God is of itself efficacious ; and then he does not say that he would give them a power to turn either way, but that he would give them one heart, as the same thing is afterwards more clearly expressed. We see then that the one heart or will is the work of the Holy Spirit, and the mere favour of God. This ought in the first place to be borne in mind. We further see that this grace works effectually in men ; it not only gives them a free option, but the actual work, as they commonly say, follows, that they may fear me, and it is added, all their days. Here God promises also perseverance as the singular gift of the Holy Spirit; for it would not be sufficient that our hearts should be formed for his service, were he not to sustain us in it; for such is our levity and weakness, that we might every moment fall away from his grace. There is, then, need of grace to preserve us. It hence appears, that not only the beginning of good works proceeds from his Spirit, but also that he enables us to go on to the end ; for otherwise there would be no perseverance in a right course. He adds, That it may be well with them, and with their children after them. By these words he intimates, that the Israelites themselves had been the authors of all their evils, because they had not feared God; for they could not have been happy without continuing in obedience to him. And the Prophet confirms what we said yesterday, that external prosperity is in itself evanescent; therefore we ought to seek first the grace of God. But when is it that God is propitious to us ? Even when we know him as our Father, and obey his commandments ; that is, when we render ourselves submissive to him as it becomes children. It now follows,— 40. And I will make an ever- 40. Et percutiam (vel, insculpam, lasting covenant with them, that feriam) cum ipsis foedus perpetuum, I will not turn away from them, to nempe quod non discedam ab ipsis (ad do them good ; but I will put my verbum, de post ipsis,) ut benefaciam fear in their hearts, that they ipsis, ettimoremmei ponam in cordibus shall not depart from me. ipsorum, ut non discedant a me. He pursues the same subject; but the repetition is intended emphatically to recommend the grace of God, for we know how men ever strive to withhold the praise due to his grace, CHAP. XXXII. 40. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 215 and that on account of their pride. God, then, on the other hand, celebrates in high terms his grace, lest men should malignantly obscure it. He first says, / will strike with them a perpetual covenant. We must notice the contrast between the covenant of the Law, and the covenant of which the Prophet now speaks. He called it in the thirty-first chapter a new covenant, and gave the reason for it, because their fathers had soon fallen away after the Law was proclaimed, and because its doctrine was that of the letter, and deadly, and also fatal. But he now calls it a, perpetual covenant. That the covenant of the Law was not valid, this was accidental to it; for the Law would remain in force, were we only to keep it; but through men's fault it happened that the covenant of the Law became void and immediately vanished. When, therefore, God promises anything, there is a manifest difference; but what is it ? God intimates that his doctrine is set before men with no effect, for it only sounds in their ears, it does not penetrate into their hearts. There is, then, need of the grace of the Holy Spirit; for except God speaks within and touches our hearts, the sound will be to no purpose, only beating the air. We now, then, see why the covenant is called perpetual which God now promises. We must, at the same time, bear in mind that this covenant peculiarly belongs to the kingdom of Christ. For though it was a part of God's grace, which was manifested in delivering his people from captivity, yet the continued stream of his grace ought to be extended to the coming of Christ. The Prophet then, no doubt, brings Christ before us, together with the new covenant; for without him there is not the least hope that God would make another covenant, as it appears evident from the whole Law and the teaching of the Prophets. Then Christ is here opposed to Moses, and the Gospel to the Law. It hence follows, that the Law was a temporary covenant, for it had no stability, as it was that of the letter ; but that the Gospel is a perpetual covenant, for it is inscribed on the heart. And for the same reason it is also called a new covenant, for the Law must have become obsolete, since the perpetuity of which the Prophet speaks has come in its place. 2] 6 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXXT. Now follows an explanation, Because I will not depart, &c. The ISJ'K, asher, here is not a relative, but rather an explanatory or exegctic particle. It then briefly designates the form or nature of the covenant, even that God would never depart from behind them. God is sometimes said to go before his faithful people, when he shews to them the right way. He is said also to rule them from behind, as when Isaiah says, " They shall hear a voice behind them, saying, ' This is the way, walk ye in it.'" (Isa. xxx. 21.) God no doubt testifies here, that he would be always an Instructor and Teacher to his people. And he says, that he will speak from behind, as schoolmasters follow the pupils committed to their care, even that they may observe and watch all their gestures, walking, words, and everything else. So God compares himself to those teachers to whom children are committed to be taught and trained ; and he says that he speaks from behind. We may then explain what is here said in this sense, " I will not depart from after thee:" but we may also take a simpler view, that God would not depart from them, even because he would shew them perpetual favour and kindness, according to what is immediately added, that I may do them good. In a word, God shews that he would be an eternal Father to his people, who would never forsake nor cast them away.1 But the manner or method is also expressed, that he would put his fear in their hearts, that they might never depart from him. This is the same doctrine with what we have already seen ; it is now repeated, but in other 1 The "1E2>&5 may be rendered that, or because. It would be a perpetual covenant, because he would " not turn from being after them to do them good," or, as the Syr. is, " from following them to do them good." The Vulg. omits "1B>N, and so does the Targ. ; the Syr. gives it the meaning of that, but it is rendered which, by the Sept., " which (that is covenant) I will not turn away from behind them," that is, as it seems, from those behind them, i.e., posterity. And this is the meaning which Blayney has adopted, " which I will not withdraw from their posterity, to be a benefactor to them;" which last words he evidently connects with the first clause. What favours this rendering is, that " children" are mentioned in the previous verse. Still, owing to the last clause, the Syriac version seems to be the most suitable. There are here two remarkable promises,—that God would not turn away from them,—and that he would put in his fear, so as to keep them from turning away from him.—Ed. CHAF. XXXII. 40. COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. 2] 7 words; and thus God, as I said, more fully illustrates his favour. He says then that he would put his fear in the hearts of men. We now see how that puerile fiction is refuted, with which the Papists are inebriated, when they say that God's grace co-operates, because the Spirit helps the infirmity of men, as though they themselves brought something of their own and were co-operators. But the Prophet here testifies that the fear of God is the work and gift of the Holy Spirit. He does not say I will give them power to fear me, but I will put my fear in their hearts. We then see that he again shews that the Spirit works effectually in us, so as to form anew our affections, and does not leave us capable of turning or suspended. The same thing is said by Ezekiel, " And I will cause them to fear me." (Ezek. xxxvi. 27.) Thus the same doctrine is confirmed there, for it is said, that God would make Israel to fear him, not that they might be able to fear him. He adds again, That they may not depart from me. We see that clearly refuted are those foolish notions about neutral grace, which offers only power to men, which they may afterwards receive if they please; for the Prophet says, " that they may not depart from me." Thus he again shews that perseverance, no less than the commencement of acting rightly, is the gift of God and the work of the Holy Spirit: and as I have already said, were God only to form our hearts once, that we might be disposed to act rightly, the devil might, at any moment, entice us, by his wiles, from the right way, or, as he employs sudden and violent attacks, he might drive us up and down as he pleases. To rule us then for one hour would avail us nothing, except God preserved us through the whole course of our life, and led us on to the end. It hence then follows, that the whole course of our life is directed by the Spirit of God, so that the end no less than the beginning of good works ought to be ascribed to his grace. Whatever merit then men claim for themselves, they take away from God, and thus they become sacrilegious. A question may, however, be here raised : we see that the faithful often stumble, not ten times during life, but every day: how then is this, that where God's Spirit works, his 218 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LEOT. CXXXI. efficacy is such that men never turn aside from the right way ? Were any to answer, that the faithful indeed stumble, but do not wholly fail, and that God here refers to that defection which shakes off every fear of God, it would not be a full solution. For we see that even the elect themselves are sometimes like apostates, for the fear of God and piety are, as it were, choked in them. Piety is not indeed extinguished, but not even a spark of the Spirit appears in them. But we must notice, that inflexible perseverance is given to the faithful, so that when they fall, they soon repent. Hence interruptions are no hinderances that God should not guide them from the starting-post to the goal, until they complete their whole course. And thus true is what Augustine says, that the Spirit so works in us, that we invariably have a good will. For he compares our state with that of Adam, such as he was in his first creation. We know that Adam was then without any stain, for he was formed in the image of God: he was then upright and free from every vice. We are as yet imperfect; though God has regenerated us by his Spirit, there abide in us still some remnants of the flesh, and we do not run with so much alacrity as it behoves us ; nay, we are constrained to exclaim with Paul, that we are " wretched," and to confess that we do not the good which we would, but the evil which is hateful to us. (Rom. vii. 15.) Then the condition of Adam seems to have been better than ours. To this Augustine replies,—that God deals better with us now than he did with Adam, our first parent; for though he created him just and innocent, and without any stain, yet he gave him a nature liable to a change ; and hence Adam, having a free-will, immediately fell. To what end then did free-will serve ? even that man immediately fell and brought us into the same ruin with himself. This is the praise of free-will! even that man, possessed of it, cast himself down into the lowest abyss, whence he could never of himself have risen. But now, with respect to us, though we halt, and also turn out of the right way, and our depraved lusts entice us to evil, and our corruption hinders us from running as we desire to do, yet our condition is far better, because God endues us amidst all our conflicts with CHAP. XXXII. 41. COMMENTAKIES ON JEBEMIAH. 219 the power of his own Spirit, so that we are never overcome or overwhelmed. This indefectible constancy, (indeclinabilis constantia,) as Augustine calls it, is then far superior to the excellency and honour which Adam at first possessed. This may be clearly gathered from the words of the Prophet when he says, that God would put his fear in the hearts of his people, so that they may never depart from him. It may be again asked, why is there no mention made of gratuitous justification ? for the covenant of God cannot be valid, except he reconciles us to himself, for regeneration is not sufficient for the obtaining of God's favour, as in part only we will rightly and act rightly. To this we answer, that there is no doubt but that God includes faith in the word fear; hence remission of sins, by which men return into favour with God, is not excluded when regeneration is spoken of. This passage may at the same time be explained in this way, that the Prophet states a part for the whole. Doubtless the new covenant, as we have before seen, consists of two parts, even that God, in adopting us as his children, forgives us, and pardons all our infirmities, and then governs us by his Spirit: but here he speaks only of the last. So the sentence may be viewed as including a part for the whole. Still the Scripture, as it has been said, when it speaks of God's fear, often includes faith, for God, as the Psalmist says, cannot be feared, except we taste of his goodness, " With thee is propitiation, that thou mayest be feared." (Psalm cxxx. 4.) For there would be no reverential fear of God, except it were preceded by a knowledge of his paternal favour. 41. Yea, I will rejoice over them 41. Et Isetabor super ipsos bene- to do them good, and I will plant them ficiendo ipsis, et plantabo eos in terra in this land assuredly with my whole hac, in veritate (id est, fideliter,) in heart, and with my whole soul. toto corde meo, et in tota anima mea. When God says that he would take pleasure in doing good to his people, he adopts the language of man, for fathers rejoice when they can do good to their children. God then, as the paternal love with which he regards his people could not have been otherwise expressed, made use of this similitude. Further, the contrast also ought to be noticed, even 220 COMMENTARIES ON JEREMIAH. LECT. CXXXI. that God had rejoiced when he punished his people for their wickedness. For God delights in judgment as well as in mercy. God then for a time rejoiced when he punished the people ; for as his judgment is right, he delights in it. But now he says that he would manifest his paternal affection, so as to take pleasure in doing them good. He adds, 1 will plant them in this land. He had indeed planted them, when, by Joshua, the possession of the land was given them, according to what is said in the 80th Psalm, where a similar expression is used, even that God had brought his vine out of Egypt, and planted it in the promised inheritance. (Psalm lxxx. 8.) But afterwards the people were plucked up by the roots. Hence the first possession of the land to the time of the exile was not, strictly speaking, a plantation, for the people did not then strike firm roots. God then promises here something new and unusual, when he speaks of a plantation. Nor is there a doubt but the perpetuity, of which mention has been made, is intended; for this plantation of the people depends on the covenant, and the covenant is not temporary as before t