CHAP. XVIII. Vs 1—6.~ (Notes, xix. 2. -J5. xiv. 9 10.)—Wheels. (3.) Literally stones, or, ‘‘two stones; one beneath fixed, and one above, which turned round3 and answering the purpose of modern contrivances for the same purpose. Indisputably the Lord had a more far absolute property in his people, as their Creator and Governor, than the potter could have over the clay: yet the potter disposed of his clay as he pleased without controu} ; ro
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5. Ez. lil. 20. xviti. 94. xxxiii. x a 2ePh ee the men of Judah, and to the inhabi-i, 30." aki, 13 tants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the 1 Gene ai 3) 4.7. Lorp, Behold, I frame evil against you, v. 5. am. iv.™ and devise a device against you: "re-
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chee mad towards them. (Marg. Ref. Notes, Rom. ix. 19—23, to _ V. 7-10. The sovereignty of God is absolute, and he. does not always make known to us the wise and holy rea-.
sons of his conduct; especially towards fallen sinners, who are as “‘ marred clay in his hand.” This was here shewn to be the case, in his providential government of the nations. If he sent his prophets to threaten any nation with desolating judgments for their sins ; a reserve of mercy to the penitent was always implied. If then that nation took the alarm, and by repentance and reformation sought to avert the impending storm, the Lord would certainly repent of the evil which he thought:to do to them; that is, he would not execute the threatened vengeance.
Thus Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah, and escaped the threatened judgment. (Notes, Jon. iii.) On the other hand, all promises of national ‘dbs ga? i ears a requirement of obedience: and if a general apostacy from God and his service took place, the promised blessings would be revoked or withheld. ‘ Wherever repentance is ascribed to God, it must be ‘meant only of a change, with respect to the outward ad- * ministrations of his providence, and his dealings with man ‘otherwise than he did before.’ (Lowth.) ‘ When the ‘ tal jae attributeth repentance unto God; it is not, that ‘ he doeth contrary to that which he hath ordained in his * secret counsel.
But when he threateneth, it is a call to * repentance: and when he giveth man grace to repent, the ‘ threatening, (which ever containeth a condition in it, ) ‘ taketh no places and this the scripture calleth repentance; * because it appeareth so to man’s judgment.’—( Note, Gen, vi. 6. Num. xxiii. 19, 20.)
V. 11, 12. (Marg. Ref. Note, ii. 24. vii. 5-7.) The people either pleaded that God was a severe Master, whom
CHAPTER XVITI.
| * Ask ye now among the heathen, ‘who 2oii.ch pel’:
and make your ways and your doings’
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and we will every ote do the imagination 4 S¢ on ii. 10. of his evil -heart. r i Gam. iv. 7.10. ¥ . i, 8. te 13 Therefore thus saith the Lorp;,%':,. ww. ;
ih hath heard such things: *the -virgine v's. xxii. 14. of Israel hath done ‘a very horrible » on; iny felt fot thing. | 3 14 Will a man leave * the snow of suming ‘water be forsaken for
| Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the strange coll
the field ? or shall the cold flowing waters ® Sea it. 18. 19.
that come from another place be for-.2° #3 |, saken? Ts. inve 7. Wot,
15 Because " my people hath forgotten y is.'i 19: ix. me, they have *burnt incense to vanity, mit "i” &
and they have * caused them to stumble: se on vi. 16. ° . z . 2x, $. Is. iwi, in their ways from *the ancient paths,,\. a ; ee on ix. I1— to walk in paths, it a way not east me % x. 2. Up ; 34. ut. 16 To * make their land desolate, and TO 2h Tt °a perpetual hissing: every one that pass- {".." “"™ eth thereby shall be astonished, ° and“ cht? vit’ so, wag his head. | aM Tie. 17 I will ‘scatter them as with di east 14 1s. xxvii. a ; ee. Matt. xxvii. wind before the enemy; I will *shew %9. Mak x. them the back, and not the face, in. * the® xii... Deut. day of their calamity. egier A ila Hos. xiii. 15, fii. 97. xxii, 98. Deut. xxxi. 17. Judg. x. 19, 14. g xlvi. 21. Deut. xxxii. $5.
there was no hope of pleasing; and an implacable Enemy whom there was no hope of pacifying: or, that there was no hope of security or prosperity, if they renounced their idols and heathen ordinances, and returned to his service: they were therefore determined to go on in their evil ways. —‘* But they said desperately, Surely we will walk after ** ourown imaginations ; and every man after the stubborn- ‘* ness of his wicked heart.” (Old Trans.)—* As men that ‘ had no remorse, but were altogether bent to rebellion, and ‘ to their own self-will."--Perhaps the people, contemptuously and profanely, used the prophet's own words €on-cerning them, in expressing their avowed disregard to his
exhortations: for it 1s not likely, that they meant to own
the wickedness of their hearts, (Marg. Ref. Notes, Is. XXViil. Q—11. 14, 15)
V. 13—17. (Note, ii. g—193.) The heathen had not apostatized ‘an their false gods, as the Israelites did from the true God. He had espoused the nation asa chaste vir-oe but she had committed most horribleadulteries. (Notes,
Z. XVI. g=22.) Common sense taught men to value clear waters, which, from the melted snows on Lebanon, were purified by running through the cavities of the rocks, and sprang up in the fields; or to prefer the cold spring-waters from any other place, to the stagnant waters otf some pond, or cistern; or, waters brought from a-far by aqueducts. (Note, 2 Kings xix. 24.) But Israel had forsaken the infinitely glorious JEHOVAH for worthless idols } and they had caused each other to stumbfe and turn aside from the ancient paths, in which their believing ancestors had walked, into such as were unauthorized: and which resembled the Tee. or rough road, through countries which are seldom travelled, For this sin and folly, their land would soon be desolated, - and exposed to the derision of every padsenger; (Marg.
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xvii. 14. Job v-smite him * with the tongue, ™ and let us Jovi. 11. Ps. ti not give heed to any of his words.
3, Prov. xvii 19 ® Give heed: to me, O Lorp, and “mv is. xiii,’ Hearken to the voice of them that con-wuz tes. w.tend with me.
cx« 38, ie. 20 Shall ? evil be recompensed for
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Cix. 4, 5. Prov. ; : , xvii 33cm = 21 Therefore ‘deliver up their chil-q 22. Job vi. 27. Ps. vii. 15. xxxv. 7. Ivii. 6. cxix. 95. Prov. xxvi. 27. Be. x.8. = rVii. 16. Mie 14. XIV. J— 11, 20-—20. xv. 1. Gen. xviii, 29-90. Ps. cvi. 23. Ez. xxii. 30, $1, Zech.
dil. 1, 2. 8 Xi, 20-—23. xii, J. XX. 1—6. 11, 12. Ps. cix. 9—20. 2 Tim. iy. l4.
*
us devise devices against Jeremiah: ‘ for | blood by the force of the sword ; * and let* 3°34, 4%
their wives be bereaved of their children, Dent. et Hg
and be widows; and let’their men be put w ix. Sl. xi. 9,
to death ; "/et their young men Le slain * chr. ‘xxi. by the sword in battle. : zi. le 9. Si.
22 Let *a cry be heard from their 217,59 houses, when thou shalt bring a troop 3i),"%. 3.3
suddenly upon them; * for they havey set's. digged a pit to take me, * and hid snares” Savii'te. At for my feet. | ae 23 Yet, Lorp, * thou knowest all their» Seen 18, 2, counsel against me *to slay me: ° for-3 Heb. Ser death. give not their iniquity, neither blot out # i 5 me their sin from thy sight, but let them be '* 4s overthrown before thee: deal ¢hus with ° #!* 7: them ‘in the time of thine anger. ri aad
ii, 5.
Ref ;) they would be lett to flee -before the enemy, as chaff | ‘ rigible, I shall not any more intercede for them: but let
or dust ‘before the east-wind; and the Lord would turn his back on them, and shew them no favour in their distress.— The fourteenth verse is rendered differently by some trans- Jators: but the general meaning is clear; and our translation seems preferable to such as are substituted in its place.
V.. 18. When'the prophet assured the people, that the Lord “ devised a device against them,” (11,) and when he called them to repentance; instead of obeying the call, they ‘* devised devices against him,” and thus they shewed their enmity against God. The prophet had denounced vengeance against the ungodly priests, rulers, and counsellors, and the false prophets. (Marg.
Ref.) But the people were confident, tbat these would maintain their credit and authority, notwithstanding his predictions; and that their priests would be able to ean and handle the law, their wise men to give good counsel, and their prophets to speak the word of God to them. They therefore consulted together to calumniate him, and to obtain false witnesses against him, that he might: be condemned; or, to punish him for the words, which he had spoken: for they determined not to give any heed to any of them. (Notes, xxvi. 7—9. Am. Vil. 10, 11.
Acts vi. g—14.)—The chief priests and scribes had just the same objection to the doctrine of Christ and his apostles, and contacted their opposition exaétly in the same manner. (Marg. Ref. Notes, Matt. xxili. 13—99. XXVI, 57—62. thn Vil, 410, XV. 17——25.)—* This argu- “ment the wicked have ever used against the servants of * God.—The church cannot err: we are the’ church, and ‘ therefore whoever speaketh against us ought to die.—Thus ‘ the false church persecuteth the true church, which stand- ‘ eth not in outward pomp, and in multitude ; but is known . bak graces of the Holy Ghost.’
-V. 19, 20. The discovery of this conspiracy led the prophet to renew his complaints; and his prayers, that the Lord would notice the malicious words of those, who rewarded him evil for good. If the people would not attend to his words, he trusted the Lord would.—They were secretly plotting against his life: but he, that searched the heart, knew that he had earnestly prayed for their temporal and eternal salvation. (Notes, vil. 16. xi. 18—23. xiv. 7 —22. XV. 1. 15—18.) - |
V. 21—23. (Marg. Ref.) ‘ Since they are thus incor-
‘those calamities of famine and sword, which thou hast ‘threatened, overtake them.’ (Lowth.) ‘ Seeing the ob-stimate malice of the adversaries, which grew daily more ‘and more; the prophet, being moved by God’s Spirit, ‘ without any carnal affection, prayeth for their destruction ‘ because he knew that it should tend to God’s glory and ‘ profit of his church.’—As several of the verbs are impe-tative, the language of prayer, rather than prophecy, it is
not needful to maintain, that no mixture of human infirmity
discovered itself on this trying occasion; especially as we must allow this to have been the case,in other instances, (Notes, xx. 10—18.)—Pour out, &c. (21.) (Note, Ps. lviti.
6—9. 9) PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS.. ; V. 1—10. ei ;
Theservant of God may collect profitable hints fromevery . object and occurrence: and nothing conveys truth more - forcibly than apt illustration—We should unreservedly obey the commandments of God: and if we would “ hear. ‘‘ his words,” we must use the appointed means, and ob-~ serve his directions.—The great Creator arid Lord of the universe hath an undoubted right and uncontroulable power, to dispose of us and of all creatures, as he pleases: this extends equally to other nations as to Esrael; and likewise to individuals; to our temporal and our eternal concerns: and as fallen creatures, we are entirely without plea or claim, having forfeited every thing by sin.
The Lord may therefore, ‘‘according to the counsel of his own will,” either leave us to ourseives, as ‘* vessels of wrath fitted for destruc. ‘tion;” or cast us into a new shape, .“ as vessels of mercy. ‘« prepared before for his external glory.” (Note, Rom. ix. 22,23.) But this absolute sovereignty is always directed by unerring wisdom, and exercised with the most perfect justice, truth, goodness, and meréy: so that none have ought to fear from it, but the determined enemiés of God; and none can object to it, without finding fault with. infi. nite perfection.
What then can rational ereatures. deem preferable to this absolute dominion? what can a_ penitent sinner desire more, than the uncontroulable rule of-infinite mercy? (Notes, Ex. xxxiil. 19, 20.‘%xxiV¥. 5—7. Rom. ix, 15-38.) And who will say, that encouragement should
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