31 And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them; but they hearkened not.

32 Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like words. LECTURE 1243.

Against treating God's word with neglect.

There is a remarkable contrast between the obedience so lately recorded to the credit of the Rechabites, in matters of indifference enjoined by their progenitor, see ch. 35, and the presumptuous disobedience, or rather outrageous defiance, which Jehoiakim here manifests towards the revealed word of the Lord. And whereas it was mentioned, that the princes were all afraid when

Jeremiah's prophecies had been read to them, afraid lest they should incur the displeasure of the king, and moreover that they counselled the scribe and the prophet to hide themselves for fear of the king's wrath; it is here stated as a proof of their daring towards God, "Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king nor any of his servants that heard all these words." And this act of defiance on the king's part was rendered if possible more offensive by the fact, that three of the king's counsellors "had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll."

It is to be hoped that few are so hardened in ungodliness, as that they could be guilty of casting into the fire the volume of God's word. And yet there are many of whom it would be hard to deny, that they habitually treat it with open scorn. They reject the counsel of the Lord, and they listen not to the friends who urge them to comply with it. They live in the notorious practice of things which God forbids, and in undisguised neglect of things which He enjoins. And they are not afraid. They give no outward signs of fearing God's displeasure. And though it may happen to some of them to be troubled with fearful misgivings within; there is reason to think, that many both live and die in the much more awful case, of being at once godless and fearless, wholly unprepared for death, yet not afraid of dying, altogether unreconciled towards God, and yet not shrinking from the near approach to his presence, or from the thought of standing before the judgment seat of Christ. From all such false courage as this may God in his mercy preserve us; teaching us to tremble at his word, and not only to treat it with respect outwardly, but so to stand in awe of its sacred contents, as never to disobey it wilfully!

The hardened Jehoiakim, not content with venting his rage upon the roll of the book, sent to seize on Jeremiah and Baruch, with a view to their imprisonment or death. "But the Lord hid them." Yet Jeremiah was a person on whom the eyes of all must have been at that time fixed. And it was but lately, that he had been as he said "shut up,' so far put under restraint that he could not "go into the house of the Lord." Ver. 5. Yet could God effectually conceal both him and Baruch, from the search and persecution of Jehoiakim; yes, and also give them opportunity to set down in writing the very words which this wicked king had thrown into the fire, and to add thereunto "many like words." Nor was this act of profane defiance overlooked in the terrible sentence now put on record. God forbid then that we should shut our ears against his warnings, as though we could thereby escape his judgments! From all the terrible things which are coming on the earth God grant that we may seek deliverance, not by aiming to hide ourselves from Him or from his word, but by being graciously protected under the shadow of his wings, through Jesus Christ, according to his Gospel!

Jeremiah is wrongfully smitten and cast into the dungeon.
when the army of the Chaldeans
was broken up from Jerusalem
for fear of Pharaoh's army,
12 Then Jeremiah went forthout
of Jerusalem to go into the land
of Benjamin, to separate himself
thence in the midst of the people.
13 And when he was in the gate
of Benjamin, a captain of the
ward was there, whose name was
Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the
son of Hananiah; and he took Je-
remiah the prophet, saying, Thou
fallest away to the Chaldeans.

1 And king Zedekiah the son
of Josiah reigned instead of Co-
niah the son of Jehoiakim, whom
Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon
made king in the land of Judah.
2 But neither he, nor his ser-
vants, nor the people of the land,
did hearken unto the words of
the LORD, which he spake by the
prophet Jeremiah.

3 And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now unto the LORD our God for us.

4 Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people: for they had not put him into prison. 5 Then Pharaoh's army was come forth out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem.

6 Then came the word of the LORD unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying,

7 Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to enquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh's army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land.

8 And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire. 9 Thus saith the LORD; Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us: for they shall not depart. 10 For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.

11 And it came to pass, that

14 Then said Jeremiah, It is false; I fall not away to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to him so Irijah took Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes. 15 Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they had made that the prison. 16 When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many days;

17 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the LORD? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.

18 Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, What have I offended against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison?

19 Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?

20 Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O my lord the king let

my supplication, I pray thee, be accepted before thee; that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.

commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city were spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison. LECTURE 1244.

21 Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should

Instruction in true courage and faithfulness.

Zedekiah the king sent and asked Jeremiah, "Pray now unto the Lord our God for us," when neither he nor his people would listen to the prophet's words. But though it is certain that the prayers of a righteous man avail much, see Jam. 5. 16, there is no ground for the superstitious expectation of the wicked, that they may trust to prayer made for them by others, whilst they neglect to obey God themselves. Nor might the inhabitants of Jerusalem safely put any confidence in the forces of Pharaoh king of Egypt; which for a time had distracted the attention of the Chaldeans, but which would soon return to their own land. And to shew the vanity of this hope, it is added, that though there should be none left of the Chaldeans save wounded men, these would suffice to fulfil God's purpose of burning Jerusalem to the ground. If the prayers of the righteous will not avail the wicked for defence, much less will the alliance of the ungodly. The most mighty would in vain unite their strength to defeat God's purposes. The most feeble, when appointed to fulfil them, prove irresistible. And now see the waywardness and arbitrary cruelty of those, who have not the fear of God before their eyes. On a groundless charge, without any form of trial as far as it appears, the princes, who had probably joined with the king in asking the prayers of the prophet, smite him as a deserter to the enemy, and cast him into a noisome dungeon. Thence again after many days he is summoned to give counsel in secret to the king, who it seems would have let him perish there unheeded, had he not wished for his own benefit to inquire, "Is there any word from the Lord?" Who but must feel his faith and courage kindled, on hearing the prophet's intrepid answer, "There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon?” Who but must be struck by the dignified protestation of his own innocence, and the exposure of the false prophets, with which the true prophet of the Lord prefaced his urgent and respectful supplication to the king, that he might be removed from the dungeon in which he was confined? Here we may learn how to sue for favours without meanness, how to speak for God and for his truth without offensiveness. And here we may do well to resolve, that no oppressive persecution shall ever make us shrink from glorifying God before man; nor on the other hand ever tempt us to withhold the respect due to those amongst mankind, who however they may abuse their power, are, as rulers, the ordinance of God.

Jeremiah, again cast into a dungeon, is drawn out.

1 Then Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken unto all the people, saying,

2 Thus saith the LORD, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live.

3 Thus saith the LORD, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, which shall take it.

4 Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.

5 Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand: for the king is not he that can do any thing against you.

6 Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire.

:

7 Now when Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs which was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon; the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin ;

8 Ebed-melech went forth out of the king's house, and spake to the king, saying,

9 My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city.

10 Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die.

11 So Ebed-melech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence old cast clouts and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.

12 And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords. And Jeremiah did so.

13 So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out ofthe dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.

LECTURE 1245.

Cruel treatment of prisoners an unchristian practice. Though it is certain that the prophecies of Jeremiah are not arranged in the order in which they were first revealed, it is not improbable that their order as they stand may be that which was