The Unreasonableness and Danger of a People's Renouncing Their Subjection to God

p. 1The Unreasonableness and Danger of a Peoples Renouncing their Subjection unto GOD.

Jer. II. XXXI▪

O Generation, see ye the Word of the Lord: have I been a Wilderness unto Israel? a Land of darkness? whe◊efore say my people, We are Lords, we will come no more unto thee?

THE Lords Visible Professing people, having ◊een, by sundry fore-going 〈…〉 wa◊ned of their horrible provoking E◊i◊s and invited to Repentance and Reformation, left they should Invol◊e themselves under his heavy Judgments, but all this in great measure in vain, and to no purpose, the people being so greatly hardened; He do◊h at last raise up this Prophet, whose name, as the Learned observe, denotes the 〈…〉 or the Exaltation of the Lord, a name well becoming one, by whose Ministry the Lord was so Exalted, in many close and sharp Reproof◊ of sins terrible denunciations of approaching Judgments, and also Divine Promises of Mercy, I say, He raises up this Proph◊t, not so much to invite those hopeless ones to Repentance, as to Denounce the Destruction p. 2of Jerusalem, and the Temple, and the peoples Seventy Years Captivity in Babylon, for their Incorrigible persisting in their Sins. Whether this Chapter contains in it the first Sermon, that the Prophet Jeremiah Preached directly 〈…〉 this People, or not as it is not positively determine◊d, so neither is it Material for us to inquire, altho' it be the first that we have upon Record

The former Chapter contains in it the Commission, which God gave him to this Office of a People, together with some necessary Instructions and Directions, in order to the right discharge thereof, and being set upon so great a piece of service, attended with many Difficulties & hazards, and Weight being added to all these by his being Call◊d to this Work in his 〈…〉; the ◊o◊d doth as there was occasion, present him with some strengthening, and supporting Considerations. The Prophet being thus called, furnished, and fortified to his Work, is in this Chapter manifestly set about it: which chiefly consists of matters of C◊◊◊icti◊n laid before this people (which were visibly Gods Professing people) of the greatness of their evil in departing away from God: the Unreasonableness of their so doing he manifests, in that God never gave them any real Occasion so to do. v 〈…〉. Thus 〈…〉 the Lord, wha◊ 〈…〉 have your Fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after v◊n◊ty and 〈…〉 become vain? In the words now read the Lord doth return to his former Expostulation p. 3with them, and therein puts them upon shewing, wherein▪ He had by neglecting, or wronging them, laid them under any Necessity, or given them any Occasion, to depart away from Him: And therein makes it evidently, and beyond all question to appear, that if Reason, Experience, or Gratitude had born any sway with them, they would not have forsaken Him In the Words we may observe, p. 31. The Lords clearing Himself from blame, in what He had been to, and done for this people, propounded by way of Interrogation: Which Interrogation implies a ve◊errent negation, Have I been a Wilderness unto Israel? &c. q. d I have not been so, but on the contrary, like a pleasant fruitful Land to them

2. The Lords Charge drawn up against them by way of Expostulation. Wherefore say my people, we are Lords, we will come no more unto the?

Particularly 1. A Compellation. O Generation.

2. Their serious attendance to what he had to propose to them, Required, see ye the Word of the Lord.

3. The Principal thing proposed. Wherein we have

1 An account of the great care which the Lord had had of, and the great kindness He had shewed to them, Have 〈…〉 &c &c

2. Their Evil from hence argued, and aggravated, Wherefore ◊ay my people, &c. O Generation▪ some would have this to be a Note of Admiration, and p. 4Exclamation, and Read it thus, Oh Generation! or Oh what a strange Generation is this, into what Times are we fallen! But it rather seems to be a Note of Compellatic calling upon and inviting the People then living, seriously to consider what he was now about to deliver to them, pressing that upon them now, which he had upon their Fathers. v. 5. See ye the Word of the Lord. i. e. Seriously consider it To see, the Word is a Phrase not much unlike to the Hearing the Rod, MIc 6: 9. For the heart hath an Eye to see the one, as well as an Ear to hear the other, there is an Inward, as well as an Outward Eye Dent. 29, 2, 3, 4. And Moses called unto all Israel and said unto them, ye have seen all that the Lord did before your Eyes in the Land of Egypt unto Pharaoh and unto all his Servants and unto all his land; The great Temptations which thine Eyes have seen, the signs, and those great Miracles: Yet the Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive, and Eyes to see, and Ears to hear, unto this day Pro. 20. 11. The hearing Ear, and the seeing Eye, the Lord hath made even both of them. Have I been a Wilderness unto Israel? Israel was a Name firstly given unto Jacob on occasion of his wrestling, and prevailing for a Blessing Gen 32. 28. And ◊e said, thy Name shall be called no, more Jacob, but Israel: for as a Prince thou hast power with God, and with Men, and hast Prevailed. From hence his Posterity were called I◊◊a◊l; of them consisted the Visible Church of God, until the coming of Christ Psal. 76. I. In Iudah God is known, his Name is great in p. 5Israel. And from thence the Holy Ghost hath seen meet to make it a name of the whole Invi◊◊ ble Catholick Church, Col, 6. 16. …