The Necessity of a Speedy and Thorough Reformation

Jeremiah XIII. 16.

Give Glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark Mountains, and while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.

JEREMIAH was One of those Many Prophets, whom God because he had Compassion on his People and Dwelling-place, sent to his People Israel grown very Corrupt and Degenerate, to discover their sinful Miscarriages to them, and to urge the Reformation of them, as a means of preventing those fearful Desolations which would otherwise overtake them 〈…〉 Chron. 36◊◊◊. As his Name, Jeremiah signifies, The Exaltation of the Lord, So he takes frequent occasion, throughout his Sermons to them, to lay before them an Heart-affecting discovery of the Glorious dispensations of God's Covenant Grace, Mercy, Truth and Faithfulness towards them; and to represent to them p. 2their abominable transgressions, base, and more than brutish regardlessness of the merciful conduct of God's Providence toward them their slighting, despising, and trampling under foot the repeated Act◊ of his favour and kindness, persisting, not withstanding all Warnings, Admonitions and Judgments, spent in vain upon them, in an immorigerous disobedient rebellious and incorrigible frame, proceeding still from worse to worse, hating to be Reformed and refusing to turn unto God, from whom they had so deeply revolted; upon the account whereof, in Obedience to hi◊ Lord and Masters Command, he is enforced to Menace them with, and to denounce against them the final and fatal Doom, God had determined upon them; The destruction of their Temple, and City, the dissolution of their Ecclesiastical, and Civil Polity, the whole issuing in a Miserable and Shameful Captivity, for Seventy years together, the deserved fruit of their incorrigible, and incurable impieties.

The last thing mentioned is the great business the Prophat insists on in this Thirteenth Chapter. The whole Sum of his Excellent Sermon herein contained, may be reduced unto three heads.

p. 2I. He threa◊◊ns Judah and Jerusalem with a fearful destruction and doom, which would put an end to those Probatory Methods, God had for a long season been using with them; from the 1st. to the 15th. v.

II. He earnestly adviseth, and importunes them, by a speedy Repentance and Reformation; the only thing ◊◊at would Effect it, to prevent and divert the hideous S◊◊◊m, of Wrath impending and hanging over their heads, and ◊eady to break forth upon them; from v. 15. to 22.

III. He stands up in the Vindication of the Spotless, and untainted Righteousness of God, Assuring them, they had no reason in the World to dispute the case with God, or to look upon it an unreasonable or unjust thing, for him to threaten them with such a Judgment, as would put a period to the time of their tryal and probation, during the whole of which, all Methods of Grace and Favour, all lesser, and lighter Stroaks of divine Judgments, had proved ineffectual p. 3to win them over to a Sense of Duty, and to 〈…〉 them from their Sinful and Abominable Courses, to which alone, not to a want of Grace, Mercy, Truth, or Faithfulness in God, not only all former heats of God's anger they had f◊lt, or were still under the Effects, and Tokens of, but also this present threatned destruction were to be reputed as wholly owing: from v. 22. ◊d 〈…〉.

The Destruction the Prophet in God's Name ◊heatens this People with, he is commanded to Exhibit to them by two Types or Emblem◊.

The first Type is that of A Li◊◊◊n Girdle, which he is Commanded to get, and put upon his Loins; and some time after to hide in the Hole of a Rock, by the River Eu◊◊rates; Many days after this, he is Commanded to go to Eu◊◊◊rates to take the Girdle thence. The Prophet performs the Enjoyned Service, whether really, only Visionally ◊s not determined; but whether the one way or the other◊ it comes to one; the Girdle he finds Marr'd and Sp◊yled and good for nothing: this we have from the 1. to the ◊. v-Jeremiah receives from God himself the Explication of the Type, with a Commission to declare both the Type, and its Explication to the People▪ they must be instructed that God's design by this Type or Emblem, was to le◊◊ the 〈…〉 know, that God had put a Special Honour and Respect upon them; the like he had not done to any Nation; he had taken them into Covenant with himself; they were made a People hear to God, no wonder then if he Expect Honour and Service from them. They were a People whom God had formed for Himself, and therefore ought to have been for a Name, Praise and Glory to him; but they failed his just Expectation, answered not his design. He is therefore resolved to pluck them from his L◊ins, and suffer them to consume and ◊ot, and become as that Marred Girdle which was rendred wholly Useless and Unserviceable: from v. 8. ◊d 12. v.

p. 3The second Type is that of Bottles filled with Wine. This the Prophet is ordered to propound to them, v. 12. Their Sensual Lusts had no small hand in pulling down Ruin and p. 4Destruction upon them. They were a People who lov'd ◊◊ag◊ons of Wine, H◊◊. 3. 〈…〉. Those were the best Prophets, in their Esteem, who would Prophecy to them of Wine, and Strong Drink, Mica◊ 2. 11. Our Prophet is therefore commanded to tell them, that God had prepared Bottles for them; Bottles▪ every-of which, too, should be filled with Wine. What News could be more pleasing to the Drunkard than this? But alas, the Wine would not be grateful to their Palate; It would be wine of Astonishment and Confusion; all Ranks, Orders and Degrees among them, from him that S◊t on the Throne, to the meanest Inhabitant in the Kingdom, must drink of it, and feel the fatal and ruining, and intoxicating consequences of it. The destroying Judgments of Heaven to be Executed upon them by the Caldeans, that hasty, and bitter Nation; this was the Wine, They themselves the Bottles to be filled with it; Bottles that must be broken, and dasht in pieces▪ by the hands of divine & righteous Vengeance v. 12, 13, 14.