—11. We have here, 1. The prophet's earnest application to God, appealing to him who feareth the heart for his integrity, and intreating the fulfilment of his promises. (1.) He prays: O Lord, thou knowest my innocence, my suffering, and the malice of my enemies; remember me for good, and evils me with thy salvation, and revenge me of my persecutors. Perhaps this was his infirmity; or he desired it for God's glory, in which name he had spoken: take me not away in thy long-suffering; give me my life for a prey, when they are cut off; or leave me not to their power and malice. He acknowledges that to the long-suffering of God he must owe it; the bulk, in the ingour of justice, being obnoxious to God's wrath. Knew, acknowledge and make it evident to my enemies, by thy interposition on my behalf, that for thy fake I have suffered rebuke, because of his fidelity in discharging his office; and when this is really the cafe, we may confidently expel God will plead our quarrel, and vindicate our integrity from all the revilings of men. (2.) He pleads the diligence he used in executing his commitition, the delight he took in God's word, and his carefulness to keep himself from every sinful compliance with them. The words were found, and I did not them, as a hungry man his food this ears were attentive to drink in what God delivered to him; he carefully thought over and digested the words in his mind, and his heart thrilled upon them: thy word was sent me the joy and rejoicing of my heart: either he hoped the terrible threatening he brought would move the people to repentance; or the gracious affluence that God would support him encouraged him; or, above all, amidst the dark judgments the promise of the incarnation of the Messiah, and his great salvation, which misgled therewith, revived and comforted his soul. For I am called by thy name, O Lord of hoffs, which he delighted in as his greatell honour, though others perhaps turned it to his reproach. I sat out in the assembly of matters, partaking with them in their sins, or by likeness perceiving at their wickedness; or until when that male mercy, levily being unconscionable with the forlousness of his character, and the melancholy muffage he bore; and rejoiced me, even partaking of any lawful recreation, which the dreadful evils he behold approaching would not suffer him to tithe. I sat alone, meditating on his muffage, and mourning over the people, because of thy hand, which he saw lighting down upon the nation in vengeance; or because of the spirit of prophecy which he felt; for thou hast filled me with imagination; either the indignation of the people against him, or his displeasure against them for their impenitence, or a sense of the heavy wrath of God ready to overtake them. Note, (1.) The word of God is the foregest repaid to the believer's soul, and thinner he derives his most revirving draughts of confidante. (2.) When we have work to do for God, we must not only forsake what is in itself sinful, but forego what to others might be innocent. (3.) There is a holy indignation without sin, when ministers grieve over the hastiness of men's hearts. (3.) He expounds with God: it seems with something of a mourning spirit: why is thy pain perpetual? which he suffered for the people's sake in his own mind, or from their ill stage. Why is my wound incurable, which refused to be healed? there appearsing no hopes of a change for the better, or may end of their reproaches. With them he altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail? fearing him in their hands, though he had promised to deliver him, chap. i. 19. and giving his enemies occasion to reproach his confidence? No. God will not suffer him to be thus condemned, nor any that put their truth in him. Therefore. Vol. II. 2. God enforces his prayer. He had expressed some discredit and impatience; therefore, says God, if thou wilt return, ashamed of this impatience, and humbly concluding it, then I will bring the again to peace of conscience, and the exercise of the missity with which God had entrusted him; and thou shalt stand before me, established in his office as a prophet: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, speaking comfort to God's people and terror to the impatient, thou shalt be as my mouth, employed in God's mouth to the people. Let them return unto thee, in remitance and obedience to thy word; but return not thou unto them, giving way in the truth, keeping back a syllable of the themning to be denounced against them, or making any compliance with them: and then, if he appeared himself thus faithful, God would fulfil to him his promise, chap. i. 18. making him a broken mull, against which all the efforts of the princes should be vain and impatient: God's patience should comfort, his power happort him, and save him from his foes, however many or mighty, v. 20, 21. Note, (1.) If we would return to the enjoyment of comfort, we must be restored to the right spirit from which we have departed. (2.) They who minister before God must carefully divide the word of truth, giving to the faithful their portion of comfort, and to the ungodly faithful warnings of their danger. (3.) When we approve ourselves faithful, we shall be supported against all opposition; God's strength shall be made perfect in our weakness, and all our terrible foes shall be compelled to lick the dull. CHAP. XVI. In this chapter, (1.) The greatness of the Jesus calamity is illustrated by prohibitions given to the prophet, neither to set up a house of his own, ver. 1—4. nor to go into the house of mourning, ver. 5, 6, 7, nor into the house of feasting, ver. 8, 9. (2.) God is satisfied in these severe proceedings against them, by an account of their great muchalness, ver. 10—12. (3.) An intimation to prove of mercy in reserve, ver. 14, 15. But, (4.) They must first insert severely, ver. 16—18. (5.) The prophet prays for and expresses his faith in the conversion of the Gentiles, ver. 19—21. 1. THE word of the LORD came also unto me, faying, 2. Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shall thou have sons nor daughters in this place. 3. For thus faith the LORD concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that bare them, and concerning their fathers that begat them in this land, 4. 'They shall die of grievous deaths,' they shall not be lamented, neither shall they be buried: but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth, and they shall be confirmed by the sword, and by famine, and their carcades shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beaths of the earth. 5. For thus faith the LORD, 'Enter not into the house of your mourning, neither go to lament, nor bemore them: for I have taken away my peace from this people, faith the LORD, reas loving-kindness and merdes. 6. Both the great and the small shall die in this land: they shall not be buried, neither shall men lament for them, nor 'cut themselves, nor 'make themselves bald for them. 7. Neither shall men I fear themselves for them in mourning to comfort them for the dead, neither shall men 'give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother. 8. Thou shalt not also go into the house of feasting, to fix with them to eat and to drink. 9. For thus faith the LORD of hoffs, the God of Israel, Behold, 'I will cause to excite out of this place in your eyes, and in your days, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride. 6. 6. 6. w 26. 6. 6. 6. x 27. 6. 6. 6. y 28. 6. 6. 6. z 29. 6. 6. 6. a 30. 6. 6. 6. b 31. 6. 6. 6. c 32. 6. 6. 6. d 33. 6. 6. 6. e 34. 6. 6. 6. f 35. 6. 6. 6. g 36. 6. 6. 6. h 37. 6. 6. 6. i 38. 6. 6. 6. j 39. 6. 6. 6. k 40. 6. 6. 6. l 41. 6. 6. 6. m 42. 6. 6. 6. n 43. 6. 6. 6. o 44. 6. 6. 6. p 45. 6. 6. 6. q 46. 6. 6. r 47. 6. 6. 6. s 48. 6. 6. 6. t 49. 6. 6. 6. u 50. 6. 6. 6.