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neither love nor fear GoD sufficiently to incline them to do their duty, which was the case with this abandoned people?

This section contains a remarkable prophecy, "foretelling by a type the future conquest of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar." "The image of Nebuchadnezzar arraying himself with Egypt as a shepherd puts on a garment is very noble. Egypt at this time contended with Babylon for the empire of the East; yet this mighty kingdom, when GoD appointed the revolution, was to shift its owner with as much ease as a shepherd's tent or garment is changed, which the new proprietor has only to spread over him*.”

SECTION XL.

THE PROPHECY OF JEREMIAH.

From Jer. Chap. xliv.

THE word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews which dwelt in the land of Egypt, which dwell at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, and at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, saying,

Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Ye Jerusahave seen all the evil that I have brought upon lem, and upon all the cities of Judah, and, behold, this day they are a desolation; and no man dwelleth therein.

Because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger, in that they went to burn incense, and to serve other gods, whom they fathers. hnew not, neither they, you, nor your

Howbeit I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, O do not this abominable thing that I hate.

Dr. Smith's Summary View, &c.

But

But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense unto

other gods.

Wherefore my fury, and mine anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate as at this day.

Therefore now thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Wherefore commit ye this great evil against your souls, to cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling, out of Judah, to leave you none to remain;

In that ye provoke me unto wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense unto other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye be gone to dwell, that ye might cut yourselves off, and that ye might be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?

Have ye forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, and the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, and your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they have committed in the land of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem?

They are not humbled even unto this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before you, and before your fathers.

Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah.

And I will take the remnant of Judah that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they all shall be consumed, and fall in the land of Egypt; they shall even be consumed by the sword and by the famine; they shall die, from the least even unto the greatest, by the sword and by the famine: and they shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach.

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For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence:

So that none of the remnant of Judah which are gone into the land of Egypt, to sojourn there, shall escape or remain, that they should return into the land of Judah, to the which they have a desire to return to dwell there: for none shall return but such as shall escape.

Then all the men, which knew that their wives had burnt incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah saying, As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee.

But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.

But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword, and by the famine.

And when we burnt incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink-offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink-offerings unto her without our men ?.

Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men and to the women, and to all the people which had given him that answer, saying, The incense that ye burnt in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye and your fathers, your kings and your princes,

princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them, and came it not into his mind?

So that the LORD could no longer bear, because of the evils of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed: therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day.

Because ye have burnt incense, and because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies: therefore this evil is happened unto you, as at this day.

Moreover, Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the women, Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah that are in the land of Egypt.

Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel saying, Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drinkofferings unto her: ye will surely accomplish your Vows, and surely perform your vows.

Therefore hear ye the word of the LORD, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt, Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the LORD, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah, in all the land of Egypt, saying, The LORD GOD liveth.

Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good, and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword, and by the famine, until there be an end of them.

Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose word shall stand, mine or theirs.

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And this shall be a sign unto you, saith the LORD, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my word shall surely stand against you for evil.

Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will give PharaohHophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life, as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and that sought his life.

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ANNOTATIONS AND REFLECTIONS.

One could scarcely have supposed that any people would have acted in a manner so inconsistent with the light of reason, as to pay adoration to inanimate things; but for the Jews to do so, who had been so often favoured with Divine revelations, is quite, astonishing, especially after they had beheld such signal judgments inflicted on their country, and were so kindly invited to become objects of mercy by repentance and obedience.

The queen of heaven, to whom the Israelites paid adoration is supposed to have been the moon. It is needless to enlarge on the folly of idolizing this planet, as the absurdity of it is evident: every one must think those Jews who did so were deserving of the punish ́ments denounced against them.

Sacred history makes no mention of Jeremiah after this period; but it is most likely that he died in Egypt soon after. We find, in the collection of his prophecies a number of predictions respecting other nations, against whom he was commanded to denounce the judgments of God for their wickedness; particularly the Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites; he likewise foretold the redemption of Israel, of all which

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