Watchmen, is a main Article of their Charge; fo Ifaiab tells them, that their Watchmen Ifa.56.10. were blind, ignorant, dumb Dogs, that could not bark; fleeping, lying down, and loving to flum ber: Yet thefe careless Watchmen were covetous and infatiable, They were greedy Dogs, which could never have enough; Shepherds they were, that could not understand; but how remifs foever they might be in God's Works they were careful enough of their own: They all looked to their own Way, every one to his own gain from his quarter. They were, no doubt, exact in levying their Tythes and Firft-fruits, how little foever they might do for them, bating their bare Attendance at the Temple, to officiate there; fo guilty they were of that reigning Abuse, of thinking they had done their Duty, if they either by themfelves, or by Proxy, had performed their Functions, without minding what was incumbent on them, as Watch men, or Shepherds. In Oppofition to fuch careless and corrupt Guides, God promifes to his People, To fet Watchmen over them that fhould never bold their peace day nor night.

As the Captivity drew nearer, we may eafily conclude, That the Corruptions both of Priest and People increased, which ripened them for the Judgments of God, that were kept back by the Reformations which Hezekiah and Jofiah had made; but C

at

Jer. 5.2.

Ezek. 14.

14.

at laft, all was fo depraved, that though God fent two Prophets, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, to prepare them for that terrible Calamity, yet this was only to fave fome few among them; for the Sins of the Nation were grown to that height, that though Mofes and Samuel, Noah, Job and Daniel, had been then alive, to intercede for them, yet God declared that he would not hear them; nor fpare the Nation for their fakes: fo that even fuch mighty Interceffors could only fave their own Souls. In this deplorable State we fhall find that their Priests and Paftors had their large Share. The Jer. 2. 8. Priefts faid not, Where is the Lord? They that handled the Law, knew me not, the Paftors also. tranfgreffed against me; and their Corruption went fo far, that they had not only false Prophets to fupport them, but the People, who, how bad foever they may be themfelves, do generally hate evil Priests, grew to Jer. 5.32 be pleafed with it. The Prophets prophecy. falfely and the Priests bear Rule by their Means and my People love to have it fo: Jer. 6. 13. From the Prophet even to the Priest, every one Jer. 23. dealt falfly. And upon that, a Wois denounced against the Paftors that destroyed and fcattered the Sheep of God's Pafture. They by their Office ought to have fed the People; but inftead of that, they had fcattered the flock, and driven them away, and had not visited them:

22.

2. 11.

them: Both Prophet and Priest were profane; their wickedness was found even in the Houfe of God. In Opposition to all which, God promifes by the Prophet, that he would fet Shepherd's over them, that should feed them 3 v. 48. fo that the People should have no more Reafon to be afraid of their Paftors, or of being mif-led by them; and he promised upon their return from the Captivity, to give them Paftors Jer. 3. 19. according to his own Heart, who should feed them with knowledge and understanding.

26.

In Ezekiel we find the folemn and fevere charge given to Watchmen, twice repeated; that they ought to warn the wicked from his wickedness; otherwife, though he should indeed die in his fin, God would require his blood at Ezek. 3.19 the Watchman's Hand; but if he gave warning, Ezek.33.7 be bad by fo doing, delivered his own Soul. In that Prophecy we have the guilt of the Priests set forth very heinously. Her Priests Ezek. 22. bave violated my Law, and profaned my boly Things; they have put no Difference between the holy and profane, the clean and the unclean, and have hid their Eyes from my Sabbaths; the Effect of which was, that God was profaned among them. This is more fully profecuted in the 34th Chap. which is all Ezek 34.2 addreffed to the Shepherds of Ifrael, Wo be to the Shepherds of Ifrael, that do feed themselves: Should not the Shepherds feed the Flock? Ye eat. the Fat, and cloath you with the Wool, ye

ye

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kill

0.3.

V. 4.

. 10.

kill them that are fed, but ye feed not the Flock:
Then follows an Enumeration of the feve-
ral Sorts of Troubles that the People were
in, under the Figure of a Flock, to fhew
how they had neglected their Duty, in all
the Parts and Inftances of it ; and had truf-
ted to their Authority, which they had a-
bufed to Tyranny and Violence. The difeafed
have ye
ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed
that which was fick, neither have ye bound up
that which was broken, neither have ye brought
again that which was driven away, neither have
ye fought that which was lost; but with force
and with cruelty have ye ruled them; upon
which follows a terrible Expoftulation, and
Denunciation of Judgments against them :
I am against the Shepherds, faith the Lord,
I will require my Flock at their Hands, and
cause them to cease from feeding the Flock;
neither fhall the Shepherds feed themselves any
more. And in the 44th Chap. of that Pro-
phecy, one Rule is given, which was fet
up in the primitive Church, as an unalte-
rable Maxim, That fuch Priefts as had
been guilty of Idolatry, fhould not do the
Office of a Prieft any more, nor come near
to any of the holy Things, or enter within
the Sanctuary, but were ftill to bear their
Shame: They might minifter in fome in-
ferior Services, fuch as keeping the Gates,
or flaying the Sacrifice; but they were still
to bear their Iniquity.

I

I have paffed over all that occurs in thefe Prophets, which relates to the falfe Prophets, because I will bring Nothing into this Difcourfe, that relates to Sins of another Order and Nature. In Daniel we have a noble Expreffion of the value of fuch as turn Men to Righteousness, That they shall shine Dan.12.3. as the Stars for ever and ever. In Hofea we find among the Sins and Calamities of that Time, this reckoned as a main Cause of that horrid Corruption, under which they had fallen, there being no Truth, no Mercy, Hof 4. 1, nor knowledge of God in the Land; which was 2, 6. defiled by fwearing, lying, killing, stealing, and committing Adultery. My People are destroyed for lack of Knowledge: To which is added, Because thou hast rejected Knowledge (or the inftructing the People) 1 will alfo reject thee, that thou shalt be no Priest to me; Seeing thou hast forgot the Law of thy God, I will also forget thy Children. That corrupt Race of Priefts attended ftill upon the Temple, and ... offered up the Sin-Offering, and feafted upon their Portion; which is wrong rendred They eat up the Sin of my People; for Sin ftands there, as in the Law of Mofes, for Sin-Offering: Because of the Advantage this brought them, they were glad at the abounding of Sin; which is expreffed by their fetting their Heart, or lifting up their Soul to their Iniquity: The Conclusion of which is, that

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3

they