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over multitudes held in bondage. That the interesting picture of human nature may be in every point complete, the affemblage of good and evil blended in the fame bofom; and even the grievous tranfgreffions, fources of bitter remorse, into which patriarchs and prophets and apoftles were occafionally betrayed; are painted with unfailing impartiality and precifion. Man is taught to know what he is, that he may the more easily and the more willingly learn what he ought to become.

The portion of facred hiftory which I am about to propose to your view unfolds a scene of difobedience characterifed not by fudden error and unforeseen timidity, but by bold and hypocritical premeditation. When Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had entirely fubdued the Jews, whom God, on account of their obftinate impiety, had at length delivered into his hand; he deftroyed Jerufalem by fire, and carried away captive into a diftant quarter of his dominions the principal part of the nation. A confiderable number however of the pooreft class of the people he permitted to continue in their native land. He diftributed among them fields and vineyards and appointed Gedaliah, one of their

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own countrymen, to be their governor. It a fhort time Gedaliah was treacherously killed by Ishmael, a Jew of the royal blood, who appears to have envied his pre-eminence, and at the inftigation of the Ammonites had formed a confpiracy against him: and together with him were flain the Chaldean foldiers, whom Nebuchadnezzar had left under his command.` Ishmael was fpeedily overcome, and driven into banishment by the furviving friends of Gedaliah. But all the inhabitants of Judea trembled at the profpect of the indignation, which they forefaw would be kindled in the breast of the king of Babylon when he should receive tidings of the murder of his governor and his foldiers. They purpofed therefore to fly for refuge into Egypt. But they deemed it becoming in the first instance to apply for directions from God. They requested the prophet Jeremiah to confult the Lord whether they should depart into Egypt, or not: and folemnly declared, that with inplicit deference they would obey the anfwer which should be returned to them. All the captains of the forces, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest came near, and faid unto Feremiah the prophet: Pray for us unto the Lord thy God, that the Lord thy God may sher us

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the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do. The Lord be a true and faithful witnefs between us, if we do not even according to all things, for which the Lord thy God fhall fend thee to us. Whether it be good or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we fend thee: that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the Lord our God. After an interval of ten days, the word of the Lord came in reply, by the mouth of Jeremiah, to the people. God commanded them to remain in Judea: and promised, on condition of their obedience to his mandate, that he would be with them, that he would fave them from the king of Babylon, and would cause them to dwell in fecurity and peace. But the all-knowing Searcher of hearts clearly discerned, that their application to him for direction, and their deliberate engagement that they would be entirely guided by his counfel, were pretence and mockery. He faw that they had decidedly purpofed from the beginning, and, notwithstanding his prohibition, were ftill refolutely determined, to remove into Egypt. Jeremiah therefore proceeded, according to the orders of the Almighty, to denounce that if they perfifted in their defign, they should be overtaken by the vengeance of Nebuchadnezzar in that very land VOL. I. N

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of Egypt, where they fuppofed that they should be completely beyond its reach that they should perish there by famine, by peftilence, and by the fword; that their name fhould become a reproach, an astonishment, and a curfe; and that not even a fingle individual should again behold the land of Judea, or escape from the evil which God would bring upon them.

Let me endeavour, under the bleffing of divine grace, to elucidate and to apply to your edification, the inftruction which may be derived from this narrative.

I. Confider, in the first place, what was that great and general duty, against which the Jews, on the occafion now before us, rebelled.

Ye diffembled, faid Jeremiah, in your hearts. The firft duty of religion is to surrender the heart to God. Without that furrender there can be no religion. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart. This is the great commandment to the Jew and to the Chriftian. To the observance of this commandment the promifes of divine favour have ever been annexed. If thou return unto the Lord, faith Mofes, with all thine heart; the

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Lord will have compaffion upon thee (a). fball find me, faith God, by the voice of Jeremiah, when ye shall fearch for me with all your heart (b), If thou believeft with all thine heart, faith Philip to the Ethiopian, thou mayeft be baptized (c). The Jews of whom the prophet speaks in the text refembled their future countrymen in the days of our Saviour. They were a people that drew nigh unto God with their mouth, and honoured him with their lips; but their heart was far from him. Ye diffembled in your hearts when ye fent me unto the Lord your God, faying; Pray for us unto the Lord our God: and according to all that the Lord our God fall fay, fo declare unto us, and we will do it. They diffembled; though they had bound themselves in the presence of God by the most facred promises, that they would fcrupulously perform whatever he fhould command. My brethren! you have bound yourselves to the performance of the fame duty by promifes no lefs facred. You yourselves, no lefs folemnly than the Jews, even all the people from the least! unto the greatest, have come near and faid; The Lord be a true and faithful witness between us that we will obey the voice of the Lord our God.

(a) Deut. xxx. I—3.
(c) Acts, viii. 36, 37.

(b) Jerem. xxix. 13.

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