SHALL NOT MY SOUL BE AVENGED ON SUCH A NA

TION AS THIS.

THIS prophet appeared in a very degenerate period of the Jewish church. Every order of that people, from the humble peafant to the prince on the throne, had apoftatized from the true God, and had loft that fimplicity in his worship, and that zeal for his name which were their former characteristic and glory. The mafs of the people, forfaking the Lord. God of their fathers, had mingled in all the abfurdities of the idolatry of the nations around them: their princes did evil in the fight of Jehovah, and no longer ruled for his glory, or the good of their fubjects : even those who were called to minifter at the altar degraded both themselves and their office by a fervile, corrupt, mercenary fpirit: The fun had also gone down upon their prophets; thefe lights of Ifrael were now darkened through error of principle, and licentioufnefs of practice; inftead of ftemming the torrent of general defection by expofing with a holy heroifm the iniquities of all claffes, they rolled along with the ftream, and rather tended to fwell and infuriate it by prophecying a falfe vifion, and the deceit of their own hearts. There is not a more awful prefage of speedy

deftruction to a nation than when, as the prophet expreffes it, there is like people, like priest; when corruption of manners generally prevails, and the meffengers of the Lord of hofts have neither firmnefs nor fidelity to make an open oppofition.

THE Lord God, grieved and provoked with these abominations, gently, yet severely reminds Ifrael of her former zeal for his glory, and his delight in her as his peculiar people. I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, and the love of thine efpoufals: Ifrael was holinefs to the Lord, and the first fruits of his increafe.. He then appeals to heaven and earth, whether an example of fuch ingratitude and obftinacy could be found in any other nation. Haft thou feen that which backfliding Ifrael hath done: fhe is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot and I faid after she had done all thefe things, turn thou unto me, but she returned not their tranfgreffions are many, and their backflidings are increased, how shall I pardon thee for this? At laft worn out with their iniquities, and refolved to make a full end of them as a people altogether incorrigible, Jehovah calls upon Jeremiah to arife and at the peril of his own foul not to refuse denouncing their doom; Thou therefore gird up thy loins and arife and fpeak unto them all that I command thee; be not difmayed at their faces, left I confound thee before them. Shall not I vifit for these things faith the Lord; "Is not my wrath revealed from heaven against all unrighteoufnefs and ungodliness of