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then, and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy," 2 Chronicles xxxvi. 14-16.

The prophet Jeremiah, whom God had made an iron pillar and a brazen wall against this impious king, and all that were in the bond of iniquity with him, seems much concerned that the righteous and the wicked should be involved together in this common calamity: to relieve the prophet's mind upon this matter, God gives him a vision of two baskets of figs. The fruit of one basket was vile, and that of the other excellent; the former represented the wicked, the latter such as obeyed the voice of the Lord. "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their

good. For I will set mine

eyes upon them for

good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up. And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the Lord and they shall be my people, and

I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart," Jer. xxiv. 5—7. It is to these that my text speaks, "Ye that have escaped the sword, go away, stand not still: remember the Lord afar off, and let Jerusalem come into your mind." In handling these words, I will,

1. Treat of those who escaped the sword.

2. Take notice of the prophet's watchword, and of the secret that lay under it, "Go away." 3. It is repeated, or re-enforced, "Stand not still."

4. The exhortation, "Remember the Lord afar off."

5. To let their city have a place in their heart. "Let Jerusalem come into your mind." And I shall conclude with comparing some things in their case with ours, and go through my text in new testament language.

To begin with those who escaped the sword.

God, in the midst of this surrounding calamity, had set before the darlings of his soul a door of hope, and provided a refuge from this blast of the terrible One, when it came as a destroying storm against their walls, and that was submitting their necks to the yoke of the king of Babylon. "And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death. He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and

falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey. For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the Lord: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire," Jer. xxi. 8-10.

This was the touchstone and the way that God made for the obedient to escape: this was the trial. There was to be no safety in the city of God; no shelter in the temple, the residence of God; no protection at his altar, nor yet in a legal sacrifice; no life or safety, but by flying into the jaws of an heathen and a cruel enemy. And that which made this trial the more perplexing was, the false prophets which the devil sent to withstand, confront, and contradict the prophet of God; this afforded plenty of ground for halting with the simple, who believe every word; and it served to confirm the rebellious in their infidelity. Jeremiah prophesied subjection to the king of Babylon seventy years. Hananiah comes into the temple of God, and in the presence of the priests and all the people, saying; "Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of the Lord's house, that Nebuchadnezzar took away from this place. And I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went into Babylon, saith the Lord:

for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon," Jer. xxviii. 2-4.

God orders his prophet to put bands and yokes upon his own neck, in token of Judah and other nations serving the king of Babylon. "And they shall serve him, saith God: and his son, and his son's son." Hananiah breaks the yoke off Jeremiah's neck, and spake in the presence of all the people, saying, "Thus saith the Lord, Even so will I break the yoke of the king of Babylon from the neck of all nations, within the space of two full years." This is the cry of, Lo, here; and lo, there. The children of falsehood cleaved to the false prophet, and conspired against Jeremiah; and those of the truth cleaved to the prophet of God; and this manifested the children of God and the children of the devil. Those who trusted in Hananiah's lie were cut off by the sword of the Spirit; the word of God was a savour of death unto death to them, for those were slain first by the sword of God; as it is written, "They come [that is the Egyptians and the Jews] to fight with the Chaldeans, but it is to fill them with the dead bodies of men whom I have slain in mine anger and in my fury, and for all whose wickedness I have hid my face from this city," Jer. xxxiii. 5. These trusted in a lie; and others who knew not the voice of God from the voice of Satan, halted between two opinions, till the bread of the city was all exhausted, and the sword of war brought them to a conclusion with a witness.

VOL. XVII.

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But those who knew the Shepherd's voice took the warning, and obeyed the voice of the Lord; and to these the word of God was a savour of life unto life; they believed it, and had their life for a prey: thus the just lived by faith. These escaped the sword of the Spirit, for they were neither cut off nor slain by it. And, to confirm these in their obedience and confidence, God sent an awful message to Hananiah, who had been laid in their way by the devil as a stumblingblock. "Go, and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron. For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, I have put a yoke of iron upon all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him the beasts of the field also. Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; the Lord hath not sent thee, but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the Lord. So Hananiah the prophet died the same year, in the seventh month." This awful judgment upon the lying prophet confirmed them who had obeyed the voice of the Lord and fell away to the Chaldeans; When the wicked are smitten, the righteous will beware; and by which they escaped being slain by the sword of the spirit.

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