Jeremiah 3

Jeremiah 3:1

They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD.

O my people, thy wickednesses are many and great; and yet, such is my mercy, I could be content, upon thy repentance, to pardon them. Thou art my wife, and hast committed whoredom; thou hast betaken thyself to another husband, and therefore hast made thyself uncapable of my reacceptance, by the law: yet, return again to me, and I am ready to receive thee, saith the Lord.

Jeremiah 3:2

Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness.

Thou hast frequently committed spiritual fornication in thy high places: yea, thou hast tempted others to these idolatrous practices, and hast been ready to solicit and draw on this sin with them; waiting for these opportunities of thine idolatries, as the Arabian waits for a prey in the wilderness.

Jeremiah 3:3

Thou hast a whore’s forehead.

Thou art grown impudent and shameless in thy sin.

Jeremiah 3:4

Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me.

Yet wilt thou not, after so many and grievous afflictions, begin to recollect thyself, and to acknowledge me, &c.

Jeremiah 3:11

And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.

Israel and Judah are both shamefully wicked; and yet, of the two, Judah is worse than Israel: her treachery is so much more, as she had more favours from me. E E 2

Jeremiah 3:12

Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel.

Go and proclaim these words, even to those Israelites, which are now captivated amongst the Medians in the north; and, since Judah will not hear, say to them, Return, thou backsliding Israel.

Jeremiah 3:14

For I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion.

For I had made a holy covenant with you; and will, upon your repentance, call some of you back again to your land, and to my temple.

Jeremiah 3:16

They shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.

They shall no more trust to the outward formalities of God’s worship, and to the fashionable profession of religion, as if the very name and presence of the Ark were enough to save them; neither shall their thoughts be upon these outward helps, as all-sufficient and acceptable.

Jeremiah 3:17

At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it.

At that day, they shall acknowledge the true Church of God, as holy, and as the seat of God’s spiritual government; and the Gentiles shall, together with them, flock unto it.

Jeremiah 3:18

And they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.

They shall both come together out of their spiritual captivity, into the bosom of my Evangelical Church.

Jeremiah 3:19

But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.

But I said, How shall it come about, that thou, which deservedst not the name of a servant, shalt become a dear son unto me; and shalt have a pleasant and happy inheritance bequeathed unto thee, even a blessed room in my Church? And I answered myself again, It is by the means of thy faithful invocation of me, and of thy true repentance and holy obedience, that this shall be effected.

Jeremiah 3:21

A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the LORD their God.

Even in those high places, where the offence was committed, a voice was heard of weeping and supplication of the children of Israel; lamenting their former wickedness; and calling for mercy, to that God, whom they had forgotten.

Jeremiah 3:24

For shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth.

This shameful idolatry is that, which hath undone both our late forefathers and us.