Jeremiah 23

Ver. 5, 6. Behold, in the fulness of time the Son of God shall appear in a holy, but debased, human nature; who, as God’s King set up in his church, shall, with astonishing success, reform the world, and destroy the wicked out of it. By him shall his spiritual Israel be delivered from their sin and misery, and blessed with all spiritual and eternal blessings. In his holiness of nature, obedience of life, and satisfactory sufferings, he shall fulfil for us a complete and everlasting righteousness; by the imputation of which to us for our justification, he shall render us perfectly righteous in law before God as our Judge, and thus secure the gradual sanctification of our nature and practice. 9, 10. I am grieved to see the false prophets deluding the people into wickedness; and I tremble at the fearful judgments which God, in his infinite holiness, hath denounced against them. For, though the wrath of God has already begun to destroy the country for the abounding wickedness of its inhabitants, they continue to employ their whole power and labour in promoting and encouraging it

Jeremiah 23:17-20

They encourage the wicked and profane to hope that the Lord will prosper and protect them in their sins; and pretend that themselves alone know his mind, and that no message of reproof or threatening deserves any credit. But a sudden and dreadful storm of judgments shall overtake and ruin them, which shall force them to regard and believe such threatenings

Jeremiah 23:30

Either they mimicked the true prophets in their language, to render their own predictions the more easily believed, or they laboured to prejudice the people against their messages. 35, 36. Ye shall hereafter speak with great reverence and regard concerning the Lord’s word; but now your irreverent speeches shall pull down judgments upon your own heads; for ye have derided and misinterpreted the words of your own God, who lives and reigns over all

REFLECTIONS UPON CHAP. XXIII.—At their own infinite hazard, rulers neglect to execute their office to the honour of God and the welfare of his people. But, though they should not, he will, at last, see to these ends. And often he mercifully gathers his people after he has wrathfully cut off their rulers. The church’s peace, happiness, and honour, are not founded in the external pomp of her rulers, but in having Jesus Christ as her Prophet, Priest, and King. And his spiritual deliverances are more remarkable than the temporal 90 100* ones granted to the Jewish nation. That sinners dishonour God, and ruin themselves, are very grievous considerations to gracious souls. But no guilt is so aggravated as that of profane clergymen. And nothing so emboldens and hardens sinners, as when teachers, by their example or doctrine, encourage them in wickedness. No plague is more dangerous than clergymen, who intrude into their office by the influence of patrons or church rulers, without any commission from Christ, or who preach another gospel, as if men’s own works, however insignificant, could recommend them to the favour of God. It tends to render men quite irreligious and atheistical. And no preachers are so confident of their own abilities as evil and erroneous ones. If God call men to the ministry, he will not only qualify them for it, but give them some success in it. And, while profane ministers ought to be detested by all, as the very offscourings of mankind, it is infinitely dangerous to sport with, or make bywords of, any part of the scripture. God will honour and magnify his own word in the ruin of the mockers and perverters of it. N T