PRAYER
Grant, Almighty God, that since we are prone to what is false, and wholly devoted to vanity, we may be governed by thy Spirit, and desire no other thing than to be obedient to thee; and as we offer ourselves to thee, as thy disciples, grant that having the light of thy word shining before us, we may follow the way which thou shewest to us, and thus persevere in a right course, until we shall at length come to that blessed rest which is prepared for us in heaven, through Christ our Lord. -- Amen.
Lecture One Hundred and Thirteenth
We saw in the last Lecture the substance of the letter which Shemaiah had written to the chief priest. He reproved him for his neglect, because he did not silence Jeremiah according to the right and duty of his office. This had a plausible appearance; but it was a false principle which he assumed, -- that Jeremiah falsely pretended God's name, and was not sent, and had no command to prophesy; 1 this was false. Justly then does the Prophet now oppose him, and pronounce the punishment which he deserved. It then follows, --
1 The verb for prophesying is in Hithpael as before; he still represents Jeremiah as one who made himself a Prophet, -- "Who of himself prophesies to you;" and not as Blayney renders the clause, "Who giveth himself out as a Prophet among you." What he meant is, that what Jeremiah prophesied came from himself, the very thing which God ascribed to the false prophets; thus wicked men impute to the good the very sin of which they themselves are guilty. -- Ed.