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Ver. 7. O Lord, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived.] From hence to the end of the chapter the prophet, not without some tang and taint of human frailty, grievously quiritateth and expostulateth with God about the hard usage and ill success he met with in the execution of his prophetic function. But as ex incredulitate Thomae nostra contirmata est fides, Thomas’s unbelief serveth to the settling of our faith; and as Peter’s fall warneth us to look well to our standings; so when such a man as Jeremiah shall miscarry in this sort, and have such outbursts, oh be not high minded, but fear. Some render the text, Lord, if I be deceived, thou hast deceived me; and so every faithful man who keepeth to the rule, may safely say. Piscator hath it, Persuasisti mihi Iehova, et persuasus sum. O Lord, thou persuadedst me, and I was persuaded— sc., to undertake this prophetic office—but I have small joy of it. Some think he thus complained when he was put in prison by Pashnr. I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me.] This is the world’s wages. The cynic said of the Megarians long ago, Better be their horse, dog, or pander than their teacher, and better he should be regarded. Iterum more solito causam suam μεμψιμοιρος coram Deo agit. -Oecolamp.
Ver. 8. For since I spake, I cried out,] i.e., Ever since I took upon me the office of a prophet, I executed it vigorously, I cried with full mouth. (Jeremiah 4:5 Isaiah 58:1) I cried violence and spoil,] sc., Will surely befall you by the Chaldees. Or, I cried out of my misusages. Because the word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, and a derision daily.] This was all the recompense I reaped of my goodwill to this perverse people, and of my pains taken among them. Few sins are more dangerous than those of casting reproaches upon God’s Word, as here; of snuffing at it; (Malachi 1:13) of enviously swelling at it; (Acts 13:45) of chatting at it; (Romans 9:19,20) of stumbling at it; (1 Peter 2:8) of gathering odious consequences from it. (Romans 3:8)
Ver. 9. Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name,] i.e., I will give over preaching. This, said Latimer in a like case, was a naughty, a very naughty, resolution. But his word was in my heart as a burning fire.] Ex sensu malae conscientiae propter illud propositum. And here was the work of the Spirit against that carnal resolution of his. God’s people cannot do the things that they would, saith the apostle. (Galatians 5:17) As they cannot do the good they would, because of the flesh, so neither the evil that they would, because of the Spirit. There is a continual conflict, and as it were the company of two opposite armies. (Song of Solomon 6:13) True grace will as little be hid as fire: quis enim celaverit ignem? And I was weary with forbearing, and could not stay.] Jeremiah’s service among the Jews was something like that of Mantius Torquatus among the Romans, who gave it over, saying, Neither can I bear their manners, nor they my government. He began to think, with that painful patriarch, that rest was good; (Genesis 49:15) and with the olive, vine, and fig tree in Jotham’s parable, that it was best to enjoy a beloved privacy. He was ready to say, Bene qui latuit bene vixit; and Bene qui tacuit bene dixit, &c. But this could not hold with him, he saw well; for as the motion of the heart and lungs is ever beating, and it is a pain to restrain it, to hold the breath, so here, “ Strangulat inclusus dolor atque exaestuat intus: Cogitur et vires multiplicare suas.’’—Ovid., Trist. Ex humano motu et metu hoc in mentem incidit. -A Lapide; Pisc. Quoque magis tegitur, tanto magis aestuat ignis. -Ovid. Hanc legem ex hoc loco dat concionatori ne defatigetur nec ullo tempore sileat, sive sit qui auscultet, sive non. -Chrysost, de Lazaro.
Ver. 10. For I heard the defaming of many, fear on every side.] This passage is borrowed from Psalms 31:13; [See Trapp on “Ps 31:13”] Some render the text, I heard the defamation of many Magormissabibs, many of his accomplices and Coryphaei, spies set a-work by him to defame and smear me. Report, say they, and we will report.] Calumniare audacter; broach a slander, and we will blazon it; set it afoot, and we will set it afloat give us but some small hint or inkling of aught spoken by Jeremiah, whereof to accuse him to the king and state, and we desire no more. Athanasius was about thirty times accused, and of no small crimes either, but falsely. The Papists make it their trade to belie the Protestants, their chieftains especially. They reported of Luther that he died despairing; of Calvin, that he was branded on the shoulder for a rogue; of Beza, that he ran away with another man’s wife, &c. And for their authors they allege Baldwin and Bolsecus, a couple of apostates, requested by themselves (and, as some say, hired) to write the lives of these worthies, their professed enemies. But anything of this kind serves their turn, and they cite the writings of these renegades as canonical. All my familiars.] Heb., Every man of my peace; from such there is the greatest danger. Hence one prayed God to deliver him from his friends, for as for his enemies he could better beware of them. Many friends are like deep ponds, clear at the top, but all muddy at the bottom.
Ver. 11. But the Lord is with me as a mighty terrible one.] Instar gigantis robusti, as a strong giant, and mine only champion on whom I lean. Here the Spirit begins to get the better of the flesh, could Jeremiah but hold his own. But as the ferryman plies the oar, and eyes the shore homeward where he would be, yet there comes a gust of wind that carrieth him back again; so it fared with our prophet. See Jeremiah 20:14,15, &c. Ut formidabilis heros. -Pisc.
Ver. 12. But, O Lord of hosts.] See Jeremiah 11:20 17:10. Let me see thy vengeance on them.] Some pert and pride themselves over the ministry as if it were a dead Alexander’s nose, which they might wring off, and not fear to be called to account therefor; but the visible vengeance of God will seize such one day, as it did Pharaoh, Ahab, Herod, Julian. For unto thee have I opened my cause.] Prayer is an opening of the soul’s causes and cases to the Lord. The same word for opened here is in another conjugation used for uncovering, making bare and naked. (Genesis 9:21) God’s people in prayer do or should nakedly present their souls’ causes without all cover shames, or so much as a rag of self or flesh cleaving to them.
Ver. 13. Sing unto the Lord, praise ye the Lord.] Nota hic alternantis animi motus aestusque. Here the Spirit triumpheth over the flesh; as in the next verses, the flesh again gets the wind and hill of the Spirit. Every good man is a divided man. For he hath delivered the soul of the poor,] i.e., Of poor me. [as Psalms 34:4]
Ver. 14. Cursed be the day wherein I was born.] What a sudden change of his note is here! Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, saith James, these things ought not so to be. (James 3:10) But here human weakness prevailed; and this part of the chapter hath much of man in it. The best have their outbursts; and as there be white teeth in the blackest blackamore, and, again, a black bill in the whitest swan, so the worst have something in them to be commended, and the best to be condemned. See on Jeremiah 20:7. Some of the Fathers seek to excuse Jeremiah altogether; but that can hardly be, neither needeth it. Origen saith that the day of his birth was past, and therefore nothing now; so that cursing it, he cursed nothing. This is like those among us who say they may now without sin swear by the mass, because it is gone out of the country, &c. Isidor., that Jeremiah’s cursing is but conditional, if any, let that day be cursed, &c.
Ver. 15. Cursed be the man.] Let him have a curse for a reward of his so good news. Thus the prophet, in a fit of impatience, carrieth himself as one who, being cut by a surgeon and extremely pained, striketh at and biteth those that hold him; or, like him in the poet, “ Quem non incusavi amens hominum que deumque? ” Aeneid, lib. ii. Surely as the bird in a cage, because pent up, beats herself, so doth the discontented person. Look to it, therefore. Satan thrusteth in upon us sometimes praying, with a cloud of strange passions, such as are ready to gallow us out of that little wit and faith we have. Resist him betimes. The wildfire of passion will be burning while the incense of prayer is in offering; this scum will be rising up in the boiling pot, together with the meat. See Jonah 4:1. [See Trapp on “Jon 4:1”]
Ver. 16. And let that man be.] A most bitter curse, but causeless. The devil of discontent, where it prevaileth, maketh the heart to be for the time a little hell, as we see in Moses, Job, David, Jeremiah, men otherwise made up of excellences. These sinned, but not with full consent. A godly man hath a flea in his ear, somewhat within, which saith, “Dost thou well to be angry, Jonah?” (Jonah 4:4) ταραττειν, thence ταρταρος.
Ver. 17. Because he slew me not, &c.] Why, but is not life a mercy? A living dog better than a dead lion. See on Job 3:10 10:18,19.
Ver. 18. Wherefore came I forth, &c.] Passions are a most dangerous and heady water when once they are out. That my days should be consumed with shame?] Why, but a Christian soldier may have a very great arrear. (2 Timothy 4:7,8) Vincet aliquando pertinax bonitas He will conquer sometimes obstinate goodness. (Revelation 2:10)