according to the letters, and retaining them, \^yrwoy\^ {x}:
shall be written in the earth; have a name among earthly
and' carnal men, and be called so, being sensual and
carnal, and minding nothing but earth and earthly
things; and shall not be written among the living
in Jerusalem, or have a name and a place among spi-
ritual men: or they shall be of a short continuance;
their memory shall rot; their names be put out for
ever; and their memorial perish with them; for things
written in the dust do not continue, but are presently
destroyed by a puff of wind, or by the treading of the
foot upon them; or they shall die, and return to the
earth, and be laid in the grave, as Jarchi and Kim-
chi interpret it; or shall perish eternally, die the
second death, being not written in the Lamb's book
of life. The Targum is, '" into hell shall they fall."
The phrase is opposed to a being written, or having
names written in heaven, Luke x. e0. Heb. xii. 22.
which is the same as to be written in the book of life,
or to be ordained unto eternal life, Phil. iv. 3. Acts
xiii. 48. and what is the case of such who are not
written in heaven, but in earth, may be seen in Rev.
xx. 15. and xxi. 27: because they have forsaken the
Lord, the fountain of living waters; see the note on ch.
it. 13.
Ver. 14. Heal me, 0 Lord, and I shall be healed,
&c.]] These are the words of the prophet, sensible of
Iris own sins and backslidings, and of the part which
he himself had in these corrupt and declining times;
and being conscious of his own irapotency to cure
himself; and being fully satisfied of the power of the
Lord to heal him; and being well assured, if he was
healed by him, he should be thoroughly and effectu-
ally healed; therefore he applies unto him. Sins are
diseases; healing them is the forgiveness of them;
God only can grant this: or this may have respect to
the consolation of him, whose soul was distressed,
grieved, and wounded, with the consideration of the
sins of his people, and the calamities coming upon
them on that account: save me, and I shall be saved;
with a temporal, spiritual, and eternal salvation; save
me from the corruptions of the times, from the de-
signs of my enemies; preserve me to thy kingdom and
glory; there are none saved but whom the Lord saves,
and those that are saved by him are saved to a pur-
pose; they can never perish: for thou art my praise;
the cause of it, by reason of mercies bestowed; the
object of it, whom he did and would praise evermore,
because of his fayours, particularly the blessings of
healing and salvation by him; see Psal. ciii. 1--4.
Ver. 15. Behold, they say/unto me, &c.] Or, they
are saying unto me {y}, continually; these were their
daily flouts and jeers: where is the word of the Lord ?
that thou hast so often talked of? thou hast ibr a long
time threatened us with a siege, and thinthe, pesti-
lence, and the sword, and captivity, but none of these
come to pass; where's the accomplishment of them ?
thou hast pretended to have the word of the Lord for
all this; but where is it, or the fulfilment of it ? so the
Targum, "where          is that which thou hast prophesied
"in the name of         the Lord?" the judgments, as pu-
nishments for sin,      he prophesied of. This has been
always usual in all      ages, that when God's judgments
 threatened have        not been immediately executed,
scoffers and mockers have rose up, suggesting they
would never come; see Mal. ii. 17. 2 Pet. iii. 3, 4: let
it come now; immediately, or we'll not believe it ever
will; a very impudent, daring, and wicked expression:
this is like that in Isa. v. 19. The Targum is, "let it
"now be confirmed;" or fulfilled; declaring as their
impiety, so their infidelity; not believing it ever would
be fulfilled.
Ver. 1G. As .for me, I have not hastened from being
a pastor to follow thee, &c.] Though he had met
with so much ill usage, and was hated by the people
for bringing such messages to them, and was jeered
and scoffed at because his prophecies were not accom-
plished; yet he had not been hasty, and solicitous, and
importunate with the Lord to dismiss him from his
service; but was willing to continue in his office as a
pastor or prophet, and to follow the Lord fully, and
faithfully perform the work he had called him to, what-
ever difficulties and discouragements attended him, or
reproaches were cast upon him. Some render the
words, I hastened not, or I have not urged, or pressed
to be a pastor after thee {z}; to which the sense of Kim-
chi agrees, "I did not press myself, or was anxious
"about the matter, that I should be a shepherd after
"thee, or a prophet ;" he did not run before he was
sent; he did not thrust himself into this office; he
was not forward, but backward to it, as appears from
oh. i. 6. a pastor of the Lord is an under shepherd; one
that has his mission and commission from the Lord;
who obeys him in all things; follows his directions;
goes where and with what he sends him; and such an
one was Jeremiah; though it was not what he sought
after, and was pressing for; and this he says to take
off the edge of the people's resentment against him; to
which agree the following words: neither have I de-
sired the woful day, thou lcnowest ; he foresaw that re-.
proaches and calumnies would be cast upon him, and
that bonds and afflictions would abide him wherever he
went with his messages and prophecies; he knew it
would be a woful and miserable day to him, whenever
he was sent as a prophet to this people; and that he
should meet with nothing but sorrow, and trouble, and
vexation of spirit; and therefore it could not be desira-
ble to him, as a man, to be in such an office, or to be
sent on such an errand; to be a messenger of such
terrible things, and to denounce such wofifi judg-
ments; and much less did he desire the execution of
them, even though he had prophosted of them; having
not so much regard to his own honour and credit, as
an affection to the people, and a compassionate con-
cern for their welfare; and for all this he could appeal
to the heart-searching and rein-trying God. The Sep-
tuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac and Arabic versions,
render it, man's day; see 1 Cor. iv. 3. but the Targum

{x} Castigati a me, Schmidt; so Stockins, p. 455, 725, Junius & Tre-
mellius follow the same reading, only they render the words, not so
properly, castigationes mae.
{y} \^yla Myrma hmh hnh\^ ecce illi sunt dicentes ad me, Schmidt.
{z} \^Kyrxa herm ytua al ynaw\^ ego autem non festinavi ut essem
pastor post te, Calvin; & me {quod attinet) non ursi esse pastor post
te, Noldius, p, 567.