Surely I will no more spare those that dwell in the land, sayth the Lord: but loe, I will deliuer the men euery one into his neigh∣bours hand, and into the hand of his King: and they shall smite the land, and out of their hands I will not deliuer them.
* 1.1THe second reason, why God worthilie committeth the charge of his sheep vnto good shepheards, because great miseries hang ouer the world, and the land of the Iewes, among whom notwith∣standing God will haue those that are his to bee gouerned by his word, and to bee preserued. Wherefore there was neede of a shep∣heard. And he properly both was, and also now is, Christ: and not men. For he doth trulie, and indeed gouerne his Church, and saue it in hard and troublous times. So then a great calamitie or miserie of that countrie, which was to insue, is described in this place, and threatned, the summe whereof is first of all set forth.* 1.2 And that is this, namely, God will no longer spare the inhabitants of the land: both by reason of those sinnes of the shepheards reckoned vp be∣fore (for the people also is worthilie punished for the sinnes of the shepheards, as who namely agreeth and consenteth vnto them:) and also because of the sinnes of the people themselues, the which are afterward described ver. 12. Secondly, the same miserie is layd open more plainly, and at large, namely, that God will deliuer eue∣rie one into the hand of his neighbour, and of his ruler, as it were his hangman, both that they may mutually vexe one another, yea and that their rulers especially might slay them. The which thing came to passe vnto them in the times of the Alexanders, of the Ari∣stobuli, of the Caiaphasses, and Annasses. And then also will not God deliuer them, that is, he wil not saue the rest besides his sheep, whilest the whole land of Iudah shall be thus troden vnder foote, wasted, and defiled with the bloud of her owne people by her shepheards.