The lamentations and holy mourninges of the prophet Ieremiah with a lamentable paraphrase and exhortation, meete euery way to be applyed vnto these our dayes: for the comforting of all the true faithfull children of God that are vnder the crosse and feele their miseries: and for the awaking of all those that haue no feeling of their miseries: not-with-standing the great calamities which haue fallen and still are like to fall vpon these our dayes. Published by Daniel Toussaine, and translated out of French into English, by Tho. Sto. gent.

ANNOTATIONS VPON the first part of the first Chapter.

WE will here first of all consider of certaine wordes of the text,

which are verie significant, and after∣ward speake somewhat of the chiefe and principall matters.

How) This first word is it, why the Hebrewes call them the Lamentati∣ons. And some other learned inter∣pretors are of the opinion, that this word is to be vnderstood and repea∣ted, not only in euery member of the first verse, as, How doth the Citie remaine solitarie? How is she that was great, be∣come now as a Widow? How is the Prin∣cesse become tributarie? but also in the beginning of all the four first verses: How weepeth she day and night? How is Iudah carried away captiue? &c.

A man were neuer able to expresse how effectuall and proper, vpon the sudden and first entrance, these ex∣clamations are, immediatly to rauish mens minds to the beholding and considering of any thing, so that this very well agreeth with that which the Lord foretold in the 19. of Ieremias, vers. 3. saying: Thus saith the Lord of hostes the God of Jsrael, Behold, J will bring a plague vpon this place, the which whosoeuer heareth, his eares shall tingle.

Remayneth solitarie) This speeche heere is sometimes in the holy scrip∣ture,

taken in good part, as to be at rest and peace: As in the fourth Chapter of the first booke of the Kings, vers. 25. All the daies of Salomon, euery man remayned without feare vnder his vyne, and vnder his figge tree, &c. But in this text it is taken in ill part, signi∣fying the great sorrow wherein the Iewes were then plunged: resem∣bling a widow remaining or dwelling in the world, in her sorrowfull and comfortles widowhood. And as the Hebrewes also deriue the name of a widow, from a word which signifieth solitarines, and a quiet or peaceable bodie, that taketh no pleasure in tal∣king nor scoffing: which word or title, properly belongeth to widowes, that are in very deede widowes, and haue a feeling of their plague and miserie. So that to compare the coun∣trey of Iudah to a widow, is to verie good purpose, considering that it was in deede a widow, because it had neither citizens, nor yet other men of better qualitie: for so much as they are, as it were, the husbands of all Ci∣ties and Townes, and do both beawti∣fye, and giue them estimation and credit.

Js made tributarie.) This place cau∣seth some of the learneder sort to ga∣ther, that in these Lamentations, Ie∣remiah meant not onely to lament the later captiuitie of Babylon (be∣cause that the people at that time were rather vtterly sacked, sold, and cleare•••• ••anished, then made tributa∣ries) but also the former miseries, sor∣rowes and griefes, to wit, those which came to passe in the daies of King E∣liakim, who by the King of Aegypt was named Ioachim, because the people of Iudah were then made tributaries: which thing may very wel agree with the matter, if this maxime or sure ground be held, that Ieremie in these Lamentations chiefelie looked vnto the captiuitie of Babylon, and vnto the desolation that fell vpon Iudah in those daies: Although it were not a∣misse to thinke, that euen at that time a great part of the people was sacked •…•…r led captiue, yet, that there was a •…•…emnant of them dispersed heere and •…•…here, and especially such of them as •…•…emained in Iudah, vnder the go∣•…•…ernment of Gedalia, that at that •…•…ime were wounded and cabaged.

Judah is carried away captiue, because

of Affliction.) The Chaldee Para∣phrast vnderstandeth this Affliction actiuely, as if the Prophet had said, that the cause of the Iewes exile and captiuitie, was by reason of their af∣flicting, rough handling, and hard dealing with the poore seruants, wi∣dowes, and fatherlesse: howbeit, this is the more likely interpretation, ac∣cording to the common manner, and ordinarie signification of the seruile Hebrew letter Mem: That the people is carried away captiue, being with extreame affliction enforced: which they suffred al the countrey through∣out, more now, then a man would that they had suffred: for, there were many of them that were not con∣strained to forsake their countrey, but they were so ill entreated, as that they chose rather to forsake both house and home, as we say, then see that they saw, and suffer that they suffered.

[Verse. 3] Ja such necessities or distresses,) This is a kind of borrowed speech, taken from those that are cowped vp be∣tweene stone-walles, or in dongeons, not being able to go either backward or forward, and therefore must needs be very good prize, beeing shopt vp.

The like manner of saying also we find in the 14. verse of the Prophet Obediah, where it is thus said: Thou shouldest not haue stood vp in the crosse∣wayes of them that should escape, neyther shouldest thou haue shut vp the remnant thereof in the day of affliction.

The waies of Syon lament,) The Pro∣phet, [Verse. 4] to moue euery man to compas∣sion, maketh the very senselesse hye wayes as it were to mourne.

Syon is taken for the people, and also for the Church, which is figured by Mount Syon: Syon also manye times is taken for the whole Citie of Ierusalem, yea for the whole coun∣trey, a part for the whole.

Her enemies are the chiefe,) This is a [Verse. 5] notable manner of speech vsed in the Scripture, that is, the head is ap∣poynted to be the most honorable part of the bodie in vs: and contra∣rywise, in a beast, the tayle is placed as the most abiect and vile part: as in the 28. of Deuteronomie in this sort we reade: Jf thou obserue the Comman∣dements of the Lord, he will make thee the head and not the tayle, to wit, he will exalt thee and bring thee to honor.

[Verse. 7] They mocked at her Sabboths.) This word Sabboth, which signifieth rest, may be taken for resting from theyr estates, mightinesse, and reuenues, from the which they then rested: or else for the seruing of God: as the Sabboth was one of the testimonies of the allyance and fauour of God, and a notable obseruation taken ma∣nie times for the professing of the whole seruice of God. The heathen Poets, as Iuuenall and Martiall, moc∣ked the Sabboth and Religion of the Iewes, and in a mockerie called them Sabbotharies.