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.

THE OBSERVATIONS OR notes vpon the first part of the third Chapter.

THE Subiect or Argu∣ment is this, That there can bee nothing more miserable, than such a people as God taketh in hande to punish in his wrath, lea∣uing them altogether comfortlesse. Such a miserable condition the Pro∣phet amplifieth and setteth downe, by the similitudes of the most sorrowfull and lamentable things that are in the whole world to be founde.

And this is the vse and benefite of this part, That when wee consider of these things, we should make more ac∣count of the louing kindnes & fauour of God, then commonly we doe. For if we vnderstoode what a treasure and felicitie it were, to bee in the fauour and grace of the most mightie God, there should nothing touch our harts more, than to keepe our selues in his fauour and grace. But herein is all the mischiefe, that few men taste & sauour the goodnes of the most high, accor∣ding to the exhortatiō of the Prophet

Dauid in his thirtie & fourth Psalme, Taste ye and see, (sayth he) how gratious the Lorde is: blessed is the man that tru∣steth in him.

Surely, who soeuer he be that through¦ly tasteth of this gracious goodnesse, shall finde that there is nothing more good & gratious, and that that which was saide vnto the Apostle S. Paule in the 12. chapter of his 2. Epistle to the Corinthes, was not without cause spo∣ken, to wit: My grace is sufficient for thee. And contrariwise, there is nothing more fearefull then the fierce and ter∣rible wrath of God, and yet there are fewe men which vnderstande & looke into the force thereof: as in the 90. Psalme we may reade.

Now, this first part of the Lamen∣tations rightly setteth foorth vnto vs, howe that this great GOD of∣tentimes leadeth his holy ones in to hell, and as it were into a bottomlesse depth of temptations and griefes: in∣somuch y^t whosoeuer at the first sight, should heare thē speake after y^t maner, would take them to be desperate men, and voide of all consolation and com∣fort. Such another combate sustained the Prophet Dauid, as in the 77. Psalm

verse, 3.7.8. we reade, when he sayth: J did thinke vpon God, and was troubled: I prayed, and my spirite was ful of anguish: will the Lorde absent himselfe for euer? Js his mercie cleane gone for euer? And after∣warde I saide, This is my death, &c. S. Au∣gustine also writing vpō the 91. Psalm, ver. 6. supposeth, that that which is there spoken of the plague, which de∣stroyeth at noone day, is vnderstoode, of such hoate and vehement tempta∣tions.

J was a derision with my people) Thus the latter learned Interpretors doe read, as Tremelius and Iun. whose in∣terpretation we haue followed. Some others there are that read thus: I was a derision vnto my people: which kinde of interpretation they fauour, who think that Ieremy wrote this Chapter when he was in prison, before the captiuitie of Babylon, at what time his owne countreymen persecuted him. How∣beit wee may very well see that hee handleth one and the verie selfe same argument, which he handleth in the Chapters going before, albeit he set∣teth it downe in another manner of sort, and in an other maner of person. And this is a thing which greatly stir∣reth

vp the readers, when as they heare a people sorrowing and lamen∣ting, one while in the person of a poore desolate widdow, and another while in the person of a man vnmea∣surably sorrowfull. This also serueth to humble vs, and to make vs more de∣sirous of the mercie of the Almightie, euen as was the preaching of the law, to the end to beate vs downe, and to prepare vs the more earnestlie to re∣ceiue the newnesse of grace.

My soule is humbled.) Some learned Interpretors reade: My soule medita∣teth: Howbeit, I haue followed the common translation, because it best agreeth with the saying of the Pro∣phet, to wit, that the people remem∣bred their miserie, and that they had so considered of it, as that it went to their verie hearts: and therefore, that through the remembrance and consi∣deration thereof, they were in deede humbled. For when as we stand vpon our pantoffles to shew our selues gal∣lant, not looking into our miseries, but lie sleeping in a certaine kinde of shew of prosperitie, it is the verie right waie to humble vs, if so be we play the prowde Peacocks, and looke vpon our

feete, filthinesse and miseries. And then will we say as Dauid sayd in the 39. Psalme, Man that liueth, is nothing but vanitie: Surely, man walketh like a shade. And in the 144. Psalme, verse 3, 4. What is man that thou so thinkest on him, or the sonne of man that thou so much esteemest. Man is like vnto vanitie: his dayes are like a shadowe that vani∣sheth.

Notes

• Verse. 8.
• Verse. 14.
• Ierem. 20.
• Verse 20.
• The often remem∣bring of our mise∣ries, is the next way to humble vs.