Evidently the Prophet Jeremiah is using highly symbolic language to convey his thoughts. The larger portion of the prophecies of the Bible are put forth in figurative expressions and in parables and dark sayings, as they were not intended of the Lord to be understood until at the time of their fulfillment.
The "heavens" would symbolize the powers of ecclesiasticism, and the "fountains" would symbolize the truth, the Lord's word. The time would come, therefore, as foretold by the Prophet, when the Lord's professing "people," Christians, would forsake the Lord and His word, and would "hew" out or fashion for themselves "cisterns" or receptacles to hold the muddy waters of the traditions of men. The creeds and religious systems are in a very dilapidated and broken state and wholly incapable of holding the waters of the truth. The old systems of the past are breaking up and are absolutely useless so far as holding the waters of the truth are concerned.
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