Sin is, in trutli, the hardest of all masters. In its service there is plenty of fair promises, but an utter dearth of performance. Its pleasures are but for a season. Its wages are sorrow, remorse, self-accusation, and too often death. They that sow to the flesh, do indeed reap corruption.
2. Some think that the name of Jeremiah was applied by the Jews to all that portion of the Old Testament Scripture containing pro- phecies, and that Matthew did not really mean that Jeremy had de- livered the prophecy. This is the vicAV of Lightfoot.
3. Some think that Matthew originally wrote the words " The prophet," without quoting the name of any one in particular, and that the word ''Jeremy" was inserted by an ignorant transcriber. In favor of this view, it is fair to say that the Syriac version, one of the oldest extant, simply says " the prophet," and omits Jeremy's name. The Persian verision also omits it.
4. Some think that Matthew originally wrote the words "Zecha- riah the prophet," and that some ignorant transcriber changed the word into Jeremiah. In favor of tliis view, it must fairly be remem- bered that in manuscripts, names were often written short, and that lOU, and ZOU, are not very unhke.
I offer no opinion on these solutions of the difficulty. A question of this sort, which has puzzled so many interpreters, is not likely to be settled at this period of the world.
One solution of the difficulty I only mention in order to enter my protest against it. That solution wa,s propounded by Augustine, and is adopted by many modern divines. It is simply this, that " Matthew forgot what he was doing and made a blunder. He quoted fi'om memory, and inaccurately. He meant Zechariah and not Jeremiah." I can only say that at this rate we must give up the inspiration of Scripture altogether ! If writers of the Bible could make blunders like this, we never know where we are in quoting a text. To use such an argument is putting a sword into the hands of Arians and Socinians, which they know well how to use. Once give up the verbal inspiration of Scripture and vre stand on a quicksand.
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Are we tempted to commit siii ? Let us remember the words of Scripture, " Your sin will iiiid you out/' and resist the temptation. Let us be sure that sooner or later, in this life or in the life to come, in this world or in the judgment-day, sin and the sinner will meet face to tlice, and have a bitter reckoning. Let us be sure that of all trades sin is the most unprofitable. Judas, Achan, Gehazi, Ananias and Sapphira, all found it so to their cost. Well might St. Paul say, " What fruit had ye in those things whereof ye are now ashamed ?" (Rom. vi. 21.)
Finally, let us see in the case of Judas, to what a mis- erable end a man may come^ if he has great lyrivilegeSj and does not use them rightly. We are told that this unhappy man " departed and went and hanged himself.'' What an awful death to die ! An apostle of Christ, a former preacher of the Gospel, a comj^anion of Peter and John, commits suicide, and rushes into God's jDresence unpre- pared and unforgiven.
Let us never forget that no sinners are so sinful as sinners against light and knowledge. None are so pro- voking to God. None, if we look at Scripture, have been so often removed from this world by sudden and fearful visitations. Let us remember Lot's wife, Pharaoh, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and Saul king of Israel. They are all cases in point. It is a solemn saying of Bunyan, '* that none fall so deep into the pit, as those who fall backw^ard." It is written in Proverbs, " he that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy." (Prov. xxix. 1.) May we aU strive to live up to our light. There is such
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