And this was the way in which God endeavoured to cure the evil habits of His own people. All reforms had been on the surface only ; the evil was too deep-seated to be removed by temporary repentance. So long as they remained in the place where they were accustomed to do evil they could not learn to do well. But away from the idolatrous associations with which their native land had become tainted, a new life of truth and holiness was possible to them. God therefore allowed them to be carried captive to Babylon ; and there in new circumstances they were to re-learn the forgotten lessons of faith and righteousness.2
1 S. M. Berry, Graces of the Christian Character, 54.
2 H. Macmillan, The Gate Beautiful, 110.
The Marred Vessel.
75
Literature.
Alexander (A.), The Glory in the Grey, 11.
Bonner (H.), Sermons and Lectures, 28.
Burrell (D. J.), The Unaccountable Man, 55.
Chapman (J. W.), Revival Sermons, 229.
Cowl (F. B.), Digging Ditches, 34.
Hamer (D. J.), Salt and Light, 337.
Howatt (J. R.), The Children's Pulpit, 59.
James (F.), A National Pentecost, 24.
Litchfield (G.), The House of the Potter, 1.
MacArthur (R. S.), Quick Truths in Quaint Texts, ii. 206.
Macaulay (A. B.), The Word of the Cross, 13.
Meyer (F. B.), The Soul's Ascent, 19.
a „ Jeremiah : Priest and Prophet, 75.
Pearse (M. G.), The Bramble King, 101. Robertson (J.), Sermons and Expositions, 217. Stuart (E. A.), The City Pulpit, iv. 181. Taylor (W. M.), Contrary Winds, 150. Thomas (J.), Myrtle Street Pulpit, iv. 337. Waugh (T.), Mount and Multitude, 1. Welldon (J. E. C), Youth and Duty, 181. Whitefield (G.), Sermons, 170.
Christian Commonwealth, xxxii. 777 (R. J. Campbell). Christian World Pulpit, xxv. 152 (A. Rowland); lxviii. 315 (H. Kenward) ; lxxviii. 1 (R. F. Horton) ; lxxxi. 214 (W. Harvey- Jellie). Church Family Newspaper, Oct. 1, 1909 (A. E. Barnes-Lawrence). Expositor, 1st Ser., iv. 469 (E. H. Plumptre). Keswick Week, 1907, p. 74 (J. S. Holden).
The Marred Vessel.
And when the vessel that he made of the clay was marred in the hand of the potter, he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. — Jer. xviii. 4.
The whole process of pottery as it was practised by the Israelites is represented on wall paintings still in existence. The clay was dug from the field, and then trodden by the feet of labourers until it became a workable paste, ready for the hand of the potter- His implements were few and simple. A disc of stone or wood rested upon a point fixed into a larger disc below, and upon it the clay was placed, and while the disc was whirled rapidly, the potter shaped the vessel with his hands. He wrought the work upon the wheels until it was complete ; then it was smoothed, coated with a glaze, and burned in a furnace. And it is remarkable that pottery thus simply and swiftly made was so durable that fragments of it are the only signs left of many once nourishing cities, sole witnesses to life and industry long since passed away. The trade, which the Israelites had learned in Egypt, was common among them. Culinary vessels, jars for the safe keeping of parchments, tiles of all sorts were made in vast numbers. Indeed, in the Book of Chronicles we read that there was a royal pottery establishment, and it was either the site of that old factory, or else the place where fragments or potsherds from it were cast away, that is referred to both in the Old and in the New Testament as the Potter's Field. To this well-known pottery Jeremiah was sent, not to preach a sermon, but to prepare one — a reminder to us that ordinary scenes and secular work may be eloquent with Divine teaching to any whose hearts are ready to receive it. Indeed, there is no sphere of activity anywhere about which God cannot say to His servant as He said to this prophet, " There I will cause thee to hear my words."
T| A few years ago I had the privilege of closely observing an
77
yS THE MARRED VESSEL
Eastern potter as he was seated at his work. When I began to watch him his wheel was at rest, for he was in the act of prepar- ing the clay for the moulding, kneading it just as a woman kneads dough. When satisfied that it was just right for his purpose, he took up a short stick, placed it in the junction of one of the spokes on the inner side of the rim, and then with some six or eight vigorous turns he set the wheel a-spinning swiftly. Then he lifted the shapeless mass of clay, placed it in the very centre of the wheel, by doing which, of course, he caused it to revolve with great rapidity. He then smoothed the clay and fashioned it with both hands, till it looked just like a low cone ; and then he thrust the thumb of his right hand down through the top of the cone to the centre, carefully widening the hole so as to give the sides the requisite thinness ; and thus with wonderful dexterity, and in a surprisingly short space of time, he fashioned a beautiful vase. So far as one could judge from the mere observer's point of view, that vase was perfect, but I noticed that time after time his fingers returned to it in the endeavour to do something that had not been effected. His practised, keen eye and his delicate touch informed him that there was a flaw, a defect, of which those who were round him were wholly ignorant ; and much to the surprise of us all who stood around him, he, after one moment's pause and care- ful scrutiny, crushed that vase into a shapeless lump of clay again, began to remodel it, and produced an entirely different vessel. As I stood there and saw it all, this incident recorded in the Book of Jeremiah was vividly recalled to my mind. There before me was a living commentary on this particular section of Scripture, and the whole scene was well calculated to impress the spiritual truth more deeply on one's memory and heart.1