Jer. xxxvi. 27, 28. Then the word of the Lord came to Jere- miah, (after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch zurote at the mouth of Jeremiah,) saying, Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned.
TRUTH has peculiar force, when it is embodied, and exhibited in action. A speculative view of it may perhaps be derived as well from abstract state- ments ; but its practical efficacy is exceedingly en- hanced by a sight of it in actual operation. For instance : the enmity of the carnal mind against God is acknowledged by us in general terms ; but we are more forcibly impressed with a conviction of it, when we behold such a display of it as is contained in the chapter before us. We should scarcely con- ceive that any man could deliberately commit such flagrant impiety, as that of which king Jehoiakim was guilty, in destroying those prophecies which he be- lieved to have proceeded from Almighty God. It does not appear that Jehoiakim doubted of the inspi- ration of Jeremiah : yet, because he did not like the subject of his prophecies, he cut them in pieces, and burned them in the fire. His folly in this act was as great as his impiety : and we shall find it by no means an uninstructive event, whilst we take occasion from it to notice,
I. The enmity of man's heart against the word of God —