By the prophet, God returned to them a most gracious answer. He directed them what to do ; and encouraged them by the strongest assurances of his own protection ; promising to return in mercy to them himself, as well as to dispose the heart of the king of Babylon to shew mercy to them : at the same time he warned them plainly, that if they would follow their own ways in opposition to his counsel, he would bring upon them all the calamities which they were so anxious to escape b
They however, by their determined rejection of God's counsel, betrayed in the most open manner their own hypocrisy. Instead of hearkening to God's voice, they, " the proud among them" especially, denied that the message which was delivered to them proceeded from God : they imputed it to the ill-will of Baruch towards them c ; and told the prophet plainly, that they would not follow his injunctions'1. Accordingly they, in express violation of their own engagements, went down into Egypt, and there found, as God had declared unto them, " whose word should stand, his or theirs e."]
From this view of the history, we are led to make the following remarks :
First, How little do men know of their own hearts !
[In all the professions which they made of their readiness and determination to obey their God, they thought themselves sincere ; and doubtless would have been exceedingly indignant, if the prophet had in the first instance charged them with hypocrisy. Thus Peter, when he so vehemently declared, that, though all others should forsake their Lord, he never would, conceived that nothing could ever induce him to recede from his purpose : and thus we also persuade ourselves that we shall prove superior to all temptations, till the time of trial comes, and we shew by our unfaithfulness, how little we knew of our own hearts.]
Next, What an enemy to man's happiness is pride !
[It was " the proud men" in particular who denied the inspiration of the prophet, and who ascribed his message to a conspiracy which he and Baruch had entered into to deceive them. To the same malignant principle of pride does the holy Psalmist ascribe the contempt with which ungodly men treat every thing that relates to God: " The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after Godf." Yes, this is at the root of infidelity : men pretend that there is a want of evidence of the Divine authority of the Scriptures, and
b Read ver. 7 — 19. c Jer. xliii. 1 — 3. d Jer. xliv. 1G.
e Jer. xliv. 28. f Ps. x. 4.