The Pulpit Commentary — Jeremiah — Volume 1 — Section 145

in the strength of God's grace that it shall be so no more. Turn to him your Lord and Saviour, who came that you might have lifo, and might have it more abundantly, and beseech him to give you what you must have or die. And so for you and for WI all we would pray- " Diffuse, 0 God, those copious showen, That earth its fruit may yield, And change this barren wilderness To C8!'mel's flowery field." 0. Vers. 27, 28.-The devil's lure. "Their houses are full of deceit, therefore they are become great," etc. I. SEVERAL OF THESE LURES ARE NAMED IlEI\E. 1. Wealth : " They are waxen rich." 2. Luxury: "They are waxen fat, they shine." 3. Impunity: "They overpass, . . . they judge not, . . . yet they prosper." 4. Success: "They prosper." II. A.No THE LIKE LURES ABE HELD OUT STILL. Satan is ever seeking, and with ~ad success, to seduce men by such and similar snares. Ill IT rs WHAT WE MIGHT EXPEOT, For that Satan should in this manner tempt men is in keeping with his constant method of parodying and travestying all the "OOd works of God. What virtue, what Christian grace, is there that he does not carica- iure-modesty by servility, prudence by meanness, generosity by careless waste, etc.? And so here, "The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich," and hence Satan sets to work to devise a blessing of his which also shall make rich-and this is his great lure. IV. AND THIS LURE 1B MADE THE MORE ATTR.AOTIVE BY THE FA.OT THAT Goo OFTEN SUFFERS HIS SERVANTS TO FALL INTO GREAT DISTRESS. "Many are the afflic- tions of the righteous;" "In the world ye shall have tribulation." For God desires that we shall love him for himself, yea, when our earthly interests even plead against him. Such trial of our faith is exceeding precioUJI in his sight. V. OUR DUTY AND DEFENOE, THEilEFOnE, IB: 1. To look right on beyond the present reward, even to "the end." 2. To expose to others the treachery of these apparent rewards. 3. To pray for and cherish the spirit of Nehemiah, who said, "So did not I, because of the fear of God." 4. To yield our heart and soul up to the better attraction of Christ and his cross, until we come to say of him,-" Thou art • mine exceeding joy.' "-C. Ver. 31.-.A wonderful and horrible thing indeed. Consider- 1 bi WHAT IT oONBIBTED. 1. "The prophets prophesy falsely." The prophets were not mere predicters of future events, but the utterers of God's will-those who spolce forth, as the very word " prophet" denotes, the hitherto undeclared mind of God. For this purpose they were specially selected, trained, -privileged, commissioned. Henco every inducement the.t could possibly bear on them to lead them to be faithful to their high charge and trust was theirs: love of their country; e.pproval of their own con- science ; the fear of God ; the sure, if not present, reward of their fidelity which they would receive from God. But yet they prophesied falsely. We could have understood: (1) Their hesitation in the discharge of their duty. See how Jeremiah himself shrank from it, so stern and arduous was it. It was no light matter to be a prophet in those days. (2) Their 6ilence even. Fear may have rendered them dumb, or hopele~sness of doing any good may have silenced them. But that they should prophesy falsely-they from whom fidelity at all costs might have been looked for-that was "a wonderful and horrible," etc. 'l'he fountains of truth were poisoned, the helm of the ship was in the hands of thosii who would steer her on to the rocks. The light that was in Israel was darkened, therefore how great was their darkness! What force such a fact as this lends to the urgency with which: (a) God's prophets-hie ministers to-day are such-should take heed to themselves and to their doctrine; e.nd (b) God's people should remember in fervent prayer those on whom so high and solemn e. charge is laid. 2. " The priests bear rule by their means." The priests were the more familiar ministers of religion. They were a permanent order, not raised up for special occasions, and they came into contact with men continually. They were supposed" to keep knowledge," They had all the traditions of their order, all the memories of their history and of God's  ou. v. 1-31.] THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEREMIAH. 143