The Pulpit Commentary — Jeremiah — Volume 1 — Section 162

dre.w therefrom. And that this is the intent of these awful representations of God's wrath is seen in ver. 8, where God pathetically. pleads wHh Jerusalem to be "in- itructed " by his words, "lest his soul depart from " her. llemem ber, then: 1. It is only tl1e eye, purged by the Spirit of truth, that can see the truth as to ourselves or others. Until thus cleansed, we may be going down to our graves with a lie in our right band. 2. Praise and bless God for his loving warnings to the wicked. Pray that they may be heeded, and be careful not to disguise or diminish them by prophesyings of peace when there is no peace. 3. Hasten to be yourself and to bring others to be safe within the shelter of the love of God, where no evil can befall and no plague ever come nigh.-0. Ver. 1.-Signal-fires. "Set up a sign of fire in Beth-haccerem." lntroduction- Illustre.te from Homer's description of such signal-fires, or from Macaulay's poem, 'Defeat of the Spanish Armada.l Take them as illustrative of the warnings of God against sin. I. REVIEW SOME OF THESE SIGNAL-FIRES. 1. The Bible. 2. The ministers of God's truth. 3. Conscience. 4. Present judgments upon men's sin. IL NoTE WHEREFORE THEY SHOULD BE SET UP. 1. Men are living in grievous sin. 2. God's judgments are near at hand. 3. Men are in a state of false security. 4. They will rally the good to increased exertion. 5. 'l'hey will arouse and arrest the wicked. 6. That like fires may be enkindled by the faithful, who have seen them and taken the warning, e.nd will therefore send it on. 7. God's sore judgment will come upon those who do not set them up. III. How THIS MAY BE DONE, 1. By faithful preaching. 2. By living in the fear of God. 3. By separation from the ungodly. 4. By seeking to save all over whom you have influence from the wrath to come. IV. WHEN DONE, LET THESE WARNINGS BE AS BlGNAL-FIREB. 1. Such as all must observe. 2. Such as all will understand. 3. Set up from sense of the reality both of the threatened danger and the people's need. 4. Kept burning steadily in spite of all that would quench them. V. THE SIGNAL-FIRES THAT GoD BETS UP HAVE THESE CllABAOTEBISTICS. L The Bible. 2. Conscience. 3. Present judgments. V1 LET OURS HA VE THE SAME.-0. Vers. 2, 8.-T/1e Lord's pasture. Patterns of things spiritual and eternal are scattered broadcast over God's universe. Nothing is more pleasant than to trace these resemblances out. Our Lord we.a ever "likening" things in the kingdom of heaven io things he saw around him in the world. His own word, "parables," tells of thino-s " placed by the side" of others for comparison of their likenesses or contrasts. Tl~c prophet in these verses "likens" Jerusalem-the daughter of Zion-to a beautiful and luxuriant pasturage (cf. Exposition). He was speaking of the material city. But that daughter of Zion leads our thoughts to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of God, tho Church, "which he has purchased with his own blood." Now, tho.t may be fitly likened to such a pasture; it is the Lord's pasture. For- I. '!'HERE THE SHEEP OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD FIND BEST AND REFRESHMENT AFTER THE OFTEN WEARY JOURNEY OVER THE WAYS OF THE WORLD. (Cf. Ps. xxiii., l.x.x.xiv.) Seo the many testimonies to the spiritually refreshing and restful influence of the worship of the Church. "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures," etc. II. 'l'nmm ma SHEEP FIND PASTURE. "I will abundantly bless her provision: I will feed her poor with brend.'' Dy the ministry of God's truth, by the application, through the Holy Spirit's grace, of the things of Obrist. Christ's people are fed as with the Dread of life. IIJ. '!'HE COMELINESS AND BEAUTY OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST JUSTIFY THIS COlll· PARISON. 'l'ruc, the Church has not yet put on her " beautiful garments." The pro- \)hetio visions of her glory e.nd majesty still we.it to be realized. "The bride" hns not yet" made herself ready." But even as she is, in her garments of humiliation, trending her painful way as a weary pilgrim, who is like unto hel'? Whcro arc moral beauty rmd grace to be found such as she possesses, and hns shown-yea, is showing still-in spite :>fall impcl'fcctions? Even now-oh, how much more by-and-by !-the Clrnrch of Christ,  160 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEREMIAH. [oH, VI. 1-30.