man who suffers himself to lose his religion, has many bitter moments of regret and remorse. How he curses the sinful folly which led him to lend an ear to the deceitful suggestions of the wicked one, and which have brought him to this wretched pass I Yes, it is a terrible thing to see the day of spiritual prosperity going away and the shadows of its evening stretched out. (3) Those from whom the day of a life lived without God is going away. This must be dreadful indeed. They have drunk up all that the cup of this world hM to give them; there is not a drop left, and there is no J>roYision made for the eternity to which they are hastening. With what intensity of bitterness will the "Woe unto us!" of such be uttered I For though such perceive that eternity is near, and God's awful judgment bar, yet how difficult, how all but impos- Bible do they find it to hurry on their preparations as they would fain do! The lips nnused to pray cannot pray. The habits of unbelief and worldliness won't be broken. Faith will not come. 'l'hey have 80 long turned away from Christ that now they cannot turn to him. Pride holds back the confession which their repentance would make, that all their past life has been one melancholy mistake. Such are some of the great difficulties which stand in the way of him who, at the close of a long life lived without God, would then turn to God. And as he sees that now this world is lost to him, and the next not won and all but impossible to be won, how inevitable the exceeding bitter cry, "Woe unto us!" etc.! But now- II. LET US ENDEAVOUR TO LIGHTEN THIS LAMENTATION, AND TO COMFORT THOSE WHO SAY, " ViToE m'"To us!" 1. Those who lament the going away of the day of oppor- tunity. Remember that all opportunity is not gone. "Why should a living man complain?" "A live dog is better than a dead lion." (Illustrate from Foster's essay on • Decision of Character.' Story of a spendthrift who had lost a vast estate suddenly resolving that he would regain it, and at once setting about to earn money, though ever so little, and at length, by dint of prolonged, hard, and often degrading toil and of rigid economy, accomplishing his resolve. Such victories have been won in spite of temporal loss.) Remember all is not gone. And where spiritual opportunities have been let go, sad as such loss is, others yet remain. "Sleep on now, and take your rest;" that was our Saviour's way of telling his unwatchful disciples that they had lost the opportunity of ministering to him as he had asked them. But in the next breath he says, "Rise, let us be going : behold, he that betrayeth," etc.; that was his way of telling them that there were opportunities for other service yet awaiting them. Peter, when he went out after his denial of his Lord, and wept bitterly, thought that never- more would he have opportunity of doing aught for that dear, dear Lord whom he had 80 shamefully denied. But 'twas after that the Lord said to him, "b'eed my Iambs," " Feed my sheep." Therefore waste not time in mere brooding over lost opportun:ties. Confess your faithlessness, and seek forgiveness, and then ask the Lord to show you what yet remains that you may do for him. And be sure that he will graciously deal with you as he did with his apostle of old. 2. Those who lament the going away of the d,a,y of prosperity. If yon are not a believer in Christ-one born again of the Holy Ghost unto him, then I know not how to comfort you or how to lighten your lamenta- tion. I can only counsel you to kneel and pray that this loss of temporal good may lead you to him who waits to give you eternal good, in the gain of which all earthly loss will be forgotten. God grant you may follow this counsel. But if you are a child of God, then remember Ghrist will be with you in your trial. Was there not another with the three Hebrew youths in the furnace of fire, so that its fierce flames burned them not, and they walked up and down as if beneath the cool shade of the trees of Paradise? Manifold and great good to you and through you is undoubtedly designed by letting such trial come to you. 'l'o give you holy skill and blessed tenderness in ministering to other troubled souls; to impart to you deeper knowledge of yourself; to make you the means of making known to others what Divine grace can do. This was why God suffered Job to be so tried, and why the Lord put the faith of the Syro- phreniciao woman to so severe a strain. Did not our Lord himself become the "Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief"? What do we not all owe t~ that?. And_ so through his people becoming more or less men of sorrows and acquamted with grief, large blessing shall flow down to others. 'l'hen do not think it all" woe" if the day of your earthly prosperity does seem to be "going away," and the shadows of its evening be stretched. out. 3. Those who lameni the going away of tho day of a lifo crr. v1. 1-30.] THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEREMIAIL 163
lived without God. To such we would say that it is a. rare mercy that they are dis- tressed at all. For many die as they ha.ve lived, indifferent a.nd unconcerned about God a.nd things eternal. Bnt if alarm and fea.r ha.ve been a.wakened, that is a token of mercy. The dying robber on the cross beside our Lord, a.t that last hour turned to him, and was not refused the mercy he craved. Christ "saves to the uttermost a.11 that come unto God by him." Give glory to him by even now turning to him, as he bid~ you do. But let none presume on the possibilities of such repentance a.t the very last. "The Gospels tell of one such, tha.t none ma.y despair; but of only one, that none may presume." "Remember now thy Crea.tor in the days of thy youth." "To Jesus me.y we fly Swift es the morning light, Lest life's young golden beams should die In sndrlen endless night." If we be found in him, then the exceeding bitter cry of our text will never be hea.rd from us. The da.y of opportunity will not lea.ve us. If the day of earthly prosperity do leave us, then it will be because the Lord hath provided some better thing for us. .And when the da.y of life goeth awa.y e.nd we with it, it will be but " to depart and be witl;l Christ, which is far better."-C.