The Pulpit Commentary — Jeremiah — Volume 1 — Section 236

another indication of how complet.ely, for its sins, Jerusalem had been handed over to the foreign destroyer. It makes all the difference to mention such a terrible ciroum- Btance beforehand, as an illustration of the severity of God's dealings. 'fhus it is seen that the spoliation can~ot b~ l'.1-!d t? his charge. And th_ou_gh it must be taken as a sign how barbarous the ancient c1V1hzation was at bottom, this 1s but a comiiclernLion by the way. The real cause of this hideous spectacle was in the idolatry of those who had covenanted to love and serve Jehovah, to walk after him and seek him and worship him. These dead ones had forsaken God and taught their posterity to forsake him 9.Jso; and now there was none among the living able to protect the bones of the dead from such horrible insult. II. OBSERVE THAT THE llUlllLIATION BAB A PECULIAR CONNECTION WITH THE IDOLATRY OF THE PEOPLE. Not only are the tombs emptied, but the bones are scattered before the host of heaven. Tbe enemy was not thinking of this exhibition but it happened so very opportunely. Sun, moon, and stars looked down upon th~ scene thus strewn with the bones of the illustrious, as if in rebuke for the use which Israel had tried to make of them. 'l'hey had worshipped and served the creature in opposition to the Creator, and this was what had come of it. These bones had strengthened the living body to worship the sun, and now the sun shone steadily down on them, as if in public rejection of what was not only a mistaken honour to the creature but a shameful insult to the Creator. The very things we misuse become the instruments of our humiliation. Ill. THE GENERAL QUESTION OF THE TREATMENT OF DEAD BODIES 1B SUGGESTED FOR CONSIDERATION. Various are the customs of men with respect to the treatment of the dead, but many of them have one common element, in that they try to preserve the visible, tangible relics of life as long as po8sible. 'l'here is something very touching in the hopes and beliefs which are represented by an Egyptian mummy, as if the survivors felt that life had receded into some deep, inscrutable chamber, again to come forth in due time and reanimate its old tenement. We think of how Joseph must have been under the influence of a feeling of this kind, when he gave such strict commandment concerning his bones. Still, it is part of the salvation wherewith Christ saves his people, that we are lifted above these hannti ng considerations as to the cor- poreal frame. It is according to the Spirit of Christ that we should labour, by exercise and self-denial, to make the living body an efficient agent of his will; but when the life has gone, no sentimental treatment of ours can alter the fact that the body is mere matter, fast under the chemica-1 laws which will soon resolve it into its constituent elements. Have not the bodies of God's saints been shamefully maltreated, both during life and after death? Think out of what a mangled and bleeding form the spirit of Stephen took its flight to everlasting bliss. If there be force in the injunction of Jesus not to fear what men can do-to the sentient body, how much more may it be urged not to fear what they can do to the senseless corpse. 'fhe enemies of the noble and fearless witnesses of truth have shown more than once their contemptible spirit by the way in which they have treated the dead. They could not get at them when living, and they thought it was something of a triumph to insult their remains when gone; e.g. Wycliffe and Cromwell. The scattering of these bones before sun, moon, and 8tars would have been a thing to glory in, if the men to whom they belonged had been soldiers in the noble army of martyrs.-Y. Ver. 3.-A pitiable condition: death preferable to life. I. REMEMBER MAN's NATURAL DREAD OF DEATH. 'l'he very force of the prophet's expression here lies in this, that it contradicts the habitual feelings of the human breast. The natural preference is to choose life rather than death; nay, it can hardly be called preference at all. There is an instinctive prompting to ward off everything that may be fatal. Whatever the drawbacks and pains of life may be, life is chosen rather than death. In most instances the suicide is held not responsible for the state of his mind at the time. We must all die indeed ; yet death is so alien to every predominating feeling of the mind when in health and prosperous circumstances, that even when death comes near others, it is viewed as if it had little or nothing to do with us. And HO whe~ Jeremiah's word came to these 1>eople in Jerusalem, they, at least the young and the strong among them, would receive it nry Incredulously. '!'hat things sJ-.ould ever becomo CH. vm. 1-22.] 'l'llE BOOK 01" 'l'HE PROPHET JEREMIAH. 235