The Pulpit Commentary — Jeremiah — Volume 1 — Section 339

prophet has in view. It was sufficient for him to impress upon them that there would be but a short time between the present and the fate he had described. It was a sign of God's grace that he had been sent to warn them. They were to listen to his voice as lo the voice of Jehovah. And in the event of rcpcnlance, that which was near at hand might be indefinitely postponed or altogether averted. But in any case the really essen- tial work of repentance ought to be done whilst they had clear views of the nature of their sin and the requirements of God's Law. From Josh. vii. 19 it is evident that the phrase, "Give glory to the Lord," meant nothing else than to repent. It suggests the honour of God, which is acknowledged and felt by the humbled sinner as he bows before the footstool of grace and tells out the dark history of his sin. The lower he is in his own estimation the higher is that throne of glory before which he lies prostrate. And at such a time the grandest- conceptions are given of the greatness, the power, and the love of God. His forgiveness shines forth in new, unspeakable splendour. And the restored sinner is cager to declare to others the grace which he himself has received. But all this is necessarily a work of time, and demands for its adequate fulfilment the full possession of our faculties and the clearest perceptions of truth. JI. THE RISKS INCURRED BY DELAY IN THESE DUTIES ARE THEN DESCRIBED. The figure is that of a traveller in a mountainous region who loses his way amongst the dark rocks until eventually the deepening gloom leaves him in despair and death. The picture is very vivid, and appeals to the deepest human feeling. It suggested the mental and spiritual confusion which were likely to arise from unlooked-for reverses, from captivity in a heathen land, and from forgetfulness of the traditions of Israel. But it is even more truly correspondent with the condition of those who have delayed making their peace with God until they have suffered mental eclipse, or been overtaken by the terror, the weakness, etc., of a death-bed. The worth of "a death-bed repentance" has been rightly discounted by every preacher and writer of the Church. There is but one instance of such a thing in Scripture. It is but seldom that resolutfons formed under such circumstances, in the event of restoration to health, avail against the temptations and lifelong habits of the sinner.-M. Ver.17.--{See on eh. L 19.)-M, Ver. 23.-Moral hdplessness: how induced. I. THE EXTENT TO WHICH IT 11.AY oo. The metaphors employed are intended to illustrate the difficulty of getting rid of that which has become a part of one's self, or which has become natural to one. It is evident tha.t superficial means would never produce the effect supposed, because that which seems to be superficial has really its root in the nature, and would be reproduced similarly in place of that which was removed. The doctrine is that there are certain evils into which men fall which may appear to be external, matters of custom and observance, but which have really their origin in the depravity of the heart. Any merely external reform, like that of Josiah, would fail to effect a permanent change, because the source of the errors and transgressions which were corrected was deeper than the remedy could reach. And this is the case with the sins of men. 'l'o cease to do evil we have not only to stay the hand but to purify the heart. 'l'o cease to do evil we mUBt cease to think it, to feel it, and to conceive it. So helpless is the sinner when he stands face to face with the problem of reformation. Effort after effort is made and fails. It is bound to fail because the source of the wrong-doing has not been reclificd. To change liimself-who is capable of this feat? II. CAUSES OF IT, BEAL AND UNIIEAL. Excuses readily suggest themselves to the sinner who would avoid the humiliation of repentance. He may ask the question, as if it were a mystery, " Wherefore come these things upon me?" Or, ignoring the witness of conscience, he may attribute hie weakness to circumstances and external influences. 'l'hie is the error which the prophet refutes. With great skill he shows the terrible power of habit: how men continue to do that which they have been. doing simply because they bave been doing it. The feet acquire a fatal facility in transgression, and the hands a skill in working evil. They almost act automatically when things forbidden are suggested. But when the commandments of God are con- cerned they arc unfamiliar with the duties enjoined, and the will is not resolute enough to persevere in them, en. xm.1-27.J THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEREMIAH. 34-1