The Pulpit Commentary — Jeremiah — Volume 1 — Section 358

temptation to dl\grade their mission by aiming at pleasing their hearers instead of faithfully proclaiming the will of God. IV. FALBE TEAOHING IN RELICIION WILL BE PUNISHED BY FATAL RESULTS. H ought to be clear to every body that the first question concerning any teaching is whether it is true, Yet this question ie often ignored. Tho prophet is eloquent; the doctrine is pleasing; the prediction is inviting. But what of all that if it is false? The prophecy will be punished when truth is revealed by facts. 'l'hen the false prophet will suffer by the. fulfilment in himself of the prophecy he denied, and the people by the coming of the evil day they were too ready to hear discredited. Ver. 20-ch.:x:v. !.-Prayer for mercy rejected. I. THE PRAYER IS BASED ON URGENT PLEAS. I. A complete confession of sin; (Ver. 20.) It is acknowledged as hereditary, but as also personal. Therefore all claims must rest on Divine considerations, since no ground for prayer can be found in anything human. 2. The plea of the Na;me of God. 'fhis is a plea all men can urge. The character, the honour, and the glory of God are suggested by his Name. For the sake of what he is, and the glory that his mercy will reflect, we may plead for pardon. By his love we beg for his forgiveness. 3. The plea of disgraa to the throne of God's.glory. This is a more special plea. The temple was the house of God, wherein his glory was manifested. To destroy it was to put an end to the manifestation of Divine glory associated with it. God's glory is reflected on his Church. If the Church is humiliated, disgrace falls on the throne of God's glory. Yet., note, it is only the throne that is directly disgraced, not the glory itself. The tarnished mirror can no longer reflect the radiance of the sun; this is a discredit to the mirror, but not directly to the sun, since there is no diminution of the sun's brightness. Still, indirectly, dishonour is done to the original source of glory. The sun is less admired ii its light is less reflected. God is less honoured if his glory is less manifested. 4. The plea of the Divi11e covenant. This is the most special plea. God has made promises. 'l'o the fulfilment of these his faithfulness is bound. He has made a covenant with his own people. They who have accepted the covenant plead its special claims.. The Chdstian has not only the universal mercy of God to trust in; he has the special p1omises of the gospel, the assurance of the privileges of God's restored children. n. NE,.ERTIIELESSTHE PRAYER IS REJEOTED. I. Intercession is useless/or those who will 11ot repent and seelc mercy for themselves. The prayer was that of the prophet on behalf of his impenitent countrymen. The intercession of good men is recognized as powerful. 'l.'heir character adds weight to their intercession (Jas. v. 16). But not only must Jeremiah's prayer be rejected, even Moses the founder of the nation and Samuel the father of the prophets could not prevail in the present case. The intercession of one greater than Moses, of Christ himself, will not save those who a.re obstinately hardened against returning to God. 2. The Name of God inclttdes reference to his ;"iistice as well as his m1rrcy. For his Name's sake he must vindicate the right. '£be one-sided view of God which excludes all reference to his wrath is dishonouring. Even a man who cnn never feel righteous indignatiou is weak and imperfect. For a judge to acquit all criminnls would be fatal to justice. 3. The throne of God's glory is more dishonoured by sin than by external disaster. The Jews feared discreuit to the temple in its desecration by the heathen. It was more desecrated by their corrupt practices in it. 'l.'o make the temple a den of thieves is more dishonouring than to overthrow it so as not to leave one stone upon another. The sins of Christ's Church nre more diHhonouring to his Name than her sufferings, her willing subservience to the spirit of the world more humiliating than her apparent lowly co11dition when trampled under the feet of persecutors. 'l'he pure martyre,l Church is a glory to Christ, the corrupt prosperous Church a shame to his Name. 4. God's Qovenant !1as hwman conditions. He condescends to bind himself to bless us so long as we fulfil our obligations to submit to him. Disobedience breaks the covenant. 'l'he faithless Christian cannot urge the pleas of the pri vilcges of the gospel. Ver. 22.-Prayer for rain. I. 0BJEOTIONS TO PIIAYER FOR IlAIN. 1. The universality of law. It seems to have been vaguely imagined till recently that the weather was not subject to laws of nature in the same strict form in which most material things nre thus bound. Dut this surmise was simply based on ignorance. Recently moro 860 TRE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEUEMIAH. [cu. xiv. 1~22,