largest offerings at its shrine, All these doings only emphasized the disobedience r,f the people. They were very diligent in giving what Jehovah did not want, vainly thinking it might stand in place of what be imperatively required. When God asks u~ for repentance and obedience, it is the merest trifling both with his expectations and our interests to bring some unusual demonstration of will-worship. Let quality, not quantity, be the first thing. A little of the right is better than the utmost profession of the wrong. A little of the right, firmly rooted, will increase and strengthen with wonderful rapidity. III. THE SHAPE OF THE SEVERITIES, Sword, famine, and pestilence are coming ; coming, plainly set forth as the consuming agents of Jehovah. When Jehovah makes :nen his sword, it is vain to contend against them. The history of God's people hall often shown how a few could be victorious and a multitude vanquished. It is he who can put strength into the arm that wields the sword or take that strength away. These Invading armies were, of course, not conscious that Jehovah was wielding them in this way. 'fhey had their own selfish aims, which God could subordinate and mould toward his own ends. It is the worst of blasphemy for the leader of an army to talk as if he were going on God's errands. Attila was not the sconrge of God because he said so, though God may have used him in ways beyond Attila's power to conceive. Famine. Here was a destroyer which there was no guarding against. The sword could at least be drawn against the sword, however vain the result. But who could stop a general famine? And even supposing a few rich men could store up grain for a while, there was a third foe in reserve-the pestilence. David had his choice as to which of the three dread agents he would prefer; but here they all come together. God has a vari-ety of weapons, and his enemies cannot evade them all. How wise men would be if, instead of vainly trying to shut out alike Divine Law and penalty, they would at once and for ever take up the attitude of entire submission to God! Then they would be defended indeed. By sword, famine, and pestilence, these rich men of Judah and Jerusalem were for ever separated from their ill-gotten gains. But "who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Assuredly not famine or sword," says the apostle; nor pestilence either, he would have added, if he had thought of it. We may be persuaded that nothing bas power to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. The mischief is that we reject the protections of that love and all other benefits flowing from it.-Y. Vere. 13-16.-The peculiar doom of the false prophets. I. THE BIN OF TB!. PROPHETS. That they nre found liars is, comparatively speaking, a small part of their offence. Their lie is productive of so much that adds to the peril of the position-so much that is peculiarly insulting to Jehovah. Their sin and the punishment of it were not unlike the sin and punishment of Ananias and Sapphira. Ananias and Sapphira were smitten, not because they had lied, but because they had lied against the Holy Ghost. So with these false prophets here; they prophesied falsely; but that in itself might not have brought a peculiar doom upon them. The offence lay in this, that the false prophecy came at a time when it was peculiarly obnoxious to Jehovah. It was not a distant danger that these false prophets made light of, bot one close to the door. The prophet's difficulties, arising from the natural disposition of his auditors, were already great enough. No false prophet was needed to come in with his contra- diction. It must also be remembered that there was a peculiarly insulting sin in that these men told their lies as prophets. What a dreadful thing for a man to go forth with "Thus saith Jehovah" in his mouth, when the words are the deceit of his own heart I '.l'his expression," the deceit of their heart," seems to suggest the possibility that in some instances these false prophets were not deliberate liars, but were them- selves deluded by a fanatical exaggeration of patriotism. Nevertheless, oven so, tho sin was none the less, for the spirits of the prophets were subject to the prophets. Wo had need be very sure that we are duly commissioned when we undertake to speak in the Name of God, else we may land ourselves in most humiliating exposures, and come to a most admonitory end. 'l'hus we come to notico- II. How THE BIN OF THESE PIIOPIIETS WAS MADE CLEAR, Jeremiah said one thing the false prophets said the direct contrary, and at the t_imc there seemed no means 6f vindicating the true prophet bcyouu all chance of cavil. Doubtless those who were 3i2 TB.E BOOK OF 'l'HE PROPHET JEllEMIAH. [cu. xv. 1-21.
rightly disposed did listen and believe. Their very disposition was in itself a touch- stone by which to discriminate between the false and the truo; while thoso disposed to reject could make anything serve for an excuse. The important thing to notice is that the occasion of this great sin was seized upon to predict in duo time a terrible an indisputable, revelation of the sin. Thus an opportunity came for adding detai!'and emphasis to the prophecy already given. What could not be made plain at the moment would be made abundantly plain hereafter. Sword and famine were not only certain, they were near; coming within the lives of these living men, who would see these very false prophets die by the sword and famine which they had sneered at as impossible. 'l'hose who during life had told so many inexpressibly mischievousfalse- hoods with their lips, were made the instruments, their own will not beina at all con- sulted, of uttering most impressive truth in their death. God and his t;uth and his true propht!ts and faithful witnesses can wait. 'l'ime is increasingly on the side of all truLh, \,hile false prophets are condemned out of their own mouths. Ill. THE DECEIVED AUDITORS SUFFER JUST AS MUCH AB THE DECEIVING SPEAKERS. The people were not at liberty to plead contradictions in the messages as a ground for continued inaction in the matter of repentance, Such a plea was certain to be seized on but, whil~ it might help to d~ug _the cons~ience, ~t availed nothing to lighten the judg~ ments which Jehovah was bnngmg on his unfaithful people. That God who is to be reckoned trne, though such reckoning makes every man a liar, has assuredly not left himself without ample witness. False prophets can be tested at once by the heart of each individual to whom they appeal, although their exposure before the whole universe may not come for many ages. God gives us for our own sakes the present means of guarding against them. As to his Name and glory, we may be sure he will vindicate them in his own time and way.-Y,