The Pulpit Commentary — Jeremiah — Volume 1 — Section 427

them for his own aggrandizement. He is filled with the ambition of achieving great- ness in many ways. It is by his strength that he builds Babel and the Pyramids and all the great structures of both ancient and modern times. He gathers great armies and makes extensive conquests. He leans to his own understanding and is wise in his own conceits. And it must be admitted that it is hard for a man in the full strength of body and mind to take in, as a practical check upon all his castle-building, the necessary "·cakness of human nature. The discovery of our weakness will always be a humili- ating thing, at least in the first 11spect of it, We do not like to relinquish the glory which comes from physical strength, intellectual skill, in short, from the employment of all those faculties enabling a man to achieve what is called a successful career, Genius is semi-deified, while the .Spirit of God working through some common man, who would be nothing without that Spirit, is despisad or neglected. Succesfful mili- tary anA. naval commanders are made into nobles with the general approval. Every fresh application of natural forces is hailed as a tribute to the glory of mankind, Even those who are not deceived by the coarser forms of human power are deceived readily enough by the finer ones. II. MAN IN Gon's ESTIMATE OF HIM. This is set forth by a threefold indication of man's folly and wickedness. 1. He trusts in man ; man as set forth by the word c,N. 'fhe strong man is assuredly no stronger than that upon which he leans. A buildiTng may be of substantial materials, but all its strength will avail nothing if the foundation be weak. Mark that it is not a question of trusting in sinful and fallen men. God does not find fault with us for trusting in bad men rather than good ones. He is speak- ing of all that essential defectibility, that susceptibility to temptation, ,vhich belonged to man even before he fell. We might put the matter thus: Cursed is the man who trusts in Adam, who forgets that be himself is beset with temptations, and that in a moment of heedlessness and vain self-confidence he may fall into shame, confusion, and perhaps despair. 2. He makes flesh his arm. All strength must act through an arm of some sort. A great deal of human power makes itself felt in a very literal way through the arm. Sheer strength in wielding the sword or the hammer; skill, as in holding the painter's brush, the sculptor's chisel, the musical instrument, and the innumerable tools of all sorts of handicraftsmen. Thus the arm becomes a great repre- sentative, showing all the varieties of human strength in action. Now, where man sbows his folly is in this-that wishing to get his own way, to work out his own pleasure and glory, he has no better instrument than flesh. What a poor, uncertai11 creature man is, if he has nothing better to depend upon than his natural faculties I 'l'he eye may lose its vision, the arm its strength, the hand its skill, and then where arc the schemes and projects of the ingenious brain? The thing intended by God is that man should be as an arm to carry out into action the wise and loving projects of the Divine will. Then there is no failure, no disappointment. What cannot be done in one way will assuredly be done in another, if only the will and counsel of God stand supreme in our regard. 3, Bis heart departs from Jehovah. The great privilege given to Israel was that they had been brought near to Jehovah. Fallen Adam had boen cast out of Eden, but believing Abraham had been drawn near to God. And his descend- ants in particular, the chosen nation in the wilderness, had been made to approach to Jehovah, the great I Am, the Source of whatsoever strength and energy are to be found in his universe. Thus, then, we see the peculiar folly of the children of Israel. Allmon are fools because they trust in man and make flesh their arm; but the Israelite is a fool more thaH others because his heart departs from Jehovah, He cannot depart alto- gether; be cannot get away from the constraints of the Omnipotent; be must go through all the sufferings that are coming upon the guilty land; and even when he departs to Babylon he will not leave Jehovah behind. What folly, then, that he docs not make an instantaneous clearance of his miseries by cleaving with purpose of heart to Jehovah as J ehova.h desires to cleave with fulness of blessing to him I And lot us recollect that, however far from Jehovah our hearts may depart, from his judgments and penal visitations it is impossible for 118 to depart. Ill. THE CURSE WHIOB BEBTB ON ALL THIS MISTAKEN BELF-CONl!'IDENOE. Though there seems some uncertainty as to the meaning of ver. 6, it is best for practical pur- poses to take it in contrast with ver. 8. If we plant ourselves down confidently among ,ur own resources, deceived by the smiles and attractions of first appearances, wo must CH. xvu. 1-27.J THE BOOK OF 'fHE PROPHET JEREMIAH. 433