The Pulpit Commentary — Jeremiah — Volume 1 — Section 497

has never been so in Northern countries as in these more favoured lands. The expla- nation lies in such facts as these: 1. All these lands have abundance of heat and moisture. The tropical sun furnishes the one and their magnificent rivers the other. And sometimes, in addition to these rivers, if not in place of them, as in the Gulf of Mexico, a large extent of coast-line ensures that vapours shall 11risc plentifully from the sea, which, descending on the nlrcady heated soil, provides LLe moisture it needs. 2. In consequence of all this the soil becomes very fruitful, and yields such abundance, and that with so little cost of labour, that it permits the formation of a leisure class, who subsist on its superfluous wealth. 3. These have become the intelligent and learned, and so the powerful, classes. 4. Meanwhile the wage-receiving population has multiplied greatly, and the wage fuud having to be spread over so much larger surface, the she.re of each labourer has become less and less. 5. Here, then, on the one hand is a vast swarm of impoverished people, and as ignorant as they are poor, and on the other a rich,· intelligent, and therefore powerful minority. And as the rich grew richer and richer the poor grew poore_r and poorer, and-gradually sank down, as in these countries they have ever done, into a mass of slaves, the ready victims of the oppressors' power. No doubt other forces \Vere at work at the same time to favour the growth of this oppression-the superstition of the people and the enervating influence of the climate. But thus oppression grew, and its fruits are still visible in the huge Pyramids, temples, palaces, and the·like, which remain to show the abundance of labour and the prodigality with which it was used. 6. But in the colder climes of the North the more niggard soil demands continuous, careful, and laborious cultivation, and thus the growth of population was checked and the distribution of wealth became more equal; and at the same time the rugged soil seemed to impart its character to those who cultivated it, and rendered it impossible that such men should ever become the passive victims of oppression. And so, whilst the soft, luxurious climes such as those referred to have never been favourable to the development of the people inhabiting them, those more stem and inhospitable regions, where toil, severe and continued, is necessary wouhl men live, have nurtured races of men who, more than any others, have approachcJ the true ideal of manhood. But whilst the facts now noted became the occasion, oppor- tunity,_ and temptation to oppression, other laws have· been at work, securing that, where this temptation has been yielded to, as it has been so often, there the oppresseJ shall ere long be avel)ged. Note- 111. 'l'HE NEMESIS ,OF OPPRESSION. There is such an avenger. For oppression ever kills patriotism and loyalty. What can a horde of wretcheu. slaves care for a country or a rule which has never been other than horribly cruel to them and theirs? Patriotism and loyalty are tho olfapring of freedom and righteous rule, but never of the oppressor's rule. .And thus, sooner or later, "woo" ever cometh " to him who builJeth his house by unrighteousness." For when such a land is invaded, or insurrection aris.:s, or i □ any way the authority of the rulers is threatened, they have no support in the people who are altogether indifferent as to who their rulers may be, allll feel that almost any change must be for the better. See this illustrated in the rcvol t under J eru boam, whereby Israel was for ever separated from Judah; in the fall of Nineveh o.nd of Ilabylon, and in the oft-recurring revolutiuns and invasions amid the ,lyuasties and thrones of the East {cf. also Buckle's 'History of Civilization' for further illnstration). Thus in nature and in providence, as well as in hi~ written Word, God has pronounced "'woe" on oppression and the oppressor. Learn from all this: I. 'l'o accept gratefully tho sterner conditions of life which may be appointed for us. Sunny skies, warm climates, and prolific soils nurture slaves rather than men. No cross, no crown, is a universal law. 2. Adore and trust in that God who has said so emphatically that ho will judgo the poor and needy, and hurl the oppressors from their seats. 3. Rcruembor that the woe against unrighteousncsii falls on every house that is built tborcby.-O. Vora. 13-l!l.-Son and fatlier; a sad contrast. A wicked son. Jehoi;ikim is not only reproached with his wickedness, but reminded of the very diITcreut conduct of hi~ honoured fntbcr. The contrast is very striking, varied, and instructive. It is seen- I. IN TIIE PARENTAaE 01!' THE TWO PRINCES. Jchoiakim had the great advantage of being the son of an cmi11cntly good father. All the irnpuise and holp that could come Crom 6uch a fact was his. Jm;iah, on the other hand, was the son of o.: w-cmiucutly ball 6u4 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEREMIAH. [en. XXII. l"-'-301