T«r. 8. — •" Sarlpture — the written Ward of Ood." Jeremiah wm Teqnired to wnte his prophecy in a book. Israel had received the Law first by a voice of thunder, but the voice was followed by the writing on the tables of stone (Exod. xxxiv. 1). St. John was commanded to write his vision in a book (Rev. i. 11). Without definite commands of this character, prophets and apostles, historians and evangelists, have committed to writing what they knew and taught. Thus we have a written revelation, a Bible. We may see the great value of this without becoming guilty of bibliolatry, or lowering our spiritual conceptions to slavi.ih subservience to the " letter that killeth."
I. CONSIDBB THE VAL0B OF SOBIPTURB, AS CONTAININO THE WoED OF Gk)D IB
WBITINO. 1. Accuracy. Words may be spoken in haste, under excitement ; a book is presumably considered and reconsidered, its words weighed and measured. " Writing makes an exact man " (Bacon). 2. Permanence. The spoken word may soon be for- L'otten, or it may be recollected imperfectly with unconscious embellishments and deficiencies. The written word can be studied carefully and at leisure. 3. Publicity. The spoken word is heard only by one audience, present in one place, at one time. The written word is capable of being spread over a wider area. If but one copy is written, this can be sent about and frequently re-read to various hearers, like the circular letters of the New Testament. But the book can be copied, and thus the area of its influence enlarged. Since the invention of printing, and with the facilities for multiplying and cheapening the production of books, this extensive influence of litera- ture beyond that of speech has been immensely increased. 4. Transmission to the futwre. The spoken word dies with the breath that utters it ; the written word can be treasured for ages, and transmitted to distant generations. The orator is peculiarly a man of his own age ; the literary genius belongs to all time. If the Divine Word had been handed down only by tradition we know how terribly it must have been cor- rupted. We in these later days can enjoy its fresh power because it is crystallized in literature, because prophecy has become Scripture.
II. Consider the way in which wb should deal with Soripturk that contains THE WOBD OF God. Several duties and wise courses of action are suggested by the fact that the Word of God is written in a book, viz. : 1. Oare to preserve the purity of the text. Correct readings and accurate renderings of this are of first importance, since they guard the thoughts of God from perversion. 2. Reverence for the authority of ScHpture If we believe that it embodies the words and ideas of God, we shall feel that, •vea
4 THE BOOK OF THE PBOPHET JEREMIAH, [oh. txx. 1—24
when it teaches spiritual principles which we cannot as yet see well established, U haa ft dldm to be listened to with the reverence of the ignorant pupil fur his wiser master. Ai br as it brings before us God's thoughts, it must be rettd and examined and esti- mated by quite a different standard from that by which we decide questions of purely human literature. 3. Diligence in searching the Scriptures. The Bible is to be used. It is not to be treated as many men treat the classics, " without which no gentleman's library can be complete," but as a text-book, a book of daily reference. It must also be inquired into. There are mines of spiritual wealth to di":, things new as well as things old that a well-furnished scribe can bring out of it. There is in it " milk for babes, and meat for strong men," and the latter needs to be " read, marked, learned, and inwardly digested," if we would profit by it. 4. Care tc extract the spiritual thought from the visible letter. The letter is human, the form of speech is human. It is the spiritual idea that is Divine, and this is the most important thing to ns. This is the real and eternal truth, the Word of life and power. We need an inspiration ourselves to help us to peel off the husk of speech, and find the precious kernel ol Divine thought beneath.
Vers. 10, 11. — " Fear not." I. Why Israel might fbab. For various reasons, rla. : 1. Present trouhle. Already some had been led into exile. What was thus experienced seemed to presage future and worse distress. Grief tends to despondency. In disap- pointment we are ready to think that all things must grow worse and worse. 2. The anticipation of necessary punishment. This is confirmed in the prophetic message — " for I cannot leave thee altogether unpunished." Guilt is the parent of fear. " Con- science makes cowards of us all." 3. Incurable wretchedness. (Ver. 12.) Left to them- selves, the people were in a hopeless condition. (1) They could not cure their moral disease ; Josiah's abortive reformation was a proof of this. (2) They could not cure their external distress; it was vain to attempt to break the yoke of great Babylon. 4. Solitude, " All thy lovers have forgotten thee " (ver. 14). In the hour of trial boon companions fall away and leave their wretched comrade forlorn and helpless. The soul must fiice its darkest trouble alone. While society dispels fear, the silence and desertion of loneliness provoke it. It is not surprising, therefore, that with so many concurrent Incentives to fear Israel should be overwhelmed with it, nor is it surprising that similar causes should produce a similar effect among us. Yet it is not thu less deplor- able. Fear is an evil. It is distressing beyond measure. The vague and threatening spectres of horror that haunt the imagination of the soul wheu it is a slave to fear may be &r more painful than the real evils of which they are the magnified shadows. But fear is injurious as well as painful. It paralyzes effort, dissuades from dangerous tasks of duty, drives to rash and foolish resorts for escape. It is important to see if so sad and injurious a condition can be avoided.