ance from sin in the revelation of the means by which this is brought about. Since Christ has died for our sins we have pjood reason to ask for forgiveness and cleansing. 3. The promised cleansing and forgiveness are perfect ; i.e. (1) from all sins — none can be too black for the "Lord of all flesh" to overcome, for "is there anything too hard for him " ? and (2) a complete deliverance — a forgiveness that forgets and bears no grudge, a cleansing that leaves no stain and produces a regeneration of life.
in. Perfect fobgiveness and oleaksino abb to be keceived through rbpbnt- ANOE AKD FAITH. 1. As God accomplishes the perfect deliverance from sin, it is foolish for us to begin a .small and imperfect and certainly futile cleansing on our own account. But we must desire the justification and the pardon, else it is unreasonable to expect God to bestow them. This' desire, real and active, is repentance. 2. Then must follow /a»</i. It is not necessary for us to understand the rationale of the atone- ment in order to profit liy the fruits of it. But it is necessary to trust in the Saviour. Faith is a very different thing from an intellectual comprehension and conviction of a complex set of doctrines. It is a personal trust. This trust is an essential condition of cleansing and forgiveness. Till we yield ourselves to the influence of God's grace, and trust to his love, we cannot expect him to deliver us,
Ver. 9. — The Church an honour to God. What is here promised to the Jews finds its fulfilment, not in the Jews alone, nor in them at all until they submit to the Christian influences of thiTnew covenant, but in all the spiritual Israel — in the Church of Christ.
I. Consider the pact that the Church is an honoub to God. It is described as a " monument of joy " because God takes delight in it (oh. xxxii. 41), and as " a praise and an honour " because by means of it God's glory is manifested abroad. This, in turn, is an honour to the Church. Though God picks his fallen children up from the mire of sin he does not leave them in shame and degradation. The prodigal is stripped of his rags and clothed with the best robe. God regards his Church, even here, with the stains of war and toil and sin upon her, as capable of manifesting forth his glory. What greater mission could she have ?
II. Inquire into the souroeb of this honoub. How comes it that the Church is an honour to God ? Her own excellences can scarcely be considered as glorious in themselves. It is not in the inherent worth of these that we find the secret of the glory given by the Church to God. The Church is formed by God, redeemed by his mercy, delivered by his power, maintained by his help. Her very existence is a witness to God's forgiving and restoring grace. All that she does for good is not accom- plished by her own might, but through the inspiration of his Spirit. The picture is an honour to the painter because it is 'the fruit of his well-directed labour. We do not admire it only for its simple beauty. If it is a representation of the humblest scene in nature, the reality must be infinitely more beautiful than the picture ; yet we give great admiration to the work of art because it is a work and because it reveals art. So the Church is an honour to God as the fruit of his work and of Christ's sacrifice.
III. Note the effects op this honour. 1. It is to impress the world. The Jews were a standing witness of the power and goodness of God to the neighbouring nations. The Church of Christ is called to a similar mission on a world-wide scale. The very existence of the Church as the ark upon the waters preserved and blessed by God is one of the greatest means of making known the grace and glory of redemption. More eloquent than any words is the silent testimony of the good and peaceful lives of godly men. 2. Therefore a great responsibility rests upon all Christians. God entrusts his honoui to his Church. If, therefore, she can glorify him, she has also the power to bring disnonour on his Name. The " good soldier of Jesus Christ " is an honour to his Captain ; but the sluggard, the coward, and the traitor are a discredit to his high name, tnd their faithlessness does something to smirch the beauty of the banner of redemption.
Vers. 10 — 13. — Tovm and country life. In describing the happy future of Israel »fter the restoration Jeremiah draws a pair of idyllic pictures of town and country life. Both the city of Jerusalem and the outlying regions were so depopulated and wasted by the Chaldean invasion that it was difficult to believe the sun of prosperity would ever shine on them again. But undtr the providence of God there is a wonderful recuperative power in the human world as well as in the naturaL It is remarkabk
72 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEREMIAH. [0=- x^"i- 1—26
how soon the battle-field with its hideous relics becomes a flowery meadow. The rapid revival of the French nation afier the war of 1870 was an astonishment to Europe. This may be accounted for partly on natural principles, since war rarely touches the permanent resources of a country ; if it drains the stream, it does not stanch the fountain- head. The capital of a country is always being consumed and remade in peaceful times, so that the destruction of it in war is not so great a calamity as might appear at first sight. But a true revival of prosperity depends on higher causes. A nation is only really prosperous when its peo{ile are advancing in moral tone, when there is a Divine root to their recovery. This is implied in the description of restored IsraeL Let us consider the two pictures of the restoration.