I. Whekbfoke DO MEN 80 DISLIKE TRUTH ? Somc of the reasous are : 1. Because truth must often say many things that are unpleasing. No matter by what voice the message comes — Scripture, conscience, or our fellow-men, — truth at times will become censure, and that hurts our self-love. 2. We are not really in earnest in our desire to he set right. We profess to be so, but we are not. " I have been a great sinner," said a sick man to his minister, who was sitting by his bedside. " Yes," eaid the minister, " you have." " Who told you, I should like lo know ? " angrily exclaimed the sick man, indignant that anything more special and personal than vague general confession should be thought to be noi'dud by liim. He had no desire for cure, but only for comfort. 3. Pride has much to do with this dislike of truth. Our reprover becomes for the time being our superior, siands above and over u.s, iuij we do not like this. 4. There may be real difference of opinion on the point in dispnte ; hence the censured has the further offence of being condemned on what he deems partial evidence. 5. Because of our suspicion of the motives of him who speaks the unwelcome truth. We are slow to credit 8U«ii with purity and unselfishness of motive. We think not only of what is said, but of who says it.
ca. MXYm. 1— 28.] THE BOOK OP THE PROPHET JEREMIAH, 139
n. HeNOB it IB VERT DIFFICULT TO TELL DNPLEASANl TKUTHB. Most men aVoid it,
will say nothing, will shirk the duty by every conceivable means. No one likes to act the part of the candid friend. None like to be the hearers of ill tidings. David's servants feared to tell him that his child was dead. How we admire, because of its rarity and difQculty, the fidelity of Nathan's " Thou art the man " 1
III. But hetebtheless buch tbuth ought to be spoken when neoebbabt. It is not always necessary. Often not wise, " The chapter of accidents is the Bible of the fooL" To let hard facts speak is sometimes best. But not always. Hence when unwelcome truth has to be spoken, take care ; I. To be very certain of your ground. Do not go upon mere rumour. Let your proof be full, clear, and strong. 2. Let the purity of your motive in speaking, the unselfishness and the love for your brother which prompt you, be made manifest. 8. Choose fit times, tones, and words. Many reserve their telling of such truths for moments when they are in a passion ; then they will blurt it out, and, of course, only do more harm than good. 4. Be strengthened by the remembrance of the duty you owe your brother, and the accusation he will have against you of blood-guiltiness, if you fail to tell him the truth, unwelcome though it be.
IV. SnoH tbuth 80 sfoeek, if bejeoted, is followed bt the condemnation of God on them who bejeot it. It is part of that condemnation that men take friends for foes, as Ahab did, and foes for friends. They love flattery and hate truth ; the blind lead the blind, and with the inevitable result. Therefore let our feeling be that of the psalmist, who said, " Let the righteous smite me ; it shall be kindness : and let him reprove me ; it shall be an excellent oU, which shall not break my head."— O.
Ver. 6. — " Put not your trust in prineee." What a proof does this incident give of
the wisdom of this counsel 1 Note —
L All abe tempted to put trust in hen. To very many man is the highest being they know or believe in. Then, our fellow-men are near at hand ; we can imdor- stand them and they us; are of like nature — they can be touched with the feeling ul' our infirmities ; and they in whom we trust appear to us to possess that which we need but have not.
II. Still mobe are wb pbone to put odb tbust in princes. We do this because : 1 Of the law of honour which is supposed to bind them. The word of a king, where that is there is power. 2. ITiey have such vast capacity of Jtelp. Unlimited resources seem at their command, 3. They are independent of and superior to the influences which govern inferior men. 4. And very often they have rendered great help to men in need thereof.
III. But there are many instances which show that this tbust should bk very LIMITED. Here is a case in point. How miserable this king's conduct! Now, where- fore did Zedekiah, and do such as he, disappoint men's expectations (cf. Shakespeare, ' Henry VII I.,' Wolsey's dying speech) ? It is because they are governed, not by principle, but by expediency. A tree standing on the summit of a lofty hill needs to be more firmly rooted than trees in the sheltered valley, for it is exposed to every wind that blows. But if it be not so rooted, it will soon fall. So with exalted personages ; they are exposed to influences on all sides; all parties seek to gain them over to their views and to enlist them in their favour. Hence if a prince have not firm principles to guide him, he will sway from side to side and finally fall. So it was with this King Zedekiah. He was influenced now by one party and now by another (cf. homily on The woe of weakness, ch. xxxiv. 2). " Like a wave of the sea driven of the wind and tossed," And all this is true in measure and degree of all who fill high stations, and in whom men are apt to put great trust. But —
IV. Unlimited tbust should be in God alonb. The prophet of God was doubtless less surprised than grieved, but he had long learned to commit his way unto the Lord. Let us do likewise, and then we may rest assured that, let men above ui favour or frown upon va, that whieh is best for u« and for all will assuredly be doasb
*I11 that thou blessest turns to good. And unblest good is ill. And all is right that seems most wioa^ ICit b* thy sweet will,"
140 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEREMIAH, {m. txxym. 1—28.
Ver». 6 — 13. — " Cast down, hut not formken." As we look on the prophet as hei« portrayed, these words of St. Piiul are brought to our mind. We have here, as there —
I. A SERVANT or God oast down. See the prophel's allusions to his sad condition in Lam. iii. 52 — 57 ; and Ps. Ixix. can hardly be other than descriptive of Jeremiah at this time. And such seasons of depression and distress seem to be the appointed lot cj all God's servants. Nut one, from our Lord downwards, has been exempted. Manifold aro the reasons for such appointment. In this particular case of Jeremiah —
II. The causes of his distress were : 1. The cruelty of his treatment acting on a nature such as his. 2. Its coming upon him after he had been led to hope that now he was secure from all such treatment. 3. His knowledge that he desired to be, and was, his foes' best friend, and yet they dealt with him thus. 4. The hopelessness of his con- dition. Such were the immediate causes ol his being cast down.