HI. The bxobption which men make to this consent. It is strange that there should be exception, but there is. We find it when we look at men's spiritual affairs. Government there is as necessary as in that which is temporal — indeed, far more so, consideriijg the far greater value of the interests at stake. And yet men will not have it. Each seeks to do that which is right in his own eyes. What would be ruin in regard to their secular affairs they deem to be no great harm in things that are spirituaL We see this anarchy at times in the things of the Church. If the Church of Christ is to do her work and glorify her Lord, there must be unity, cohesion, subordination, obedience. But these words, and yet more the things they represent, are liateful to not a few. And so the paralysis that has come over large sections of the Church. The prince of this world knows the force and value of the maxim. Divide et impera, and he has sought all too successfully to do the one that he may attain to the otlier. And so in the individual sphere of the soul. The one rightful ruler is God, speaking by his vicegerent conscience. All our sin and misery is owing to our disregard of this rule. The world is so mournful a world because it is so sinful a world. Loyal obedience is our life and health and peace. And because we refuse this, we are weak and sad, as well as sinfuL
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163 THE Book OF THE PROPHET JEREMIAH, [oh. XL. 1—16
IV. The Divine methods of brinqino this exception to an end. For he will bring it to an end, glory be to his Name. Ho must rciga till he hath put all things under his feet. And he thus woiks to this end : 1. By powerful instr actors. Con- science. His providence, shown now in blessing, now in stern judgment. Hi.-s Word, in which his law is laid dnwn. 2. By bringing to hear the most mighty of motives. Love, which rises at the cross of Christ. Hope of his acceptance and reward. Fear of his awful displeasure and doom. 3. By his Spirit striving ever with men. — C.
Ver. 13 — ch. xli. 11. — Misplactd charity. " Charity," says St. Paul, " thinketh no evil." But without question, there are times when it ought to think evil, and not to think so is evil. For else charity will he misplaced, thrown away, productive of hurt and harm and not of good. Now —
I. There have been and are many instances op such misplaced charity. 1. The niiserable way by which Gedaliah came by his death, as told in the above section, is an illustration. He ought to have been on his guard. He was warned. He would not believe, but blamed severely the friend who warned him. And all because of his over confidence in Ishmael, who murdered him. 2. And there have been many other such instances. Perhaps the king who said, concerning the wicked husbandmen, " They will reverence my son." And Paul, who, though warned again and again, would go to Jerusalem. He thought that the loving gifts he bore from the Gentile Churches to the mother Church in Jerusalem would soften their hard hearts. But it was not so. The elder son — though he was quite wrong — thought that his father's treatment of his prodigal younger brother was as unwise as it was kind. We have known those who would never let themselves speak anything but good of others, and the result was that they often misled those who trusted to their over-lenient judgments. How often, after the most atrocious crimes, there will be found some who would try to prevent the criminal receiving the due reward of his deeds 1 What is it but charity in the wrong place? 3. But most of all are we guilty of this toward ourselves^ We so little like to think harshly of ourselves, and hence we make all manner of excuse for our faults. We tamper with temptation ; we spare ourselves when we ought to be most stern.
it And much sorrow and trouble arise therefrom. Cf. above history ; the massacres that followed ; the ruin of the nation. Never did a seeming virtue work such ill. Charity to the evil is cruelty to the good. Choosing Barabbas means cruci- fying Christ. It discourages all virtue. Wherefore should I strive after excellence if the worthless are to be dealt with even as I ? This was the elder son's complaint (Luke XV.). And there seemed to be a good deal in it ; hence the father took care to point out to him how much preferable was his own lot : " Son, thou art ever with me," etc. Thy lot is ever so much the best, as the lot of him who never leaves the father's house is far better than that of him who comes back after a wretched leaving of it for the far country. But most of all the evil results are seen in our misplaced charity to ourselves. Temptation tampered with triumphs, and we who would not be stem with oursalyes perish. Hiding from ourselves the truth as to our real condition, we never go to him who alone can make us what we need to be, and so souls are lost.
III. How EXCELLENT THE EXAMPLE AND TEACEINQ OF OUR LOBD ON THIS SUBJECT !
Full of charity as he was, tender and gentle as a mother to the weak and sinful, to the poor outcasts who came to him, yet he was never guilty of any spurious charity. He did not, nor does he, warm vipers in his bosom who should sting him at the last. (. f. John ii. at end, " Jesus did n6t commit himself unto them." " But " — so the Gospel goes on; the word is unfortunately rendered "and" in our Authoiized Version — " there was a man of the Pharisees," etc. (John iii. 1). 1. It means that our Lord did commit himself to this man — as we see he did — since he was very different from those whom our Lord could not and would not trust. His treatment of Judas was no excep- tion to his rule. He knew him from the beginning. Nor is his treatment of ourselves, poor, sad recompense as we make him. He has taken us in hand, and he will not put us out of his hand until he has wrought in us all that he designs. He exemplified his own word about being, whilst harmless as doves, wise as serpents also. He says (Matt. vii. 1), "Judge not." But almost the next verse bids us not cast pearls before swine! The intent is that, whilst we should not be censorious, we are not to be blind fools, who
OH. XL. 1—16.] THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEREMIAH. 163
will imagine in their false charity that pearls will be appreciated by pigs. Charity i$ to think evil when evil is palpably tliere.