III. The woebt weabiness is that of sin. For a while the enjoyment which springs from sin may so intoxicate and dazzle the wrong-doer that he will laugh at the idea of weariness, and declare that his is the alone path of pleasure and good. But after a while that ceases, and then comes satiety and weariness. 1. The causes of this are : (1) Negative. In serving sin we have not those great aids to endurance and restora- tion of strength which are ever present to the child of God. The servant of sin has no high and noble motive, no worthy motive at all, in what he does. The motives of affection, of duty, of gratitude, of love, which sustain so mightily the mind of the Christian, — these are all lacking in the servant of sin. Oood hope also cheers the child of God ; but what harvest can the sinner expect to reap ? It is such as he dares not, and therefore will not, contemplate. The communion of the Spirit of God — that Spirit who " giveth songs in the night," is present to the Christian, and in the deepest distress enables him to rejoice. But nought of this can the ungodly know in their hard work and lervioe. Drawing near to God is another aid of the child of Gk>d. For —
"We may kneel and cast oar load, E'en while we pray, upon our God, Then rise with lightened cheer; Sure that the Father, who is nigh To hoar the famished ravens cry. Will hear in that we fear." JEBEHIAB — II X
30« THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEIIBMIAH. [oH. u. 1— 64.
This most real help the ungodly never know. (2) Bttt there aire positive causes of weari- ness in the service of sin. Jesus said, " Weep not for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children." His cup of woe was bitter, but theirs would be more bitter still. Now, the positive causes of the weariness of sin are such as these. The powerlessness of sin to minister pleasure continually. The goadings of conscience, which will not be silent. God's judgments— so full of pain, bo inevitable, so irremediable, as these on Babylon. The hopelessness of sin's outlook — nothing but a fearful looking for of judg- ment. 2. TTie effects of this weariness are seen in such as Saul and Judas, and in the myriad others who have sought, in self-destruction or by wild plunging into yet deeper sins, to escape that weariness which tracks their footsteps continually. Well might Paul ask, " What profit had ye in those things whereof ye are now ashamed ? " Who would begin a career that ends in such a way ? What an argument such facts furnish for seeking, if haply we may find it: 3. The cure of all such weariness I The child of God knows it well. The ungodly may know it too if they will. It consists in sub- mission to that Lord who says to all such, " Come nnto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden," etc. There alone is the cure. — C.
Yer. 5. — Unforsaken Israel. L An afpabent FOBSAKnta. Israel looked forsaken. It was in exile, in captivity, and under the asserted judgment of Jehovah. We have always, to a certain extent, to accept the appearances of things. Gkid's presence had been manifested in outward favour aud prosperity, and what was more plausible than to say that the withdrawing of the favour and prosperity meant the withdrawing of God himself? But then it is forgotten that God's presence may be manifested in many ways. Outward prosperity is not essential to signify God's satisfaction with us. Nor must we infer that, because a backsliding Christian has fallen into trouble and misery, there- fore God has fur.saken him. The signs of man forsaking God are made very clear, so that there may be all possible incentives to repentance ; but if God ever does forsake a man, leaving him utterly to his own folly and recklessness, no sign of it is given to us. There is quite enough already in our own wild fancies to make us desponding and despairing.
U. A PLAUSIBLE CAUSE FOB FORSAKiNO. The land of Israel was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel. Men think of God as they do of themselves. The patience of the human master soon gets exhausted with the servant who disobeys many commandments and obeys others in the most perfunctory way.
III. A BEAL CAUSE FOB CLOSE ADHERENCE. That Israel, chosen and beloved of God, fills his land with sin, so far from being a reason for forsaking, is a reason for closer adherence than ever. The shepherd leaves the ninety-nine sheep in safety and goes into the wilderness after the lust one. If only men, brought at IsCst to a sense of their wickedness and recklessness, could see how near God is to them, how ready and able to help, they would be filled with hope. " God is love," and therefore the greater our need the greater his nearness. The real difficulty is that we flee to the succours and solaces of self, and so the nearness of God, with all his suitable and ample supplies, is only too easily obscured.
IV. A FBESB HANiFESTATtON OF THE HoLT Onb OF Ibbael. Never does Gh)d's holiness so appear as when he is dealing with sinners in the way of long-suffering, if perchance they will surrender at last and permit him to restore them to righteousness and peace. Surely God's holiness shines most in his greatest attribute, and that is love. God is marked ofi' from all created things by his power and his righteousness, but most of all by his transcendent love. Here is the most glorious aspect of his holiness, that, no matter how much men may sin against him, neglect his will, and abuse his world, yet, when they are ready to turn, he i* close at hand with everything prepared to receive them. — Y.
Ver. 6. — Individual escape. Two whole chapters are taken up in enforcing the inevitaUe doom on Babylon. The city as a whole cannot possibly escape ; therefore so much the more necessary is it to point out escape for the individual and put hope into his heart. Observe —
I. How THIS EXHORTATION TO THE INDITIDUAI. SETS BUOBK UB CLKABLI THS
OENEBAL ihx>ii. Ail who Stay i» heedlessness and unbelief must perish. Particular
OH. u. 1—64,] THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEUEillAH. 307
inhabitants of Babylon have not to sin some special sin in ordei- to bring: rJestructiim on themselves. All they have to do is just to go on in their buying, selling, and getting gain. So the natural man everywhere has just to go on within the common worldly limits and according to the common worldly traditions. Going on quietly accepting the position of the unregenerate, he will assuredly come to the end of such. " Out of Christ we may perish" is not the word to be said, but "Out of Christ we must perish."