II. God's constant considebation for the individual. Masses of men have to sufifer because the great bulk of them will ever be heedless of the signs of danger. But every wise, foreseeing individual, in whose heart there are steady inclinings to the right, may escape. Certainly we cannot escape always involvement in temporal calamities. It might even be cowardly and selfish to run away from them. To run away from a temporal calamity might be the very way to bring on ourselves the severest spiritual calamity. But with respect to spiritual peiils, in comparison with which temporal perils are mere trifles, every individual has his chance. He must have individuality of character in this matter, ability to see datiger when others see none, and courage to flee when others stand still and laugh at him. BecoUect that there may be flight in one sense, while in another sense things remain unchanged. We may remain in a com- munity, and yet flee firom all danger by avoiding its follies and its disobedience to God.
III. The need of promptitude and decision. Not specified, promptitude is yet evidently implied. Flee at once ; for if you wait until you can see danger, it may be too late. — ^T.
Ver. 10. — Btdwrvng in Zion the work of the Lord. L That which has to be deolaeed. The work of Jehovah, the God of Israel, that work being the bringing forth of what is described as " our righteousness." What, then, was this righteousness ? We can only conjecture, but probably it was that rii^hteousness, ever well-] ileasing to God, shown by those who believe in his promises and obey his directions. There was ample field for righteousness of thi.s kind on the part of the Israelites in captivity ; for had not God told them expressly, however unlikely tlie event might appear, that they would yet return to their former dwelling-place? In due time there was to be a vindi- cation of their faith. But out of that faith there is to be kept every element of self- glorification. It is man's blessedness, but not his praise, that he recognizes the certainty of what a promise-keeping, omnipotent One will do for him. Declaring the work of Gud is always a satisfactory thing, for the work of God itself is always satisfactory. Well-begun, thorough, completed, necessary work it is.
II. Those who deolabb it. Those who are the materials of the work and for whom the work is done. They are not mere bystanders and spectators. The sign that real Divine work is being done in a human heart comes when praise and acknowledg- ment of the great Worker is expressed. We are God's workmanship. It is he who extricates us from our confusions, nullifies the vain doings of the merely natural man, and makes us capable of actions that will abide and glorify him. It is part of God's very work to put into us the spirit of declaration, so that we perceive the change wrought in us, the Worker of it, the continuity of it, in short, all the good connected with it. And perceiving all this, how should we do other than declare in one mingled utterance the glory of God and our gratitude to him ?
III. The place of declabation. In Zion, with its memories of Jehovah's presence in the past. Zion was a name to humble Israel, in the thought of former apostasy and idolatry ; but Zion was nothing but glorious so far as Jehovah was concerned. Zion had been too long neglected, not indeed so far as a certain outward worship was concerned, but the worship of the heart was lacking. Now Zion would appear in an altogether new aspect. Instead of mere words, mere ritual routine, there was an acknowledgment of deeply felt benefit at the hands of God. The place of worship was the same, yet not the same, for the old scene had new associations. We may acknowledge God anywhere ; we must acknowledge him everywhere; but yet there is a suilability in making certain acknowledgments in certain places. What could be moru appropriate than to uttei forth words of true spiritual recogiiition on that sacred spot where God had been so long misunderstood and defied 7— Y.
Ver. 13. — The dweller on many waters. I. The becoonttion or natural amftaaoKx
308 THE BOOK OP THE PROPHET JEREMIAH, [ch. ll 1— 64,
rhe great Datural advantages of Babylon are allowed to the fullest extent.' She stands on " the great river Euphrates." A great river for navigable purposes means prosperity to a city. There is iilso to be consideied the facility of getting water for all the other purposes of life. The abundance of Babylon's treasures was in part a result of her dwelling on many waters. The waters helped to set off the magnificence and splendour of her buildings. Nothing is gained by minimizing the treasures of this world. Let them be displayed and acknowledged to their fuUust extent (see Rev. xviii.).
n. These; resources cannot avert doom. Tiie fact is that the abundance of these resources can only manifest itself in certain directions. There is abundance of that which ministers to carnal ambition and lust, abundance of that which feeds the pride of individuals and nations, abundance of that which gives merely human security against merely human attack. But when we come to consider the highest satisfactions and the greatest dangers, then we find scantiness instead of abundance. The many waters dry up into a shallow pool here and there. The characteristic of the abundance given by Christ is that it avails for all possible needs. Never can it be said to the Christian, livingly connected as he is with his heavenly treasures, that his end is come. Of his treasure, his blessedness, and his security, there shall be no end.
III. An indication of what made these rebouhcbs so DECEiTFTTL. They were, largely at least, the accumulations of covetousness. We must not look too closely at the magnificent houses of a great city, with their contents, or else we shall be speedily undeceived as to their real glory. We shall see how much greed and unjust gain and the grinding of the poor had to do with such buildings. Grand buildings for some men to live in can have no charm to the Christian eye, if a necessary condition for their existence is that many others should live in niinous hovels. The just and loving God must look on splendid cities with a very different eye from the human one. And doing so, he must of necessity fix a limit to covetousness. Covetousness goes on adding to its treasures, until at last it excites the covetousness of others. And even apart from this, outward treasures, unduly esteemed, must in time corrupt the inward man. — Y,
Ver. 15. — The retovrces of Jehovah. Here are the resources of Jehovah as over against the resources of Babylon. Note the differences between them.