I. The Lobd oasts off. There is a discontinuance of the signs of his presence. Enemies get their own way, and, worst of all, the prophets find no vision from the Lord. He is not towards Israel as he used to be. But then, what a qualification comes in! Not for ever. Indeed, the casting off only emphasizes the bringing back. The casting off must not be taken too literally. God does not cast off as men do. They cast off and do not wish to bring back, or, if tliey so wish, they find they are not able. When God casts off, though there is a feeling of separation, and something is lost that is not to be gained by any effort, still the truth remains that in God even the castaway lives and moves and has his being. God casts men off, as it were, tliat they may realize their weakness and true state, and then, when they make the full discovery, God's hand is stretched out to restore.
II. The Lord causes okibf. Great grief, pain of body and pain of heart, must have come from the casting off. And it is of no use to make nice distinctions between God causing pain and permitting pain. Really we do not know much about the causes of pain, and it may be that we attribute to God much that we ourselves produce. The one clear thing is that God shows forth a multitude of mercies. To most of us a multitude of mercies came before there were any pains at all, and the mercies remain through the pains, even though at times they be greatly eclipsed. We may be wrong in attributing the infliction of pain to God, hampered as we too often are by the conceptions of earlier ages. But we can never be wrong in glorifying God for the multitude of his mercies. We may spoil and misuse the mercira and thui
Oh. m. 1—66.] THE LAMENTATIONS OP JEEEMIAH. 61
make pain, but the merciea we could not get for ourselves. Our very wrong-doing makes fresh mercies to arise in view. They are many, and each one of them is a great deep of love and wisdom.
III. The Lobd afflicts the children of men. This is but laying what is already said. The new thing is the qualification. He does not do it wttlingly. The distinction is plain between injury inflicted with malice and injury inflicted with reluctance. There have been, and, alas I there still are, too many who put all their heart into the hurting of others. Their very end is to cause pain ; whereas the end God has in view is to remove the causes of pain. The surgeon does not inflict pain willingly — he inflicts it because he cannot help it; and tlms he welcomes and utilizes to the full the agent which brings unconsciousness while be performs his operation. — Y,
Ven. 40 — 42. — Approaching Ood in linceritg, I. 'Jhe asoertaimino op ocb TEtrs STATE. Such is the exhortation of ver. 40. The talk of complaining people is generally the hasty outbreak of superficial thought — if, indeed, such loose operations of the mind are worthy to be called thought at all. Searching is above all things needful. Beneath the surface with which we are only too easily contented there are deep possibilities of good and eviL Note the figure here employed. We are in a way — further advanced to-day than we were yesterday. There is no standing still. This way we are urged to search and try — asking whither it goes, who are our predecessors, our leaders, our com- panions. Then note the result of all our searching and testing. The way is one in ' which God is not. He walks in quite another way, and therefore we must turn to him. Only one result of a real searching is deemed possible. The man without God who yet concludes that all is right, has ia truth left the most important matters unexplored.
II. The retubn to God must be a beai> bbtubn. There had, perhaps, been abundant lifting up of the hands on the part of many, with no lifting of the heart. But many more had not even lifted up the hands. We must not say that posture and gesture are mere trifles. To God, of course, the mere gesture in itself can matter nothing, but from its associations it may matter a great deal. Prayer to the unseen and spiritual One is such a difficult thing that we may welcome every aid. Still, the great matter is to lift up the heart. Lift it up — filled with gratitude, humility, repent- ance, submissireness.
III. A suggestion of the obeat diffioultt tet to bb overcome. Ood has not pardoned. On one side there is transgression and rebellion ; on the other side, God angry with all this. And what is. wanted is that Israel should see transgression as transgression, rebellion as rebellion. Here we are amid the confusion of life, and we do not see that for all the worst way in which that confusion affects us we are ourselves responsible. With a humble and repentant heart, taking continual cognizance of God's righteous will, we could ride as in an ark over that deluge which overwhelms others. Bat with pride and selfishness in our hearts we are strong against all ameliorating forces. We will not come to God that in him we may have first pardon and then safety, peace, and blessing. — Y.
Ver. 61. — TO« eye and the life. " Mine eye aflfecteth mine heart." . ore correctly, " Mine eye paineth my soul, or my life ; " that is, what I see, so melancholy is it, that it preys on my mind and undermines my health. Note —
I. The effect of the senses on the life. The eye is more than an optical instrument. The effect produced by the image on the retina depends upon who it is that sees and what it is that he sees. A<ie, education, peculiarities of experience, will make all the difference. The very exercising of the senses was evidently intended to give pleasure. There is correspondence between the eye and the beautiful and sublime in nature ; between the ear and melodious and harmonious sounds ; and yet some peculiar experience may interpose, so that there shall no longer be beauty in the beautiful, melody in the melodious. What we get from the exercise of our senses will depend upon what we Jyrvng. The prophet saw desolation all around him where once there had been crowded and prosperous life. What could he do but feel as if a broken heart would be the end of his thoughts ? But the spoilers would look at ttie s«eut differentljr, for to them it was the place of enrichment and triumph.
62 THE LAMENTATIONS OF JEREMIAH, [oh. m. 1—66.