tion of its t a i nt in themselves: B ut for all t i n t t he outlook of sinners is pessimistic, and t he outlook of t h e age "lying In the wicked one" (1 J IJO . 5:19) is "pessimistic," and t r ue p r e a c h e rs m u st be "pessimistic;" "whether men will hear or will forbear" (Eze. 1:7). T h e re is no good in prospect for wick- ed men, or a wicked world, and t he kind thing Is to tell t h em so, and "be not afraid of their faces" (1:8). I do not think those good m en r a n a w a y, "But- the Lord hid them" (v. 26). V. THE SWORD AND THE PENKN I FE. 2. The princes reported the matter to the king and he d e m a n d ed a r e a d i ng of t he roll. Jehoiakim cut up t h e roll w i th a penknife and b u r nt it in a brazier. T he Lord did not strike him dead on t he spot, but . his day soon came. T he penknife is yet busy. It is still doing service for t he devil who first used it to c ut "Thou shalt surely die" out of t he Word (Gen. 3:4). T h e re is t he U n i t a r i an penknifei which " c u ts out t he tri-unity of God, t he personality of t he Spirit, and t he Deity of t he Lord; t he Universalist penknife, which c u ts out endless punish- m e n t ' the E d d y i te penknife, which c u ts out sin and its consequent miseries; t he a n t i- miracle penknife, which cuts out t he virgin birth and bodily resurrection of J e s u s; the ethical penknife, which c u ts the n ew b i r t h; the post-millennial penknife, which c u ts out t he c om i ng of Christ t o reign t he 1000 years'; t h e J ew baiting penknife, which cuts out t he hope of national Israel; the D a r w i n i an penknife, which cuts out Creation; t he " H i g h e r" critical penknife, which cuts the whole into countless worthless scraps; t he pulpiteer's penknife, which c u ts out t he doc- trines and s h a p es t he r e m n a nt for the con- venience of his wit and rhetoric; and, not least t he h3.1f-hearted' penknife, t h at c u ts out t he power of sanctiflcation, cpmfort, and conquest, t h r o u gh unbelief. 2. At God's command the roll was reproduced adding "besides manv like words" (vv. 27-32). Gotls Wo rd like His works, is indestructible.- 'No weapon formed against it shall prosper" (Isa. 54:17). It lives (Heb. 12:4). It is r e p r o- ductive. H e who t a k es f r om it adds to his own plagues (Rev. 22:19). H a ck a w ay ye penknives, THE OLD SWORD (Eph. 6:17) has neither dent nor notch; its point is not broken, its edge is not dulled; It is still sharp In the heart of the King's e n em i e s' (Psa 45:5) and like "Fitz James' brand" both "Sword and shield" to His believing people. : ~ • ' : ' - their awful f u t u r e, men h a t e . i t and would bl-)t it out. btirn it -ire. or banish it forever if they could. T he Bible cannot be gotten rid of: vou cannot bind it or b u rn it: t he Book is "here to stay, and by it, all of. t he e a r th will be judged. ,,„..„ M H L. H a s t i n gs m his pamphlet, Will t he Old Book S t a n d ?" well says. " T he Bible is a Book which h as been refuted, demolished, overthrown, and exploded more times t h an a n y other book you ever h e a rd of. E v e rv little while somebody s t a r ts up end u p s e ts this -book; and it..is like u p s e t t i n g :» solid cube of granite. It is j u st a s big one w ay
h e a rt still says, "Perhaps they will even yet turn." 111. BARUCH WRITES AND READS THE ROLL. 1. "Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jere- miah all the words of the Lord which He had spoken unto him (Jeremiah)." T he s t a t e m e n ts a t e e q u al to each other. B a r u ch w r o te w h at J e r e m i ah said to him, and J e r e- m i ah dictated w h a t J e h o v ah had said to him. As we c a n n ot conceive of B a r u ch t r a n s m i t- ting to p a r c h m e nt a n y t h i ng more or less t h a n w h at J e r e m i ah said to him, neither should we suppose t h a t J e r e m i ah dictated a n y more or less t h an w h at J e h o v ah said to him. B a r u ch w r o te t he words of J e r e- miah, J e r e m i ah dictated t hè words of J e- hovah, and we read the word of Jehovah in the writinq that has come down to us. 2. "Go thou, and read . . . In the ears of the people." As B a r u ch would not j i a ve been justified in modifying t he message J e r e m i ah had given him, nor in s u b s t i t u t i ng his own opinions, neither a re t h ey justified w ho do so in these days. It Is our d u ty to u t t er w h at is "in the roll." 3. Banjch did so at the peril of his life (Jer. 45): First, to •the m a ss of worshippers in t he temple courts; t h e n , - at their bidding, to t he nobles in "the scribes' chamber" (v. 12). "They were afraid" (v. 16). Men h a ve reason to be a f r a id w ho without full purpose of h e a rt tò t u rn f r om their wickedness h e ar t he Wo rd of God 4. "How didst thou write all these words at his mouth?" (v. 17). "He pro- nounced all . . . with his mouth" (v. 18). Men still discuss t he question of t he "how of God's communication with H is prophets. T h e re is no b e t t er a n s w er t h an Baruch's, which is practically t h at of Scripture, "The word of the Lord came," "the Lord spake," "thus saith the Lord," "So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth" (Isa.- 55:11) "The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it" (Isa. 1:20). Never mind t he "how" b ut t he heed. 5. "Go side thee, thou and Jeremiah; and let no man know where ye be" (V. 19). It h as often been t h a t a f a i t h- ful and t r ue witness dared not let t he friend of his bosom - know his w h e r e a b o u t s; so do m en h a te God's t r u t h; and so u n t r u s t w o r t hy a re they who h a te t he t r u t h. J e r e m i ah w as t he kind cf p r e a c h er w h om m en call a "pessimist." We k n ow h ow t h ey h a te a "pessimist," and r e p u d i a te t he very sugges- Th<5 fight a g a i n st the Wo rd of God is no n ew thing. T he first-thing t h at t he devil- did w h en he m a de t he a c q u a i n t a n ce of E ve w a s to denv the Wo rd of God. Most men would like to get rid of t he Book. Who likes to read such passages as this. " T he soul t h a t s i n n e th it shall die," or, "All h a ve sinned and come short of t he glory »f God." " T h e re is n ot one righteous, no not one." T he reason m en h a te t he Wo rd of God is because it is true. If it were false they would ignore it, b ut because it reflects t h e i m a ge of their wicked h e a r ts and foretells
PITH AND PIVOT—T.C.H.
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