The Prophet of Sorrow, Or the Life and Times of Jeremiah

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1875 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XIX. THE LESSONS OF HIS LIFE. Y task is nearly, though not quite, done. I have said that Jeremiah is the prophet for our times; and it remains that we attempt to gather up some of the lessons which our survey of his history presents. One of the greatest of the Hebrew prophets, he speaks not to the Jews only, but also to the Gentiles, and not only to the age in which he lived, but to each succeeding age, and specially, as it would appear, to ours. For ours is a restless age. Men are dissatisfied, and are longing for something, though they know not what, which shall tranquillise their spirits and give them quietness and repose. As in the days of Jeremiah, they are asking, Is there any message from the Lord? and yet many of them are indisposed to listen to the answer when it is given, and some even doubt whether there is any answer, or can be any. Others, are saying, "Speak unto us smooth things; prophesy deceits;" and they are glad to be soothed by the facts of science, and the arguments of those who speak of evolution, and would repel as contrary to reason the truths of revelation, --and especially the prophecies and miracles of the Bible. Is it not a fact that thousands try to believe that Christianity is untrue because they wish it to be untrue ?--a characteristic this of the Jewish people in the days of Jeremiah, who believed the false prophets and the doctrines which they taught, because they loved to have it so. Equally true is it that another class of persons are being led away by pompous ceremonials, ] and who, thinking themselves the temple of the Lord, or calling by this name their edifices of stone, are putting their trust in outward rites, which, in their estimation, are the more valuable and efficacious the more they...