The House Of Israel Are Joined To Idols

Their strong affection for their idols , their constant worship of them, and their obstinate persisting therein, and the Difficulty there is of bringing them off of it...

They cleaved to their idols, were glued, and as it were wedded unto them, and there was no separating of them...

As men are, who are addicted to the lusts of the flesh, to the mammon of unrighteousness, or to their own self-righteousness...

Or to any idol they set up in their hearts as such: a building, a fellowship, friends, family,

LET THEM ALONE Which Are The Words Of The Lord To The Prophet...

Enjoining him to prophesy no more to them...

To reprove them no more for their sins, since it was all to no purpose...

And Therefore Let Them Alone...

Let them go on in their sins, and in their errors, and in their superstition and idolatry;

God Was Determined To Let Them Alone Himself...

And therefore bids his prophet to do so likewise:

And sad is the case with men when he lets them alone, and will not disturb their consciences any more by jogs and convictions,

But gives them up to a seared conscience, to hardness of heart, and to their own lusts...

When he will not hedge up their way with thorns, or distress them with afflictive providences, and hinder them from going on in a course of sin and wickedness...

Nor give them restraining grace, but suffer them to GO ON In The Broad Road.

There Has Been Too Much Trifling With Jehovah!

Jeremiah 11:5  That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then answered I, and said, So be it, O LORD.

Perhaps there is a secret contention going on between you and God.

God has spoken to you...but thus far there has not been Jeremiah's response of 'Amen, O Lord.' 

Here you have the one response which a man of God must ever make to the words of God.

When God says anything to him, there is nothing left for him but to bow the head and say, 'Amen, O Lord...so be it!'

This response is the only one that suits a creature's lip.  When God speaks...there is nothing left for man but to hear.

When God decrees...there is nothing for man to do but acquiesce.

When Jehovah gives a command...what is there left for His creature to do but obey?

Any other word than 'Amen' springs from rebellion.

Any other response to the word of Jehovah, simply tells of a heart that wars with God.

It is not for men to judge God's words, far less to amend them.

If it pleases Jehovah to say anything, no matter how stern, how dreadful, or how searching...there is only one position for man: that is to bow his head and say, 'Amen, O Lord.' 

Oh, says one, in the proud spirit of our times, you are making a bold bid for your God this morning.

I am. The sovereignty of God needs to be brought to the front.

There has been too much trifling with Jehovah!

Man needs to have the peacock's feathers plucked out of his cap, and be taught that he is a poor little nothing...

And that for God to speak to him at all is infinite condescension, and that for him to say anything else than 'Amen' is boundless impudence!

If God condescends to utter a command, am I to go and judge whether the Lord has a right to say it?

Shall I take the word of Jehovah my Maker and weigh it in my scales?...

And bring up his thoughts to the paltry bar of my fallen reason?...

And enter my protest unless I can see a good reason for God speaking as He does?

When God makes known a decree, He does not send it to man to be revised. 

His claim is this, "I am Jehovah. I, the Lord, speak that which is right, and let man say: Amen, O Lord."

We are living in the days of the deification of humanity.

We hear so much about 'the glory of humanity', and 'the triumphs of humanity'...that God has become little better than a very inferior deity who runs after man and tips His cap to him.

This is not the picture which God's Book gives.

God's claim is this, "I am the Lord, and you are but the creatures of My hand.

The brightest of My angels are but sparks struck off from the anvil of My creative omnipotence.

When I speak, let men and angels be silent; or, if they must speak, let them say: Amen, O Lord! 

This is the only response that suits a creature's lip.

If you can conceive of a being who is infinitely wise, all-powerful, infinitely righteous, absolutely holy, inflexibly just, and all gathered up into boundless love...that is God.

If such a One speaks...then what is there left for me but to say, 'Amen'?

I am stark, raving mad, if I dare question the utterance of Infinite Wisdom.

I am unutterably vile, if I can dare to criticize the utterance of Absolute Love.

Idiocy must have taken hold of my brain and, alas! of my heart, if I would amend anything which His infinite holiness has declared.

The very nature and character of God declare that the only response for man when God speaks, is 'Amen, O Lord.' 

Oh, for that grand attitude of resignation and submission to God, that bows before every word of God whether it be a silver note of mercy from Heaven, or a thunder-clap of denunciation! 

~Archibald Brown

Is This Like Jesus?

CONSCIENCE is often a faithful monitor, a powerful reprover, and a wise instructor. 

IF conscience is enlightened by God's truth, cleansed by the blood of Jesus, and kept tender by the communion of the Holy Spirit - it should always be attended to, and its admonitions should be carefully regarded. 

Such a conscience will propose questions, draw comparisons, and quote scriptures...which will do us immense good. 

Treat conscience aright and it will be your best friend...

Use it IMPROPERLY and it will be your Most Terrible Foe. 

If then conscience speaks let us listen to it; and if it prompts let us obey it. 

But how will an enlightened and honest conscience instruct and reprove us? 

Take one view of the subject, and one only.

A Christian man gets out of temper. He feels angry. He speaks rashly. His eyes flash fire. 

He is almost as ready to act, as inconsistently as he feels. 

Conscience, is quiet until the storm begins to abate, and then it calmly whispers, "Is this like Jesus?" 

Now the good man admits that he ought to be like Jesus. 

He desires and prays that he may be made like Jesus. 

The question is, therefore, like a thunderbolt. It almost crushes him. He feels condemned. 

He turns the whole torrent of his wrath against himself, and perhaps exclaims, "Like Jesus! No, it is more like the devil!" 

He sinks in his own estimation. He hides his head before God. He loathes himself. Yes, he abhors himself. 

At length, in the dust of self-abasement he confesses his sin before God, pleads the blood of Jesus for his pardon, beseeches the Lord to send the Spirit to sanctify him, and to give him power over his irascible temper. 

Not for one moment will he attempt to justify himself, or plead the weakness of human nature...

But taking to himself all the blame, he creeps like a well-whipped child into his Father's presence, and prays for restoration and peace.

A believer is tempted to idle his time, wrap up his talent in a napkin, and indulge himself in questionable amusements. 

Many excuses are presented to him, the flesh pleads piteously, and he listens to it. 

He becomes idle, slothful, and comparatively unconcerned for the glory of God. 

Conscience for a time seems to slumber...

But at length with a stern strong voice it asks, "Is this like Jesus?" 

He remembers his Master's words when but a child, "I must be about my Father's business!"

And the testimony of the apostles flashes across his mind, "He went about doing good." 

The panorama of his Lord's life is spread out before him, and he sees no self-indulgence, no wasting of the Lord's money, no idling or losing of precious time there. 

He knows that Jesus has left us an example, that we should follow in his steps, and that he said, "You should do as I have done."

He is perhaps tempted to frame an excuse, or yield to temptation...but again conscience, speaking louder and with more authority, asks, "Is this like Jesus?" 

He is obliged to acknowledge it is not, to admit his guilt, to seek for more grace, and again bow to the command, "Occupy until I come."

Many similar cases may be adduced but these two are enough. 

They show the value, importance, and blessedness, of having an honest, enlightened, and tender conscience. 

Beloved, have you such a conscience? 

My soul, have I? 

We ought to have. 

Let us therefore ascertain for certain, whether we have, or have not. 

If we have, let us encourage it, and bow to its authority, next to the word of God. 

If we have not, let us take it to the blood of atonement to be cleansed...

To the word of God to be enlightened...

And to the Spirit of God to be made honest and tender.

Let us take the question we have supposed to be proposed for our daily use, and in all our transactions with our fellow men, in all our conduct toward God, and in all we do, both in public and private, let us test it by this, "Is this like Jesus?"

Is it like Jesus to be so irritable, so hasty, so unkind?

Is it like Jesus to be so resentful, or spiteful, or sulky?

Is it like Jesus to be so hard, overreaching, or covetous?

Is it like Jesus to be so vain, so foolish, so full of jests?

Is it like Jesus to be so dull, so gloomy, so forbidding?

Is it like Jesus to be so dissatisfied with my lot, to murmur on account of my circumstances, or to complain of my afflictions?

Is it like Jesus to be so self-willed, so self-confident, so self-conceited?

Is it like Jesus to be so exacting, so ready to take offense, so backward to forgive?

Reader, is your spirit, temper, disposition, and daily conduct like Jesus? 

It should be. 

Are you holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners? 

You ought to be.

Surely if we tried ourselves thus if we often called ourselves to account as we ought we would have more humility and less pride...

More spirituality and less worldliness...

More of the temper of Christ and less of the spirit of Satan. 

We would have more frequent dealings with the blood of Jesus; we would walk closer with God; we would depend more on the Holy Spirit; and we would adorn the doctrine of God our Savior, more than we do.

We would treat the world, more as it befits a child of God- we would set our affections more on things above; and we would be more prepared than we are, for the coming of the Savior...

Satan would not so easily get an advantage over us; the world would not so frequently ensnare us; nor would the flesh get such fearful conquests over the spirit!

Let us then, as we value our own peace, as we are concerned for the honor of God, as we desire the welfare of this poor fallen world, as we feel our obligation to the Lord Jesus, and as we would be found prepared for glory - let us endeavor to act more like Jesus! 

And in order to this, let us make frequent use of this testing question, whenever our temper rises, or our lusts inflame us, or our tongues run too freely, or our conversation is not with grace, or we slight God's ordinances, or prefer the ease of the body to the prosperity of the soul...then let us press home the question, "Is this like Jesus?"

~James Smith