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Peace, peace!
(J. C. Philpot, from his 'Reviews')
They dress the wound of My people as though
it were not serious. "Peace, peace!" they
say,
when there is no peace. Jeremiah 8:11
How Jeremiah testifies against those prophets
who prophesy smooth things—who prophesy
deceits—who know not the way of the Lord,
nor have walked in His counsel.
There is no greater mark of false ministers given
in the word of truth, than healing the wound of God's
people slightly, saying, "Peace, peace!"
when there
is no peace.
If we carefully read the book of Jeremiah, we shall
see that the great sin and the chief deception of all
the false prophets who sprang up in scores during the
period of his ministry, was to build up the people in a
false hope—to assure them that they had no reason
to fear the judgments of God—that the Lord would
not execute against them what He threatened. They
therefore hardened the people in sin and disobedience,
led them to trifle with and despise the judgments of God,
and built them up in a false confidence that, because they
were the people of God by external profession, they were
His also by regenerating grace.
If our eyes were fully open to see the effect of the false
teaching of our day, we would see it equally dishonoring
to God—and pregnant with equally awful consequences.
We would see hundreds of dead professors built up
without a foundation of repentance toward God. We
would see sin made a little matter of—the awful anger
of the Almighty against it, and His dreadful indignation
against transgressors passed by as a thing of little
importance. We would see the strait and narrow path
widened out in all directions—and the distinguishing
truths of the gospel beaten down and amalgamated
with the grossest errors.
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