shrank from giving pain to others. (4) He was uncommonly bold and
courageous in declaring the message of God, it was unpopular and
subjected him to hatred and even to suffering wrong. He was unsparing
in the denunciations and rebukes administered to his nation, not even
sparing the prince. (5) He is called the weeping prophet. He was
distressed both by the disobedience and apostasy of Israel and by the
evil which he foresaw. Being very devoutly religious, he was pained by
the impiety of his time.

Condition of the Nations. (1) Israel, the northern kingdom, had been
carried into captivity and Judah stood alone against her enemies. (2)
Judah had fallen into a bad state, but Josiah, who reigned when
Jeremiah began his ministry, attempted to bring about reforms and
restore the old order. After his death, however, wickedness grew more
and more until, in the later part of the life of Jeremiah, Jerusalem
and the temple were destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and Judah was led away
in captivity. (3) The world powers of the time of Jeremiah's birth
were Assyria and Egypt. They were contending for supremacy. But
Jeremiah lived to see both of them subdued and Babylon mistress of the
world. He foresaw also how Babylon would fall and how a kingdom
greater than all would rise wherein there would be righteousness and
peace.

Jeremiah.

The book of Jeremiah is composed principally of sketches of biography,
history and prophecy, but the events and chapters are not in
chronological order. It closes the period of the monarchy and marks
the destruction of the holy city and of the sanctuary and tells of the
death agony of the nation of Israel, God's chosen people. But he saw