e were other
and more poisonous enemies. We have found him, from the first, steadily
seeing through, and stoutly denouncing the great religious orders--the
priests, natural believers in the Temple, with a belief, since Deuteronomy
came into their hands, more dogmatic and arrogant than ever; and the
professional prophets with their shallow optimism that all was well for
Judah, and that her God could never bring upon her the doom which Jeremiah
threatened in His Name. _Not He!_ was their answer to him. These two
classes were in conspiracy, deluding themselves and the people; in their
trust upon the letter of the Law, they had no sense, as he told them, of
_The Living God_.(313) Roused by his scorn they watched for an occasion to
convict and destroy him.(314)

This he bravely gave by making, in obedience to God's call, public
prediction of the ruin of the Temple. It is uncertain whether Jeremiah did
so only once, as many think who read in Chs. VII and XXVI reports of the
same address, or whether, as I am inclined to believe, the former chapter
reports an address delivered under Josiah, and the latter the repetition
of its substance in the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim.(315) However
this be, Ch. XXVI alone relates the consequences of his outspoken courage.
It represents the priests and the prophets as quoting his sentence upon
the Temple in absolute terms; though both reports, in the form in which
they have reached us, render his own delivery of it as conditional upon
the nation's refusal to repent and to better their ways.(316) This, of
course, was ever their way; they were ready distorters.

XXVI. 1. In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, son of
Josiah, came this word from the Lord. 2. Thus saith the Lord,
Stand in the court of the Lord's House and speak unto all Judah,
all who come in to worship in the Lord's House, all the words that
I have charged thee to speak to them; keep back not a word. 3.
Peradventure they will hearken and turn every man from his evil
way, and I shall relent of the evil which I am purposing to do to
them because of the evil of their doings. 4. And thou shalt say,
Thus saith the Lord: If ye will not obey Me to walk in My Law,
which I have set before you, [5] to hearken to the words of My
servants, the prophets whom I am sending to you, rising early and
sending--but ye have not hearkened--[6] then shall I render this
House like Shilo