me to have in Christian doctrine, is so far also
involved in the parable.(353)

To the truths of the Divine Sovereignty and the Divine Freedom the parable
adds that of the Divine Patience. The potter of Hinnom does not
impatiently cast upon the rubbish which abounds there the lump of clay
that has proved refractory to his design for it. He gives the lump another
trial upon another design. If, as many think, the verses which follow the
parable, 7-10, are not by Jeremiah himself (though this is far from
proved, as we shall see) then he does not explicitly draw from the
potter's patience with the clay the inference of the Divine patience with
men. But the inference is implicit in the parable. Did Jeremiah intend it?
If he did, this is proof that in spite of his people's obstinacy under the
hand of God, he cherished, though he dared not yet utter, the hope that
God would have some fresh purpose for their service beyond the wreck they
were making of His former designs for them and the ruin they were thereby
bringing on themselves--that He would grant them still another chance of
rising to His will. But if Jeremiah did not intend this inference from his
parable then we may claim the parable as one more example of that of which
we have already had several, the power of this wonderful man's experience
and doctrine to start in other minds ideas and beliefs of which he himself
was not conscious, or which at least he did not articulate--that power
which after all is his highest distinction as a prophet. I do not think,
however, that we can deny to Jeremiah all consciousness of what his
parable implies in regard to the Patience of the Divine Potter with the
perverse human clay in His hands. For we have already seen from another of
the Prophet's metaphors that under the abused and rank surface of a
nation's or an individual's life he was sure of soil which by deeper
ploughing would yet yield fruits meet for repentance.(354)

In either case the parable is rich in Gospel for ourselves. If we have
failed our God upon His first designs for us and for our service do not
let us despair. He is patient and ready to give us another trial under His
hand. And this not only is the lesson of more than one of our Lord's
parables, for instance that of the fig-tree found fruitless, but
nevertheless given the chance of another year,(355) and the motive of His
hopes for the publicans and harlots, but is implied by all the Gospel of
His life and death