Behold the mercy and piety of the good God. When he wishes to be merciful, he says that he is displeased and angry. As he says through Jeremiah, You will be chastised, Jerusalem, with pain and a scourge, lest my soul depart from you. If you understand these words, it is the voice of God having compassion when he is angry, when he is jealous, when he brings pains and beatings. For he scourges every one whom he receives.^[1]

It was that you may learn that God silently and noiselessly observes the affairs of people and watches the course of each one’s life, and so it is written, The paths of a person are before the eyes of God, and God looks at all his tracks.^[1] And as he is good and wills that all people should be saved, he often purifies those who are entangled in sins by inflicting sickness on their body. He somewhere says by the voice of Jeremiah, You shall be taught, O Jerusalem, by labor and the scourge.

God invites us to knowledge also, when he says by Jeremiah, If you had walked in the way of God, you would have dwelled forever in peace.^[1] . . . God grants pardon to those who have erred. He says, Turn, turn, as a grape gatherer returns to his basket. Do you see the goodness of justice in that it advises us to repent? And through Jeremiah, he provides further enlightenment in the truth for those who have erred Thus says the Lord, stand in the roads, and look. Ask for the eternal paths of the Lord. Look for the good path, and walk in it, and you shall find purification for your souls.^[2] He leads us to repentance in order to promote our salvation.

And another prophet, Jeremiah, says, Turn to the Lord your God, as a grape gatherer to his basket, and you shall find mercy. The sayings in the Holy Scriptures regarding repentance are many, yes, countless. God always desires that the human race turn from all its sins.

The prophet Jeremiah also blamed the Jewish multitudes with their rulers because of their excessive arrogance, saying, To whom shall I speak and testify, and he will hear? Behold, their ears are uncircumcised, and they cannot hear. Behold, the Word of the Lord has become to them a derision. They will not hear it. And in another place he spoke of Jerusalem: We healed Babel, and she was not healed. Let us leave her and depart every one to his land, because her judgment has reached to the heavens.^[1]

Idol temples had fallen before the standard of the cross and the severity of the gospel. Now, on the contrary, lust and gluttony endeavor to overthrow the solid structure of the cross. And so God says by Isaiah, O my people, they who bless you cause you to wander and trouble the paths of your feet. Also by Jeremiah,^[1] Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and save everyone his life, and believe not the false prophets who say, ‘Peace, peace,’ and there is no peace. Who are always repeating, The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.^[2] Your prophets have seen for you false and foolish things. They have not laid bare your iniquity that they might call you to repentance. They devour God’s people like bread. They have not called on God. Jeremiah announced the captivity and was stoned by the people. Hananiah, the son of Azzur, broke the bars of wood for the present but was preparing bars of iron for the future.^[3] False prophets always promise pleasant things and please for a time.

Since the soul became too enfeebled for the apprehension of realities, we needed a divine teacher. The Savior is sent down—a teacher and leader in the acquisition of the good, as the secret and sacred token of the great Providence. Where, then, is the scribe? Where is the searcher of this world? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?^[1] it is said. And again, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent,^[2] speaks plainly of those who are wise in their own eyes and contentious. Excellently, therefore, Jeremiah says, Thus says the Lord, ‘Stand in the ways, and ask for the eternal paths, what is the good way, and walk in it, and you shall find expiation for your souls.’

What sprinklings shall we now employ while we celebrate the feast? Who will be our guide as we haste to this festival? None can do this, my beloved, but him whom you will name with me, even our Lord Jesus Christ, who said, I am the Way.^[1] For it is he who, according to the blessed John, takes away the sin of the world.^[2] He purifies our souls, as Jeremiah the prophet says in a certain place, Stand in the ways and see, enquire, and look which is the good path, and you shall find in it cleansing for your souls.

What are the marks of the person who fears the Lord? What is the stamp of those who walk in his ways. There are many ways, and the many ways lead to the one way. Wherefore it says in Jeremiah: Stand beside the ways of the Lord, and ask for the eternal pathways. Find the one way, and walk it. Notice that it says, Stand beside the pathways of the Lord, and ask for the eternal paths of the Lord. Find the one way, and then walk it. Through many ways, we find the one way. The same thought occurs in the gospel.

The holy prophets might themselves be considered as many ways; our Lord, however, is the truly good way. In fact, listen to his words, I am the way, the truth and the life.^[1] But each of the prophetic ways leads to this way, Moses the lawgiver hinting at this in his words, The Lord our God will raise up for you from among your brothers a prophet like me.^[2] David, king and prophet, and also Isaiah, Micah, Ezekiel and each of the prophets give a glimpse of this way. And as there is one way leading to the biggest cities that we are accustomed to call kingly and royal—whereas some paths do conduct people from both town and country to this one way—so there is one way leading to the Father, the only-begotten Son of God, while the blessed prophets lead people to this one way who choose to travel by the particular path they represent. The prophetic word, therefore, bids Jews to search out the prophetic ways and through them to discover the good way and travel in it.

When you eat your meals, remember that you must immediately afterwards pray and read. Have a fixed number of lines of Holy Scripture, and render it as your task to your Lord. On no account resign yourself to sleep until you have filled the basket of your breast with a thread of this weaving. After the Holy Scriptures you should read the writings of learned people, of those at any rate whose faith is well known. You need not go into the mire to seek for gold. You have many pearls. Buy the one pearl with these. Stand, as Jeremiah says, in more ways than one so that you may come on the true way that leads to the Father.

Jeremiah refers to their guides by the term shepherds,^[1] not simply those accorded spiritual guidance but also kings and rulers who have accepted the divine message. This is the way the divine apostles Barnabas and Paul also behaved. When they entered a certain synagogue, they principally engaged the Jews in discussion. But when they perceived their unbelief, they said, It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first, but since you resist it and pass judgment on yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we turn to the nations, the Lord having given us this direction. I have placed you as a light for the nations to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.^[2] This is where this prophecy finds its fulfillment.

The blessed prophet Jeremiah loudly condemned both the ignorance and pride of the [unfaithful] Jews. He rebukes them in these words, How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us’? But behold, the lying pen of the scribes has made it into a lie. The wise people shall be put to shame. They shall be dismayed and taken. Behold, they have rejected the Word of the Lord, so what wisdom is in them?^[1] For being neither wise nor acquainted with the sacred Scriptures, though the scribes and Pharisees falsely assumed to themselves the reputation of being learned in the law, they rejected the Word of God. For when the Only-begotten had become man, they did not receive him or yield their neck obediently to the summons that he addressed to them by the gospel. Because, therefore, by their wicked conduct they rejected the Word of God, they were themselves rejected, being condemned by God’s just decree. He said, by the voice of Jeremiah, Call them rejected silver because the Lord has rejected them.^[2] And again, Shave your head, and cast it away, and take lamentation on your lips because the Lord has rejected and thrust away the generation that has done these things.^[3] And what these things are the God of all has declared to us, saying, Hear, O earth: behold! I am bringing on this people evils, the fruit of their turning away, because they regarded not my word and have rejected my law.

The legal manner of service is not what he requires. This is a thing in no respect difficult to see from the prophetic and apostolic writings. For by the word of Jeremiah he says, Why do you bring me frankincense from Sheba and cinnamon from a far country? Your whole burnt offering is not acceptable, and your sacrifices do not please me. . . . The will of God, therefore, that will that we pray may be done on earth, is not that we should conform to the law and live according to the grossness of its letter. But we should endeavor to live by the gospel. And this is effected by a faith correct and free from error. By a holy life possessed of the sweet savor of every virtue and proved by the testimony of good and noble conduct in every thing that is excellent. . . . And he also said of them by the word of Jeremiah, Hear, O earth, behold, I bring on this people evils, the fruit of their turning aside, because they have not regarded my word and have rejected my law.

Actions not done lawfully and piously are not of advantage, though they may be reputed to be so, but they rather argue hypocrisy in those who venture on them. Therefore, although such persons feign to offer sacrifices, yet they hear from the Father, Your whole burnt offerings are not acceptable, and your sacrifices do not please me. Although you bring fine flour, it is vanity. Incense also is an abomination to me. . . . And by Jeremiah, since they were very bold, he threatens, Gather together your whole burnt offerings with your sacrifices, and eat flesh. For I spoke not to your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.^[1] For they did not act as was right, neither was their zeal according to law. But they rather sought their own pleasure in such days, as the prophet accuses them, beating down their bond servants and gathering themselves together for fights and quarrels. They struck the lowly with the fist and did all things that tended to their own gratification. For this cause, they continue without a feast until the end, although they make a display now of eating flesh, out of place and out of season. For, instead of the legally appointed lamb, they have learned to sacrifice to Baal. Instead of the true unleavened bread, they collect the wood, and their fathers kindle the fire, and their wives prepare the dough, that they may make cakes to the host of heaven. And they pour out libations to strange gods, that they may provoke me to anger, says the Lord.^[2] They have the just reward of such devices, since, although they pretend to keep the Passover, yet joy and gladness is taken from their mouth, as Jeremiah said: There has been taken away from the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem the voice of those who are glad, and the voice of those who rejoice, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.^[3]

Since God is merciful, he did not cut them off from good counsel. After he had said by Jeremiah, Why do you bring me incense from Sheba and cinnamon from a far country? Your whole burnt offerings and sacrifices are not acceptable to me. He proceeds: Hear the word of the Lord, all Judah. These things says the Lord, the God of Israel, Make straight your ways and your doings, and I will establish you in this place. Put not your trust in lying words, for they will not at all profit you, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, it is here.^[1]

Perhaps he will say to me, who am not reformed even by blows, I know that you are obstinate, and your neck is an iron sinew, the heedless is heedless, and the lawless person acts lawlessly, naught is the heavenly correction, naught the scourges. The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed, as I once reproached you by the mouth of Jeremiah, the founder melted the silver in vain, your evil deeds are not melted away. Can you abide my wrath? says the Lord. Has not my hand the power to inflict on you other plagues also?

Daniel said, The saints of the most High shall receive the kingdom.^[1] What shall we say concerning this? Have the children of Israel received the kingdom of the most High? God forbid. Or has that people come on the clouds of heaven? This has passed away from them. For Jeremiah said concerning them, Call them rejected silver, for the Lord has rejected them. Again he said, He will not again regard them.^[2] And Isaiah said concerning them, Pass by! Pass by! Approach not the defiled.^[3]

Jeremiah says, I set watchmen over you. Hear the sound of the trumpet. They said, We will not listen. Therefore the Gentiles have heard, and they who feed the flocks in them. It is therefore one and the same Father who planted the vineyard, who led forth the people, who sent the prophets, who sent his own Son and who gave the vineyard to those other husbandmen^[1] that render the fruits in their season.