The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 14:13-16
False teachers no adequate excuse for evil conduct. No doubt the people to whom Jeremiah was sent had been encouraged in their ungodliness by the faithlessness and sin of their prophets. Blind guides were leading the blind, and with the inevitable result. And here Jeremiah pleads, as an excuse for his people's sin, that they had been thus misled. But God refuses to admit the plea. Now, on this, note— I. FALSE TEACHING IS SOME EXCUSE FOR EVIL CONDUCT . The deepest... read more
The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 14:13-16
False prophets. I. OFFICIAL TEACHERS MAY BE FALSE TEACHERS . The false prophets belonged to the recognized order of prophets. No rank in the Church confers infallibility. Popes have been heretics. The authority of a teacher must be sought in his message, not in his office. It is our duty to try the spirits by their correspondence with known revelation ( 1 John 4:2 ), by the fruits of their lives and doctrines ( Matthew 7:16 ), and by the standard of our own ... read more