Jeremiah 30:21 And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the middle of them; and I will cause him to draw near… 1. The power of choosing their own rulers is a privilege which but very few of mankind have ever enjoyed. There is not one nation in all Asia and Africa which enjoys the power of electing its own rulers; and scarcely one in all Europe which enjoys this privilege in its full extent. 2. The power of choosing their own rulers is a privilege which all nations who are destitute of it wish to enjoy. 3. It must be a great privilege to any people, to have the power of choosing their best men to rule over them. Rulers who understand the genius and disposition of their people, who are acquainted with their laws and constitutions, who have a comprehensive view of their various interests and connections, and who are men of tried integrity, are well qualified to fill every department of government. No people can desire better rulers than these; and such as these, the power of election gives them the best opportunity of appointing to office. 4. It is a great privilege for a people to have a power of choosing their own rulers, because good rulers are a very great blessing. They are the guardians of all that a people hold most dear and sacred; and so can do them greater service, and more essentially promote their temporal good, than any other men in any other public or private stations of life.Reflections — 1. No nation which chooses its own rulers can be enslaved without its own consent. The privilege of election is the grand palladium of civil liberty. 2. If a people who choose their own rulers have not good rulers, it must be owing to their own fault. If they choose their best men, there can be no doubt but their rulers will be good. 3. A people who choose their own rulers, cannot reasonably expect to have better rulers than themselves 4. This subject directs us where to look for the origin of the political distresses and embarrassments in which we have been, and still are, involved. They have originated from the abuse of the power of election. 5. This subject suggests to us the best, and perhaps the only possible way of alleviating present, and of preventing future calamities. The way is, wisely and faithfully to improve our important privilege of election, and commit the direction of our national concerns to greater and better men. (N. Emmons, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the LORD. |
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