institutions, and had taken all fit occasions of directing penitents to that great Sacrifice whereby alone the sins of men could be forgiven : and now he stopped the angel on the very spot where he had, many centuries before, arrested Abraham's hand when sacrificing his son ; and where, but a short time after, the tem- ple itself was built ; that temple in which all the sacrifices were offered, and in the services of which the death o'f Christ was so abundantly prefigured'. Nay, on this occasion God was pleased to put peculiar honour on the sacrifice, in that he sent fire from heaven to consume it'^. Thus did he point out to David and to all Israel, thus also has he shewn to the whole world, that though penitence and prayer are indispensable requisites in those that shall be pardoned, it is the sacrifice of Christ only that avails for our acceptance with God ]
The history very particularly leads us to notice, in the next place,
III. The effect which the sins of individuals produce on the community — It was in reality for IsraeVs sin that this punish- ment was inflicted —
[" The anger of God, we are told, was kindled against Israel .-" and on this account " he moved David against them, to say, Go, number Israel and Judah'." In the parallel place we are told, that " Satan stood up against Israel, and pro- voked David to number Israel""." We are not to suppose that God himself actually tempted David ; for we are expressly told, that "he doth not tempt any man":" but he permitted Satan to tempt him ; and we well know, that if God's restrain- ing hand be removed, Satan will prevail against the strongest of men, and " sift them as wheat." But when David had thus voluntarily sinned, both he and his people were punished for their iniquity. In a word, for IsraeVs sin he was left, and for his sin they were punished. In this dispensation there was nothing unworthy of the divine character ; for both David and Israel justly deserved punishment, and might have been visited with God's judgments independently of this sin : but by this dispensation God would shew us, that, in this ivorld, commu- nities should be dealt with as one body; the head being afflicted for the members, and the members for the head : that so all may be led to the utmost of their power to consult the welfare of the whole.]
Let us therefore be on our guard, lest we be
i 2 Chron. iii. 1. ^ i Chron. xxi. 26. ^ ver. 1.
I'l 1 Chron. xxi. 1. " Jam. i. 13.