-;,.~ishes to deRl with 11.ny of these laws, he will find 11, careful 11.nd exhaustive an11.lysiB in Lange on " ExoduB." MoBt of them have strict and eole reference to the Hebrew Commonwealth, and are obsolete for the Christian.] This passage contains a series of promiRes, which all centre in an august personage, called here an " angel." That this is ~o will determine the charact.er of our exposition, and the Christian uses of it. l. THE ANGEL. None other than the "Anuel of Jehovah," the Angel-God of the Old Testament, i.e., the Lord Jesus Christ. &ference is here made to those many epiphanies, which preceded the Gree,t Epiphany of the incarnation. That these were appearances of the Lord Jesus may be argued :-1. It seems reasonable that there should be anticipations of the incarnation. True, we could not prophesy them beforehand ; but when they do take place, they commend themselves to our reason. It seems in a sense natural, that He, who wa.s coming to dwell here, should once and again "come down to deliver." 2. The history of the appearance of the angel shows :-(1) That he was Divine. (i.) Perfection implied in the authority he wields, and the promises he gives. (ii.) Swears by himself. (iii.) The object of worship. (iv.) Subject of Divine names and attributes. (2) And yet there is that which differentmtes Him from the Eternal Father. All this accords with the doctrine of the Trinity; and that the angel wa.s Christ the Lord. II. Hn; OFFICS. We assume now that the angel was the Lord Jesus; that what he was to the ancient Church he is now. ~e is ever present--sometimes unseen--often recn;::niscd. His office as here set forth is that of:-1. .A Leader. He led Israel, Jll;tinly by the pillar of cloud; but not in such a way as to dispense with Israel's action. The Lord acts, but never so a.s to swamp our individuality. It was for Israel: (1) To watch the cloud: (2) To exercise their own judgment on minor matters. See Nam. x. 31. Our danger is to rely exclusively on our own judgment, and not to look for the waving of That Hand. 2. A Sentinel,. "To keep in the way" in the double ,sense ;-(1) To hold us in the path, and (2) to defend us on that path. The practical truth here is, that Christ's keeping is not absolute or independent of our will and action. He watches, that we may. watch. This vital practical truth seems to us to be well llustrated by Swedenborg's doctrine of the "Proprium; " which is well exhibited in "Outlines of the Religion and Philosophy of Swedenborg" by Dr. Parsons. Ch. viii. 3. Moral 'l1U1,flistracy. " He will not pardon your transgressions, for my ne.me is in Him"-what can this mean? There is reference here to the moral magistracy exer- cised over us, on our pilgrim way, noting transgression, visiting for it, chastising, cha.'itening, with a view to ultimate removal. Appeal to life for evidence of the reality of that corrective jurisdiction. III. Oun DUTY. 1. Loyalty to God, ver. 25. 2. Recognition of his representative; i.e., the angel; i.e., the Lord Jesus. 3. Obedienu; i.e., to the leader, etc. (vers. 21, 22.) N .B. " If thou sha.lt indeed obey His voice, and do all that 1 speak." Mark how Gou identifies himself with the angeL 4. .Avoidance of fellowship and complicity with evil (vers. 32, 33). Any intercourse for the Jew with the heathen was full of pei:ll. It seems now to be a.ssumed that tw companionship for the Christian has any danger. This assumption false, as the tendency to worldliness and open sin shows. 5. .Active ant,a,goni.sm to all .Anti-theisms (v. 24). It will not do to be content with standing on the defensive. Has not the time now come to carry the wa.r into the enemy's camp? IV. THE PJtOMISES. These cover really all the blessings consequent on a life of practical godliness. Thinking rather of our own position than of the literal meaning of the promises in relation to the life of Israel, they may be classified as follow :-1. God un ou,r side (vers. 22, 23). 2. Our daily provision blessed (ver. 25). There shall bo enough; but whatever there is shall have gladness with it. 3. Health (ver. 25). 4. Wealth (ver. 26). 5. Long life (ver. 26). 6. lnfl~, before which even adversaries shall bend (ver. 27). 7. Enlargement of power and of room for its exercise (v. 31). 8. In the bestowal of these blessings, our Father in heaven will show to lll! great e<,nsw..eraf£r.e1JS (vers. 29, 30). fl. oofe wwi,u,ct to the promised rest (ver. 20). '!'hose wLo know the argument of Binney:-" Is it possible to make the best of Both Worlds?" will well understand how, under what conditions, and with what limitations, blessi11gs of this sort-mainly secular in cnara.cter-fall to the lot of the Lord's recleellied.-R en. xxr:r. 32, :n.J TIIE IlOOK (H' EXODUS.
EXPOSITION. Vers. 32, 33.-FJNAL WARNING AGAINST incense in all the high places, ne did the moLATRY, The "Book of the Covene.nt" ends heathen whom the Lord carried away before BB it bcga.n, with a. aolomn warning nga.inst them ; and wrought wicked things to provoke idole.try. (See eh. xx. 23.) "Thou shalt make the Lord to anger; for they served idols, no covenant with them nor with their gods." whereof the Lord had said unto them, "Ye Thou aha.It not even anffer them to dwell side she.II not do this thing" (2 Kings xvii. 9-12). by aide with theo in the land, on peaceable terms, with their own laws and religion, lest Ver. 32.-Thou &halt make no covenant thou be ensnared thereby, and led to worship with them. See below, eh. xxxiv. 12--15. According to the forms 11Sual at the time, a their idols e.nd join in their unhallowed rites treaty of pee.ce would have contained an ac- (ver. 33). The after history of the people of knowledgrnent of the gods of either nation, Israel shows the need of the warning. From e.nd words in honour of them. (See the the exodus to the captivity, every idole.try " Treaty of Rameses II. with the Hittites," with which they ea.me into close contact given in the Records of the Pal!t, vol. iv. pp. 27-32.) This would have been equivalent proved a sore temptation to them. As the to " me.king a covenant with their gods " author of Kings observes ot the Ten Tribes- Ver. 33.-Theyshall not dwell in the land. " The children of Israel did secretly those This law did not, of course, affect proselytes ; things which were not right age.inst the Lord nor was it considered to preclude the continu- their God, and they built them high places in e.nee in the land of the enslaved Gibeonites. It forbade any Ca.nae.nite communities being all their cities..... And they set them np snffered to remain within the limits of Pales- images e.nd groves in every high hill, e.nd tine on friendly terms with the Hebrews. The under every green tree ; e.nd there they burnt precaution was undoubtedly a wise one.