The Pulpit Commentary — Leviticus — Section 322

EXPOSITION. (4) the second. These four laws are, in their positive nspects, (1) the religioUB law CHAPTER XIL of social order, on which a commonwealtli rests; (2) the law of positive obedience to From the prohibition of moral unclean- God's command because it is his command; ness exhibiting itself in the form of incest (3) the lnw of piety towards the invisible and licentiousness, the legislator proceeds Lord; (4) the law of faith, which trusts to a series of laws and commandments him without requiring visible emblems against other kinds of immorality, inculcat- or pictures of him. In vers. 11, 14, 16, 35, ing piety, righteousness, and kindness. 36, obedience is inculcated to the eighth and Chapter xi.x. may be regarded os an ex- the ninth commnndmenls, which are the laws tension of the previous chapter in this of honesty nnd of truthfulness ; in ver. 12 to direction, nfter which the subject of eh. the third commandment, which is tho law xviiL is again taken up in eh. xx. The of reverence; in vers. 17, 18, 33, 84, to the precepts now given are not arranged sys- sixth commandment, which is the law of tematically, though, o.s Keil has remarkl'd, love; in vers. 20, 29, to the seventh com- "while grouped together rather occording to mandment, which is .the l11w of purity; in a loose association of ideas than according to vers. 9, 10, 13, the spirit of covetousness is any logical arrangement, they are all linked prohibited, ns forbidden in the tenth com• together by the common purpose expressed mandment, which is the law of charity. in the words, ' Ye shall be hdy: for I the Lord Thus this chapter may in a way be your God am holy.'" They begin by inculcat- regarded as the Old Testnment counterparl ing (in vers. 3, 4) duties which fall under the of the Sermon on the Mount, inasmuch ns it heads of (1) the fifth commandment of the lays down the lnws of conduct, as the latter Decalogue, (2) the fourth, (3) the first, lays down the principles of action, in as com-  CB. XIX. 1-37,] THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS. 237