Vere. 29-37.-The fear of God. Of this excellent things are spoken by Solomon. It is the "beginning of knowledge," "hatred to evil," "stron"0 confidence" & "fountain of life,"" prolongs days," and" gives riches and honour." So here- ' L IT IS A SOURCE OF PURITY. 1. To the family. (1) There is a connection between vers. 29 and 30. Those who keep God's sabbaths will not profane their daughters either to idolatry or for gain. The fear of God nourished by the one will prevent the other. (2) In keeping God's sabbaths his sanctuary is reverenced. This furnishes an additional motive to social purity. For the sanctuary, whether it be composed of canvas, or of stone, or of flesh and blood, is the temple of the Holy Ghost. Who then can properly reverence it under one form and desecrate it under another? (see 1 Cor. iii. 16, 17; vi. 18, 19; 2 Cor. vi. 16) 2. To the nation. "Lest the land," etc. (ver. 29). (1) The family is the root of the nation. All nations extant are sprung from the family of Noah. (2) Nations are blessed or cunied in their families. (3) God .asserts himself here," I am Jehovah" (ver 30). The character of God is seen in his -laws. It is pledged to maintain them. II. IT A.BHS A.GA.INST THE POWER OF DEVILS. 1. Fami1iar spirit, an, more than. myths. (1) Their existence is not here challenged, bnt admitted (ver. 31 ; see also Acts xvi. 16, where the fact is put beyond question). (2) Pretenders to the un- enviable distinction, as well as persons actually possessed of such devils, are here held up to reprobation. 2. The fear of the Lord will preserve w from them. (1) Their power is greatest over the " children of disobedience." The desperately wicked are given over by God to Satan (Epb. ii. 2; 1 Tim. i. 20). Such persons may seek wizards, or wise ones. (2) But godly persons will avoid them. They could not so reflect upon the wisdom and goodness of God that he should leave anything for our advantage to be communicated by wicked spirits. SJ?iritualism is a devilish del11Bion. Pride and selfishness will lead men into the snare. (3) In this prohibition God asserts himself, "I am Jehovah thy Elohim." He is our covenant Friend, who will so fully satisfy our lawful desires that we shall not need recourse to wicked expedients. He will also be our defence against the devices of the deviL fil IT INSPIREB COURTESY. 1. Respect for age (ver. 32). (1) With age there 11hould be the wisdom of experience, and this should be honoured by youth. Caryl well says, "He that wears the silver crown should be honoured in his capacity as well as be -that wears the golden crown." (2) In respecting age we are to" fear Jehovah Elohim," our covenant God, whose blessings are from father to son and from generation to generation (Gen. xvii. 7; Isa. Ii. 8 ; Luke i. 60). In the aged man we should see the -representative of the "Ancient of days" (Dau. vii. 22). (3) It is a sad sign of the -degeneracy of a nation when the child behaves himself proudly against the ancient (Job xxx. 1, 12; Isa. iii. 4, 6). 2. Civility to strangers. (1) "Thou shalt not vex," or oppress, "him;" but treat him as though he were a native. "'.l'hou shalt love him as thyself." How tradition obscured this law when the question was prompted, viz. " Who is my neighbour?" (2) The Hebrew '.is reminded, in connection with this injunction, how bitterly he suffered in the laud of Egypt from the operation of the opposite principle. He is also reminded how odious to God was that cruel oppression from which he brought him out, and therefore how, if he would conciliate hill favour, he must act from a different principle. IV. IT PROMOTES JUSTIOE. 1. In Judgment. (1) In the administration of law. {2) In arbitration. 2. In dealings. (1) Measures and weights must be truo to the standards. These were kept in the tabernacle, and afterwards in the temple (eh. xx:vii. 25; 1 Chron. xxiii. 29). Religion and business must not be divorced. (2) To use false balances, or weights, or measures is worse than open robbery. It is abominable ,hypocrisy. It is robbing under the very colour of equity. God claims the authorship of these laws (vers. 36, 37). 1. They are worthy of him. He must be infatuated with ignorance or wickedness who would laud the "Roman virtue" in opposition to the "narrow spirit" of the Mosaic code. 2. They were eminently calculated to secure the happiness of the nation at home, and to promote its credit abroad. 3. Let us "observe" the Law of God to understand it, and, W1der- standing, "keep'' it. Then happy shall we be.-J. A. M.
Vera. 1, 2.-" Ye ,hall be holy: for I the Lord your God, am holy." Holineaa, !!10 THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS. [cu. XIX. 1-37.