The Pulpit Commentary — Leviticus — Section 349

as when man is legislator; for man cannot venture to gauge the relative enormities of sins, and assign to them their respective punishments, except so far as he is led by .the hand by the revelation of God. He can only judge of wTOngs and injuries to his .fellow-men. In the present age of the world, when the State and the Church are no longer identical, as they were in the case of the Israelites, each law fulfils its function best by confining itself to its proper sphere. The religioUB law, basing itsell on the Divine Law, prohibits and denounces sin; the secular law, being an eiabora- tion by the human intellect of the idea of justice in its varioUB applications to the -events of human life, condemns and pUD.ishes crimes, by which wrong is done to -0thers. Vera. 6, 27.-The pursuit of knowledge by right means is one of the highest and noblest occupations of the intellect of man, but the seeking after knowledge by unlawful means is so criminal as to lead God to cut off the presumptuous seeker from among his people. It was grasping after a forbidden knowledge by unrighteous means that brought death int-0 the world (Gen. iii. 6). All dealing in necromancy and witchcraft Involves this sin on the part of the inquirer into futurity, whether those whom they ~onsult be merely deceivers or not. Ver. 9.-Just as the negative law," Thou shalt do no murder," involves the positive law, " Thou shalt love thy neighbour," so the law forbidding to curse a father or a. mother contains within it the law of reverential submission to. pa.rents and to all in authority. Ver. 26.-The command," Ye shall be holy unto me: for I the Lorcl e1m holy," is binding upon Christians far more strougly than on the Israelites. For- I. C!IBISTIANS HAVE A POWER GIVEN THEM: WHEREBY THEY CAN BB HOLY WHICH THE lsBA.BLITES HAD NOT. St. l'a.ul, having declared that the final purpose of God's election and our adoption in Christ is "that we should be holy and without blame before him in love" (Eph. i. 4), goes on to say that to those who believed, on hearing the gospel of their salvation preached, there was given the earnest of the Holy Spirit, with which they were sealed unto the day of redemption (Eph. i. 13, 14). 'l'he Spirit of holiness is given to every baptized Christian soul, in a way in which he was not imparted to the Israelites, the dispensation of types and shadows having given place to that of spiritual realities, and the promised Comforter having been sent, not only to be with us, but to be in UB (John xiv. 16, 17; xvi. 7-15). II. C!IBISTIANS HAVE IN CHRIST AN EXAHPLE OJ' DIVINE HOLINESS WHICH THE l.sRAELITEB HAD NOT. They are therefore able to realize more fully tho.n the Israelites the manner in which they are to "be holy, for the Lord your God is holy." They see before them the example of One who is God, and who emptied himself of his glory and power, o.nd was made man, and lived a life of perfect holiness on earth. On this model they can, by the help of that Spirit vouchsafed to each Christian, form their own lives. It is an ideal never to be atto.ined, but yet to have an ideal is an inexpressible help. ill. CHIUSTIANB, DY TDEIR UNION WITH CHRIST AS THEIR HEAD, RECEIVE FROM HIM: OF BIB HOLINESS. God has given Christ" to be the Head over all things to the Church, which is his body" (Eph. i. 22, 23), and has gathered " together in one all things in Christ" (Eph. i. 10), that we "may grow up into him in all things, which is the Heo.d, even Christ: from whom the whole body .•. maketh increase ..• unto the edifying of itself in love" (Eph. iv. 15, 16). "Christ is the Heo.d of the Church, as the husband is head of the wife" (Eph. v. 23), and "we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones" (Eph. v. 30). The Word is "full of grace and truth . . . and of his fulness ho.ve all we received, and grace for grace" (John i. 14-16). From the mystical union between Christ and his Church there flow down graces upon those who a.re the members of his Church. IV. CHRISTIANS CAN BY FAITH APPROPRIATE TO THEHBELVEB OF THE HOLINESS OF C!IBIBT. By faith the holiness, whereby satisfaction was made by Christ for the sin- fulness of all mankind, may be so realized by the believing Christian as to be regarded as though it were his own in respect to his own sins. SH THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS. [cu. xx. 1-27.