be purged only by the death of the offender Ver. 28.-The penalty is indicted on the at the hand of the congregation. offender solemnly as an &cl of the Law, not Ver. 17.-In olose oonneotion with the of mob fury. So it was by a judicial or semi- command to slay the blasphemer is repeated judicial proceeding that St. Stephen was the prohibition of murder, and the injunc. stoned : "They brought him to the council, tion that the murderer shall surely be put to and set up false witnesses, ·,vhich said, This death. Thus a· distinction is sharply drawn man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous between the judioial sentence carried out words against this holy place, and the Law" by the congregation, and the unsanctioned (Acts vi 12, 18). And In spite of the smiting the life of a man by another, and violence exhibited, there was still some a warning is given against any man fanati- form of law, according to Jewish practice, cally taking the law into his own hands, observed in his stoning (Acts vii. 58). In even in the case of a blasphemer. the case of our Lord, on the other hand, Vera. 18-21.-A summary of the law when they regarded him as guilty of respecting minor injuries is added to that blasphemy on his saying, "Before Abraham respecting murder. He that killeth a man, we.a, I am" (John viii. 58), and "I and he shall be put to death, but he that killeth my }'atber are one" (John L 80), the a beast shall make it good ; and this Jews "took up stones to cast at him," not ~ talionis shall apply to all damage done waiting for a judicial condemnation, but, to another, breach for breach, eye for eye, as they supposed, taking the law into their tooth for tooth (see Matt. v. 88). own bands. Had his death been by Jewish Ver. 22.-Ae it had been a stranger who hands, it would at the last have been by hod on this occasion been the offender, the stoning under this law. But the power of law, Ye ehall have one manner of law, 111 life and death had been taken awe.y from the well for the stranger, as for one of your own Jews by the Romans, "that the saying of colllltry, with the sanction, I am the Lord Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spoke, your God, is emphatically repeated (see eh. signifying what deathhee.hould die" (John xix. 84). :ir.vili. 82),
HOMILETICS.
Vere. 11-16.-The Name of the Lord is a revelation of his nature. Names ~vcn or taken by man may be imposed from accidental circumstances. A. name given by Uod denotes an essential quality of the thing named. Hence if we can arrive at the true meaning of God's Nome, as revealed by himself, we shall have a manifestation of him- self as he chose to reveal his nature to man. I. After the primary Name of Elohim, where we mark the plural form of the noun, the Name by which he revealed himself to the patriarchs was that of El Shaddai, Goo ALMIGHTY. His omnipotence was the part of his nature which he specially mo.nifested to them (Exod. vL 3). II. To Moses he revealed himself under the name of EHYEH, ASITEB EBYEB, or I AM THAT I AM. The word Ehyeh is not used for absolute exi8tence in any pince where it is found in the Scriptures, but rather for condition or relation. "The me11n- ing to be given to the words, if we guide ourselves by tho evidence furnished by the. Hebrew books, may be paraphrased in this way, 'I ,how myself from ti1116 to time, even aa I ahow myself. I stand from time to time in vorying relation to men. This is my Na1116. Only from my dealings with men is my character to be apprehended by men"' (Sir W. Martin, 'Semitic Languages'). III. He also revealed himself to Moses as YAHVEB. Neither Is this word used for absolute existence. It means tho One who causes things to ho.ppen as they do. IV. IN THESE THREE NAMES, THEN, WE FIND THE REVELATION THAT Goo THOUGHT FBOPEB THEREBY' TO GIVE TO ms ANCIENT PEOPLE. He is the Almighty Spiritual Being, who manifests himself as he wills to his creatures, and governs by his providence the universe and all the events of human life. This is the proclamation of his Name by God himself. "And Yahvch descended in the cloud, and stood with Moses there, and proclaimed the name of Yahveh. And Yahveh passed by before him, and pro- claimed, Yahveh, Yahveh Elohim, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iuiquity 11nd transgres- sion and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, o.nd upon the childreu'e children, unto the third and to the LEVITICUS, 2Q 386 'l'IIE BOOK OF LEVITICUS. [en. XXIV. 10-23.