nese. 11 Did not King Do.vid transgress in numbering the people? Did he not by s~ doing bring God's wrath upon !,is kingdom? Would that which brought guilt and sorrow on David be right or safe for us? " What are we to say to these scrupuloU8 ·persons? I have not time to go into the questions that have been raised about the real nflture of David's sin. One thing is plain: the evil lay not in the taking of a census, ·but in the intention of that particular census. David was a man of war. In hie hands the kingdom was in danger of becoming a despotic and military monarchy, such as the nations of the world have ho.d occneion to know too well. And there can be little doubt that the census he projected was meant to subeerve the ends of such a monarchy. It was meant to be just such an instrument of oppression in Israel as William the Conqueror's Domesday Book was in England. The design of the compilation seems to have been, in both cases, very much the same. Anyhow, it is certain that the simple numbering -0f the people was not forbidden by the law of God. On the contrary, the Bible is dead against such a barbarous and hazardous style of national administration as is inevitable when the national governors are in the dark regarding the statistics of the people. The Israelites dealt largely in statistics ; to a surprising degree they antici- pated the practice of the nineteenth century in this matter. At all the great turning- points in their history a census was taken. 'l'his Book of NUMBERS owes its name to the fact that it records two census-takings, one at the beginning, the other at the close, of the forty years' sojourn in the wilderness. So long as the Bible has a Book -0f Numbers in it, intelligent Bible readers will see in it an admonition to fill up their census papers with exactness and for conscience sake. II. MEDITATIONS PROPER TO THE CENSUS DAY. The filling up of a census paper ie, in itself, a piece of secular business. Yet I do not envy the man who can perform it without being visited with a touch of holy feeling. The setting down of the names of one's household brings up many tragic memories. The setting down one's own age, after a lapse of ten years-surely it summons us to count our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom. It is not often observed that the law of Moses prescribed .a religious service/or the occasion of a census-taking (Exod. xxx. 11-16). This the -d1ildren of Israel are to perform, ' 1 that there be no plague among them when thot1 numberest them." A measure may be right in itself, and yet may be apt to become to ue e.n ocr.asion of sin. When a nation ie reckoning up the number of its sons, it. will be apt to harbour proud confidence in their valour ; o.nd proud confidence in man God will not bear. When Nebuchadnezzar begins to say," Ie not this great Babylon which I have built for the house of my kingdom? "God's humbling stroke ie near. On the census day the Israelites were to bring "every man o. 'ransom for hie soul.' " The act was as much as to say, "I am not worthy to be registered among the living in Iero.el, the holy nation, the kingdom of priests. I nm a sinful mo.n, 0 Lord; but I believe that there ie forgiveness with thee. Forgive me, therefore, 0 Lord· reject me not. Remember me with the favour thou bearest unto thy people, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, and glory with thine inheritance." The ra11so1u money required from every Israelite on the census day was a poll-to.x of ho.lf n shekel. The rich paid no more, the poor paid no lees. The lo.w of Moses did not often impose this sort of tox; for with a show of equnlity, it iR the most unequal of taxes. Ordi- narily the law invited princes to bring princely gifts, while it suffered the poor man's po.ir of turtle-doves to come up with acceptance on the altar, The poll-t11x of the census do.y wo.s altogether exceptional. Nor is it difficult to understand why the -exception should ho.ve been made on this one occasion. It w11e very significant. Religion does not abrogate o.11 social inequnlities; but the non-recognition 0£ these in the atonement-money admonishes us tho.t the inequalities which find place among men in regard to wealth, station, intellectuo.l gifts, are as nothing in comparison with their essential equality ne creatures made in the image of God. It admonishes us also that all who have obtained an inheritance nmong God's people are on one level with regard to their right to be there. "There is no difference; for all ho.ve sinned, and o.11 are justified freely." Yet another reflection. The Lord keeps a1l eza(l register of Ms people. There ie a Book of Life in which nre inscribed the names of all whom he ho.e chosen, and co.used to approach unto him, that they may dwell in his house. How true this ie, the whole Scripture bears witness (see Exod. xxxii. 32; lsa. iv. 3; Ezek. xiii 9; Luke x. 20; Phil. iv. 3; Heh. xii. 23; Rev. xiii. 8), w~ B:2 THE BOOK OF NUMBERS. [cu. ,. 1-Ia:.
commonly think of this as a book which is shut and sealed. No man on earth cnn take it into hie hand and read out the names inscribed in it. The Lord only knoweth- them that are his; we may not sit in judgment on one another's atnte before God. All this is true. Yet the truth has another side: if the seventy are to rejoice becausit their names are written in heaven, it must be possible for them to ascertain the fact. A mnn may ascertain his own acceptance with God. Not only so. If the Apostle was confident regarding certain of the early Christians that their names were in the Book of Life, we also may, without prying into God's secrets, attain to a similar persuasion respecting such of our brethren as bear Christ's image, and abound in his work; Who bear Christ's image, and abound in his work-I use these words advisedly· they express the evidence which avails to prove thnt a given name is in the Book of Life. The census-table compiled by Moses contained only the names of such as were, by birth or adoption, the sons of Jacob. The Book of Life contains only the names of those whom God has "predestinated to the adoption of sons by Jesus Christ." To make sure thnt I am a son-that God has brought me home to himself by his Word and Spirit-this is the only way of making sure that my name has a place in the Lamb's Book of Life.-B.