hear in their appointed words the voice of seems. to mean the same thing as oi,\V. tt~1, God himself. Saying unto them. The or 0'fP (Gen. :z:liii. 29, d.v11/3>.i-i,ac , , Toi(: benediction here appointed consist.s of three 6~:ta"'-,.,.oic abToii; xliv. 21). To lift up the -chuses, ea.eh complete in itself, and each eyes or the fa.co upon any one is to look i:Onsisting of two members, the second of upon that one with peculiar and tender which seems to present the application and interest. And give thee peace (shalom). result in experience of the gn.ce besought in This peace, being the perfect fruit in experi• the first. Both, therefore, in its form and its ence of the pee which comes from God, eontents this benediction is one of the most forms the climax and conclusion of the rrofonnd and most frn.itful of the Divine benediction. oracles ; and this indeed we might have Ver. 27.-They shall put my n&me upon expected, because (if we may venture to eay the children of Israel. The "name " of so) God is never so entirely and absolutely God is uniformly treated in Scripture as himself as in blessing. something very different from a mere arrange- Vers. 24-26.-The Lo?a, .. the Lord, .. ment of letters or an arbitrary vocal sound. the Lord. Are we to see in thia threefold All nations have had names for the Supreme use of the Divine na.me a shadowing forth of Being, but there was nothing sacred about the Holy Trinity t It is obvious that it can- them, except from association. TM name of not be proved, and that it would not even God was not of man, nor from man, but of :have suggested any such idea to the priest his own direct revelation (Exod. vi. 3), ond "·ho gave, or to the people who received, the was therefore of an unspeakable sanctity benediction. To them the threefold form (Exod. :r:x. 7 ; nxiii. 19). Like the "word" merely added beauty and fulness to the of God, it cannot be dissociated from God blessing (cf. Eccles. iv. 12). But that is himself. It is in some sense an extension not the question. The real question is outwards, into the sphere of the created and whether the Old Testament was written for sensible, of the ineffable virtues of the God- our sakes (1 Cor. iL 10; x. 11; 2 Tim. ili.15, head itself. • It smnds in a real, though un- 16), and whether the God of the Jews was assignable, relation to infinite goodness and indeed the Father of our Lord Jesm Chriet power, and therefore U com{IS fraught with (John v. 17; viii. 54). If so, it is not pos• untold blessing (or perch&nce cursing) to -sible for us to avoid seeing in this benediction those on whom it lights. Hence, to put the ·a declaration of the threefold Being of God, name of God-the covenant name-upon the and it is not possible to avoid believing that people had B real meaning. No one could do ·he meant WI to see such a. decla.ra.tion, veiled it except by his express direction; and when indeed from the eyes of the Jew, but clea.r it wa.s so done there was an invisible reality .enough to the Chrietian. For a somewhat answering to the audible form ; with the 11i111ilar ease compare Isa. vi. 3 ; Rev. iv. 8. name pronounced in blessing ea.me the bless- Ver. 25.-The Lora m.&ke his face ahiae ing itself, came the s~cial providence and •pon thee. The " face " of God is his per• presence of God, to abide upon such at least sona.lity as turned towards ru&n, or else as were worthy of it. It is a fact, the signi- turned away from him. Hie face hidden or ficance of which cannot be denied, tha.t turned away ill despair and dea.th {Dent. the name which was commanded to bo put :uxL 17, lfl; Job xiii. 24); his fe.ee turned upon the pcoplo wa.s lost, and irrecoverably agai.ust man is destruction and death (Levit. lost, by the later Jews. Out of an oxogger• OB. VI, 22-27.] THE BOOK OF NUMBERS. 53
ntecl clread of possiblo profanlltion, they first not to be inquired after. And I will ble■ s diso\Jeyecl the commllnd by substituting them. Here is the precise truth of all effec- Adonai for tho.t name outsicle the srmctuary ; tual benediction: the!j shall put my name; ancl finally, llfter the cleath of Simeon the ... I will bless. 'l he outward form was Just, the friests ccasecl to pronounce that ministered by the priests, the inward reality name at al , ancl therefore lost the tradition was of God and from God alone. It is ob- by which the pronunciation was fixed. Our servable that the form of bles~ing is expressed method of spelling and pronouncing the in the singular; either (I) because all Israel no.me as Jehovah is merely conventional, ancl was regarded as one, even as the first-born son almost certainly incorrect. It woulcl seem of God (Exod. iv. 22, 23; Hos. xi I), or (2) to be the more devout opinion that the name because all real blessing must in truth be itself, as revealed by God and uttered by indiviclual-a nation can only be blessecl in many generations of priests, was forfeited its several members. (like Paraclise), was withdrawn, ancl ought