morrow the Lord will show who are his," "for the day shall declare it" (1 Cor. iii. 13), and" it shall be revealed by fire," aa it was with Korah'a company. Woe unto them who cannot abide, whether personally or aa to their work, the test of fire. Our God is still, as then, a consuming fire (Heh. xii. 29), and that fire burns and will burn against all falsity of teaching, as well as all unholiness of living (1 Cor. iii. 15; Heh. xii. 14). And note again that "even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him;" for although the election be not arbitrary, yet it is the election of grace, and not the personal worth or aptitude or desire, that does place any, or will place any hereafter, near unto God (cf. Mark iii. 13; x. 40; John xv. 16; Rom. viii. 28). VII. THAT THE AMDITION OF KORAB WAS THE MORE TO BE BLAMED BECAUSE HE WAS HIMSELF A LEVITE, AND INTRUBTED WITH A SPECIAL MINISTRY IN HOLY THINGS. Even so is ambition or envy especially evil in a Christian man, foraamuch aa he has an "unction" and an office in the body of Christ to which he cannot with all his zeal do justice, and which if faithfully used will bring him the highest possible reward ( cf. Luke xxii. 26; 1 Cor. xii. 16, 22; 1 Pet. ii. 5; 1 John ii. 20, 27; Rev. iii. 21; vii. 14, sq.). -- - - VIII. THAT THE PARTICULAR OFFENCE OF KoBAH AND HIS COMPANY WAS THEIR DARING TO OFFER INCENSE, WHICH AARON ALONE MIGHT DO. The incense seems to have signified not simply "prayer," but rather the intercessory and prevailing prayer of the great High Priest and Mediator. Thus the "much incense" in Rev. viii. 3, 4, which is undoubtedly the intercession of Christ, is added to and rises wi,th the prayers of all saints. Thus then the special sin reprobated in Korah is any interference with the mediatorial office of Christ, whether by endeavouring to draw near to God through other mediators, or without any mediator at all (et John xiv. 6; Gal. i. 8; 1 John ii. 1). IX. THAT THE COMPANY OF K0RAH (WHATEVER BECAME OF HIMSELF) DIED BY FIRE, THE ELEMENT IN WHICH THEY BINNED. Even BO he that presumptuously meddles with holy things, not being holy himself, shall perish by that very nearness which he rashly courted. The hand that is really and entirely wet can be plunged into molten metal without injury, and so he who is covered with the robe of righteowmess may be a ministering servant of the consuming Fire, and live ; but how great is the risk if the call be not clear (cf. Mark ix. 49 a.). X. THAT THESE MEN WERE "SINNERS AGAINST THEIR OWN LIVES" IN TRUTH, AL• THOUGH THEY ONLY SEEMED TO BE VINDICATING THEIR JUST RIGHTS AGAINST USURPERS. Even so is every one that seeks hie supposed rights not in the spirit of meekness and of personal self-abnegation, but in a spirit of pride, contradiction, and vain-glory. To contend for oneself-albeit sometimes necessary-is of all things most dangerous, lest even in gaining our cause we lose our soula (cf. Matt. xxiii 12; 1 Cor. xiii. 5; Philip. ii. 5-7). - Xl. THAT THEIR CENSERS WERE HALLOWED EVEN DY AN UNLAWFUL RELIGIOUS USE. Even so there is a kind of sanctity which attaches to every religious effort, however much it may be stained with pride or vitiated by error, and whate"er ill results it !'°ay lead to, if it be made with sincerity. No such effort can be ignored as though 1t had not been made, nor cast out as wholly evil because not rightly made. Nothing whic~ is done in the sacred name of religion (saving sheer hypocrisy) ought to be despised or neglected. XII. THAT THE RESCUED CENSERS BECAME AN ADDITIONAL STRENGTH AND ORNAMENT TO THE ALTAR, AND A WARNING TO ALL GENERATIONS. Even 80 all assaults upon the faith and discipline of Christ are over-ruled for good, nf the same time adding strength to some weak or neglected aide of religion, and furnishing a warning against the mistakes and faults which misled their authors (cf. 1 Cor. xi. 19).
Consider again, with respect to the Reubenites- 1. THAT THEY WERE ANGRY WITH MOSES FOR WHAT WAS -DUE TO THEIR OWN FAULT AND THE FAULT 011' THE CONGREGATION, If they had not disobeyed they would h,,ve been in their own lan<l by this time. Even so men are angry and impatient with !,he rule of Christ because it has not brought them peace or happiness, whereas this u wholly due to their own unfaithfulness. And so again men assail Christianity for 208 THE BOOK OF NUMBERS. [cu. xvr. 1--40:..
not having reformed the world and abolished all evils, whereas they themselves will, not submit to the easy yoke and light burden of Christ. II. THAT THEY FALSELY AND WICKEDLY SPAKE OF EGYPT IN TERMS ONLY APPLICABLE TO C_ANAAN. Even so do the enemies of Christ speak of a state of nature, and of the life of the natural man, unvexed by fear of hell or hope of heaven 1 as if that- had been true happiness and peace, whereas they know that it is sheer misery and slavery (Rom. i. 28--32; vi. 20, 21; Eph. ii. 2, 3). Ill. THAT THEY CHARGED MOSES WITH AMBITION AND BELP-SEEKING1 AND WITB' THROWING DUST IN THE EYES OF THE PEOPLE. Even 80 is Christianity commonly accounted ( or at least described) by its open and more vulgar enemies as mere- obscurantism intended to keep the people in darkness, and to make them an easy prey to designing men for power and profit (cf. 2 Cor. xi. 12, 20; xii. 16, &c.). IV. THAT DATHAN AND ABIRUI, BEING OBDURATE, WERE SWALLOWED UP BY THB. EARTH, because it was with their earthly lot that they were angry, and with their earthly ruler that they contended. Even so they that are of the earth earthy shall perish with the perishing world ; it is their punishment that they are "swallowed, up" in gross material cares or pleasures, and have no lot nor part in the upper air of spiritual life (1 Cor. xv. 48; Phil. iii. 191 and compare the use of ·' the earth" in the Apoc., as in eh. vii. 1 ; viii. 13).
Consider again, with respect to tlu congregation at large- r. THAT THEY WERE IMPLICATED IN THE SIN AND MIGHT HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN 1 THE PUNISHMENT, OF THESE MEN. Even so the pride and discontent which is active- in a few is latent in the many, and brings danger and damage to the whole Church of Christ. The conventional restraints of Christianity prevent for the most part any open outbreak; nevertheless, it may be said almost of the mass of nominally Christian people that they have "a revolting and a rebellious heart" (cf. 1 Cor. v. 6 ; 2 Tim. ii. 17 ; Heb. xii. 15). II. THAT THEY WERE SAVED BECAUSE THEY OAT UP FROM THE TABERNACLE Olr THESE MEN ON EVERY SIDE, AND TOUCHED NOTHING THAT BELONGED TO THEM. Even l'O our safety is to separate ourselves wholly from the fellowship or inB.uence (in. religious things) of such as oppose themselves to the paramount and absolute claims. of Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King (Rom. xvi. 17; 1 Cor. x. 22; 2 Cor, vi. 14-17;. Jude 22, 23).