HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Yer. 1.-Shiloh, the sa.ncfoary. ~he c~oice of Shiloh as a resting-place fo1· the tabernacle wa~. not left at .Joshua's d1scr~t1on_: it was a matter of Divine appoint- ment (Dent. xn. 10--12). At t.110 same time 1t was not without its natmal reason, The situation was both central and secluded ; in the midst of the land as the tnhemacle had always been" in the midst of the camp" in the wilderne~~ (Num. ii. 17), and ~·et removed _fro_m the ~uain rout~s of the country's traffic. Its name, datmg prohahly from t.his tl.Dle, while expressive of the fact that God had now given His people rest from their enemies, was also suggestive of the deeper thought of His settled dwelling among them, and was in harmony with the retired and tranquil aspect of the scene. Shiloh, the sanctuary, the place of rest. In this establishment of the tnbernacle at Shiloh the Israelites were performing the highest function of their life as a people. It was a devout recognition of God; the majesty of His being. His sovereignty over them, their dependence on Him as the living root of all their social order and prosperity, that testimony for Rini which it was their high c11lling to present before the nations. The tabernacle at Shiloh stands as a tnie of all places where people assemble to pay their homage to the Supreme. I. THE SANCTITY OF THE SCENE OF WORSHIP. The tabernacle was the centre and home of all devout thought and feeling. The highest acts of worship could alone be performed there. It represented the unity of the religious life of the people, as opposed to a scattered and divided worship. It was called "the taber• nacle of witness" !Num. xvii. 7; Acts vii. 44). In. several ways is every scene of worship, every " house of prayer," a witness. 1. As a symbol of the presence of God with His people. It bears witness to the fact of His spiritual nearness and accessibility. It could have no meaning if personal and " congregationa1" communion with God wer(I not a blessed reality. The fundamental idea of the tabernacle was that it ui the place where man. "meets with God," and finds a gracious response to his seeking. "In all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee " (Exod. xx. 24). " There will I meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy-seat " (E:rnd. xxv. 22). And Chrut perpetuates and confirms the promise with a freer, richer grace : "Wheresoever two or three," &c. (Matt. xviii. 15). This gives sanctity to any place; makes it a true sanctuary. What other consecration. can be needed than the realised presence of the living God? 2. As a memorial of the hallowed traditions of the past. The historic associa- tions of the tabernacle were distinctive, wonderful, supernatural. Its origin : made " after the pattern shown to Moses in the mount" (Exod. xxvi.); the "glory- cloud -, that rested upon it; its varying fortunes; the changing scenes through which it had passed-scenes of human shame, and fear, and sorrow, and seen.ea of jo:,-ous triumph and marvellous Divine interposition- a~ this invested it 'l'l'.ith extraordinary interest. Every true house of prayer has its hallowed memones, Some small chapter-at least of the sacred story of the past is enshrined in it. It speaks to us of straggles fer truth and liberty, purity of faith and worship, freedom· of conscience, in former days. It represents the earnest thought and self-denying labour of devout men and women who have lo!lg, perhaps, been numbered with the deacl. It has been the scene of many a solemn spiritual transaction: revela- tions of truth, searchings of hei.rt, stirrings of sympathetic emotion, heavenly aspirations, visions of God. However lowly a place it may be, the memory of these lingering about it gives it an interest and a distinction that no outward charm c11n rival. 3. As a prophecy of the better futwre. The tabernacle, though it had come now to a resting-place after all its wanclerings, was still only a tempornry pron.sion, a preparation for something more substantial and enduring. The time came when "Ichabocl" must be pronounced on Shiloh. The ark of Goel was talcen, the Ranctuary was desecrated, and the faded glory of the sacred tent was lost 11t last in the greater splenclour of the temple; until that also should pass away, to be followecl 1,y a no1ler shrine. So is it with all earthly scenes of worship. They OH, XVIII, 1-28.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 275
a.re but temp_orary nncl p~~vision~I: They are expressive, after, all, of our human wectkness-cl1mnes_A of spmtuctl V1s10n, imperfection of spiritual life. They remind us over of the " vctil thctt ha,ngs between the saints nncl joys Divine." They "have no glory Ly rectson of tho glory_ tha,t excelleth." They speak to us of the "more perfect tnber~ncle not mettle with lmnds." We see in them a prophecy of the nobler worslup of tho future, ~nd ~e~rn through them to lift our longing eyes to tlmt et?rnctl mty of God of which ,t 1s written, "I saw no temple therein, for the Lord Goel Almighty ctnd the Lamb are the temple of it" (Rev. xxi. 22). II. 'rHE PEACEFUL ASSOCIATIONS OF THE SCENE OF WORSHIP, " Shiloh" is a nama that becomes every place of prayer, every scene of Divine manifestation and com- munion. It ou/l'h_t to Le a place of rest in the midst of earthly agitations, a quiet resort for the spmt from the traffic and turmoil of life, a refuge for the weak ancl weary, a s_anct~~ry for those. who are harassed by the contraclictions ancl pursued by the ammos1t1es of a hostile world. Unhappily the house of Goel is too often co~nected in_ men's mincls w\th ~ar other iclea~ than those of tranquillity and peace, It 1s suggestive to them of divis10n, ancl enmity, and bitter contention. The mis- ~hief done by those historic strifes about !aith an~ ":orship that have raged around it,. or those mean discor?5 that have rei~~d Withm, can never be exaggerated. And yet wherever there 1s a place of Christir.n assembly there stands a testimony to the "one Lord, one faith," &c. Beneath these superficial distractions lies the bond of a true spiritual unity. Let that essential unity become manifest, then shall the " glory of the Lord " be again upon His tabernacle, and it shall attract the world to itself as a true sanctuary and place of rest.-W.