eays there is no God. And ·no nation which ignores the duty of loyalty to God will ever be great. But th?n in_the (3ook, as the worlu's gra.ndes~ moral t:xt-book, there are stat,1 tes, precepts, test1mon10s, Judgmcuts, for the regulat10n of life, both individ,ially and collectively. 'l'he appeal of vcr. 8 is still valid, "What nation is there . . . that hath sttitutes and jmlgmcnts BO righteous as all this Law, which I set before you this day?• ,v o know how tho Law may be summed up: "All the Law is fulfille,l in one word even in this: 'l'hou shalt lovo thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill t~ his neighbour; therefore love is the fultilling of the Law." And this principle of love to all carried out in loyalty to God, wilt enBure that greatness which is most worth ha,1 in/ 'l'he Egyptians were at one time renowned for learning, the Phcenicians for their com- merce; the men of Bashan for their giant st~ength; Greece for its philosophy; Rome for her "impcrium et libertas." Their sway has gone. But the Hebrew race, by whom first and alone this law of love was proclaimed as the one guiding princip!e of a nation's life, is living in its literature the grandest of all lives, and swaying, with the sceptre of its one F,rfect Man, men of different nations, tribes, and tongues in every quarter of the globo. Yes, this one law of love has given to the Hebrew race a greatness it will never lose. 'l'he brightest streaks of light on the globe now are to be discerned only where the law of love is known and obeyed; that law given by Moses, brouubt i11 by Jesus Christ. And in proportion as nations follow and act out this law, will they attain to the only greatness on which heaven smiles. "The world passeth away and the lusts thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." This fr,hteousness is in itself an armour of light-a nation's best defence. For on •• the ri~hteous nation which keepeth the truth" will God's blessing rest, and, next to the Divine blessing, the good will of the nations is our surest and happiest guard. II. H1mE IS AN APPEAL TO TllE PEOPLE AS INDIVIDU.!.LS TO TAKE HEED TO THESE PRINCIPLES. 'l'he appeal is fourfold in this paragraph. 1. "Keep therefore and do them." '!'here is as much obedience to God in the nation as is rendered to him by individual souls, and no more. Hence it is the part of the true patriot who desires his nation's greatness to see that he is living the life which will help to make the nation great.. ::l. 'l'his is not to be superficial work, but the Law is to be in the heart. Not an acci- dental, surface life, but an intelligent and designed direction of the inner and outer life according to God's ways and Word. 3. This law of righteousness, truth, and love 1·s io be handed down from sire to son, and so on to generation after generation. The parent is to be the true depositor, conservator, teacher, and transmitter of God's Law. lle is to live after he has gone in the truth he has taught, and, when be is dead, bis speech is to be moulding the young hearts of a nation. 4. Each one is to put a carefnl guard around himself, lest any of the baneful influences around him should destroy or weaken his loyalty to God and the right. "Take care of thyself; "-such is the meaning of the phrase in ver. 9 (cf. Prov. iv. 23, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life"). It is easy to gather from the Book of Deutero- nomy against what influences the ancient Hebrews would have to guard. These influences, hostile to unswerving loyalty, vary with each land and race and age. A careful observation and knowledge of the times will show us against what foes we have at all points to be armed. Let us take the whole armour of God. Let us save our- selves from this untoward generation. Let us play the man and the citizen, with hearts loyal to our Saviour, jealous for the right and the true, fearing God, but having no fear beside!
Vers. 11-20.-Israel's peculiar relation to God. 'l'his paragraph sets forth in earnest appeal the peculiar and distinctive relation to God ill which Israel was_ placed. (For the precise details of the point in their history here referred to, see Exod. x1x._; and for the application of several of the expressions used both here and there to believers in Christ under the Christian dispensation, see 1 Pet. ii. 9.) Here is a noble theme for the preacher-Israel's special relation to God, typical of and fulfilled in the present relation of Christian people to him. . I. LET us STUDY THE PECULIAR RELATION OF ISRAEL TO GoD. "The Lord uath taken ~ou, ~nd brought you forth out of the iron furnac?, . . . to ~e unto hi';ll a people of rnheritance," i.e. n pur.chased or acquired people. Som Exod. iu.x. 5, 6. ~he Lord had called Abraham, had made promises to him and to his seed. These promises rau dl>wn THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY. [en. IV. 1-24.