The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 81

redeemed out of a state of servitude into a state of sonship (ef. John viii, 34-36). ;1, They are redeemed to a. life of close/ellowship with Gort (c_f. eh. iv. 7; 1 John i. 1-3). '!'hoy nro at home Ill God. 4. 1 hey are redeemer/, to tins close fellowship with God that thereby they may become pure; and that in this life of purity they may" show forth tho prnisos of him who hath calletl them out of darkness into his marvellous li"ht." Not one of these four stages mu8t be lost sight of; redeemed out of sin an<l s;rvitude, into sonship, to fellowship, for holiness. Not one of these features must lie Jeft out; nor can the order in which we have put them be reversed or even trans- poEed. 'l'hc only mark by which the world can know God's people is-their holiness (lleb. xii. 14). It is not for nought that Scripture speaks of a great redemption. And no preacher preaches the. gospel fully, who does not insist on its side of ethics as well as on its side of grace. And no professing Christian is worthy of the name he bears who loses sigM of holiness a.s the end to be attained, any more than be would be if he 'were to Jose sight of the grace of God as that by which alone he can attain the end. How many of the controversies in the Church of God have arisen from an un- equal perception of the varied truths of God's holy gospel! Out of an inadequate view of the evil of sin and of its affront to God's honour and government, many have felt but feebly the need of the Great Atoning Sacrifice, whereby the_ injured honour of the Law was vindicated and a redemption for man made possible! Anc'. then, on the other hand, through dwelling all but exclusively on the evil from which man is rescued, otLcrs have failed to insist sufficiently on the holiness for the sake of enabling him to attain which his rescue was effected at such a cost. Perhaps few preachers present in perfection an exactly balanced gospel. It is a doctrine according to godliness. Some decry doctrine because they see around them such a lack of godliness. But if we woul<l have the godliness which is to illustrate the doctrine, ,~e shall never secure the end by weakening the exhibition of the doctrine which, rightly used, will certainly lea<l to it. And not only do preachers need to take heed to both doctrine and practice, but private professors also. If we want the world to understand the value of the Christian religion as an object of revelation, we must show its power i:a a. holy, personal life. If we want others to believe its doctrines to be superior to any other doctrines, we must show that the life it secures is superior to any other life. Thus must we be, like Israel, a peculiar people; showing to others that we have not been redeemed in vain. Be it ours to let our light so shine before men, that they may see our good works, a.nd glorify our Father which is in heaven. 'l'hus shall we show we a.re his people indeed. Vers. 21-24.-God a consuming fire. "The Lord thy God is a. consuming fire, even a jealous God." This is no obsolete sentence. The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews quotes it, and urges the truth it expresses as a. reason for serving God "with reverence and godly fear: for," he adds, even "oui· God is a. consuming fire." Perhaps the first impression. which these words would convey to the earnest and thoughtful mind would be that of terror. Perhaps, too, some may even almost shudder at such a. representation of God, and may at once declare that it belongs to a. past age, and to a. decaying order of ideas. But others who are more cautious would be likely to say, "We must be quite sure that we understanrl the phrase berore we say that." Doubt- less we my with pleasure, "God is light.," "God is love," but who can delight in saying, "God is fire"'? Is it possible that any one can go even further, and delight in saying," Our God-the God who is in covenant relation to us-is a consuming fire"·? poes not the phrase act as a repellent force, and inspire one with dread? :No doubt it may have that effect in many cases, specially if men have carelessly fastened 011 one aspect of things, or where they have been misled by a popular misquotation, "God out of Christ is a consuming fire." For whatever the phrase means, it is just as true that God in Christ is a consuming fire, as that God out of Christ is so. 'l'he pl_1rase is one which should be thoughtfully and devoutly studied in the general light of Scripture teaching, in order that in God's light we may see light. It may be, if thu" we try to feel our way to its meaning, that it opens up views of God with which we would not willingiy part. I. WHAT IB 'l'HE MEANING OF THE PHRASE IN THE TEXT? It must have often struck an at_tentive reader of the Dible how frequently the figure of" fire" is found therein, liolh '" rnnnectinn with man's offerings to God, and with God's manifestatil'US of himself DEU'rERONOMY. I'  6G THE DOOK OF DEUTERONOMY. [cu. 1v. 1-24,