Ver. 22.-Moral Law. I. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS A DISTINCT PART OF Goo's REVELATION. 1. They were spoken ,hy God's own voice from the midst of the fire ( ver. 24). 2. They only were thus promulgated; "he added no more." 3. They were written on tables of stone. 4. '!'hey were deposited in the ark of the covenant (E:xod. xxv. 16). Thesetacts show that they held a distinct place in the Law-giving at Sinai, and that they are not to be confounded with the ceremonial and judicial statutes, subseqnently given. II. 'l'nE GROUNDS OF THIS DISTINCTION. The Decalogue was: 1. An epitome of universal moral trnth. 2. Internally complete as such-the first table laying down our duties to God, as respects his being, his worship, his Name, his day, his human representatives; the second forbidding all injury to our fellow-men (iujuries to life, property, chastity, character), while requiring by implication the fulfilment Df all positive duties, and the regulation oven of our secret thoughts. 3. The basis of the covenant with Israel. The foundation on which all subsequent legislation was rcared.-J. 0.
Vera. 23-28.-The element of terror in religion. I. THE FACT OF TERROR. It is not unnatural that man should tremble in presence of any near manifestation of the Divine. The chief cause of this terror is the consciousness of sin. Guilty man fears his Judge. 'l'he text is an instance of this terror, but the same thing has often been witnessed. 1. In presen.ce of ttnU,sual appearances of natare. Comets, eclip:ses, unusual darkness, thunderstorms, earthquakes, etc. 2. Under the powe1f11l preaching ,f j11dg- 116 THE DOOK OF DEUTEHONllMY. [~u. v. 1-33,
ment. Fc>lix nnder the preaching of raul (Acts xxiv. 25). Massillon bringing the Frl'nch c0urt to their feet in terror, as he described the Lord's coming. Whitfield's oratory nnd its effects. 3. In pmspect of death. There are few in whom the approach 0f death does not awaken serious alarms. The effect is most conspicuous in times of ,mdden danger, as in shipwrecks, etc. II. THE Th"FLUENCE OF TERROR. Usually, as here: 1. le exto,-ts confession qf the truth. The Israelites spoke of God in juster terms than ever they had done before, or perhaps e,er did again. Terror draws from the soul strange ackuowledgments. 'l'he ·white face of the scoffer shows how little, in bis heart, he disbelieves in the God he would fain have disavowed. The self-righteous man is m:i.de suddenly aware of his sins. The blasphemer stops his oaths, and begins to pray. The liar for once finds himself speaking the truth. 2. It awakens the cry .for a mediator. Thus we see it leading men to send for ministers or lay Christians to pray for them, or crying for mere:, to the Saviour or to saints. 3. It prompts to vows and promises. In their terrified moods, men are willing to promise anything-whatever they think will please or propitiate God (ver. 2i). They will repent, will pray, will go to church, will make restitution for wrongs, will abandon vices, etc. I II. THE IKEn'ICACY OF TERROR AS AN INSTRUMENT OF CONVERSION. '!'error, when excited by just views of sin, has its uses. It breaks up the hardened crust of indifference, ploughs into the nature, and prepares it for the reception of better teaching. Dut terror of itself cannot change the heart. It is the message of love which alone can exalt, renovate, and truly convert. Not the Law, but the cross. The Law is only useful when employed as a schoolmaster to bring to Christ. These Israelites soon forgot their terrors, and in less than forty days had made for themselves a golden calf. The jailor's terrors (Acts x,i. 27) would have wrought death, but the words, " Believe on the Lord ,Tcsus Christ," etc. (ver. 31), made him live anew.-J. 0. Yers. 28, 29.-God's desires for man's good. A gleam, from amidst the terrors, of the Di,ine loving-kindness and tenderness. I. GoD WELCOMES IN MAN THE FATh"TEST TRACES OF A DISPOSITION TO RETURN TO nm. (\' er. 27.) This trait in the Divine character is scarcely recognized by us as it should be. We are apt to take for granted that till conversion is absolutely complete- till it is in e,cry respect sincere and thorough, it can obtain no favour in the eyes of Heaven. Scripture teaches, OIi the contrary, that God wills to recognize in man any sigus of turning towards himself, and would fain, by holding out encouragements, ripen these into thorough conversion (1 Kings xxi. 27--29; Ps. lxxviii, 34-40; Jonah iii. 10). II. Gov IS KEVERTRELESS AWARE OF ALL THAT 18 LACKING IN HEARTS NOT COM• PLETELY sunnEKDERED TO HIM. The professions of the Israelites did not deceive him. Ilc knew the superficiality of their states of feeling. They lacked yet "one thing" (Mark xi. 21 )-the entire surrender of their hearts to him. We have the same disoern- rncnt in the Kew Testament (John ii. 25; Acts viii. 21; Rev, iii. 1; cf. 1 Kings xv. 3; 1Iatt. xiii. 20, 21). III. GoD DESIBES IN MAN THAT THOROUGHNESS OF CONVERSION WHICH ALONE CAtf 6ECUIIE OllEDIENCE, HAPPTh'ESS, A?<."D PERSEVERANCE. What God desires in man is heart-religion ; this has: 1. Its seat in the heart. 2. Its principle in the fear of God. 3. 1lo outcome in obedience. 4. Its test in perseverance. 5. Its reward in blessedness. It is God's love which here speaks, but also his righteousness, which is necessarily a..erse from whatever is uureal, and desireil to see goodness triumphant.-J, 0.
Vers. 1-21.-T/;e Decalogue. Moses here recalls the Sinaitic covenant, and wishes 1.l.e Israelites to remember that, though given to their fathers primarily, it was also applicable to them. They were in many cases present as children then, and they were representcd by their parents. Moses SJ)P,aks with authority as having been mediator (nr. 5) on the occasion. There are the fullowing lessons to be learned from the Decalogue as here given:- I. :rRE COVENANT 18 BASED UPON A Ji!EllCIFU"L DELIVERANCE. God gives his Law to hl.8 people after their deliverance fr0m Egyptian bondage. It is intended to be a rule of life for those already red~med. The gospel peced,es the Le.w-1\!oses the clr. v. 1-33.J Tl-llt BOOK OF' DEUTERONOMY. 117