gf'\fnl <'f the hcnmtl'ous hand from "·hich them for the roet aud joy thnt in tho end Rll tl1Rt they enjoy hR.s come. AgRinst 1u-e to be theirs. thiB the people 1ue here ('fiulioned nnd Vera. 17, 18.-The ble~sing in store for wnrnl'd. them was God's free gift to them; nnd Yer. 15.-Who led thee through that great when they eM1c to enjoy it thoy were not to and tercible wilderaeaa, wherein Wl're fiery nllow themselves to eay in their heart i.e. serpent&, l'tc. " The fiery serpent " 1mcl to think or imngino, thnt the prospo;·ous "the srnrpi"n" (sing.) are in appositifln to oondition in which they were plnced wns the "wil,lcrnl'ss," nnd illustrate its terrible- the result of their own exertions; they ness:. Fiery tterpe11f~-ticpf!1r 'ToVr 8ava-rotJJ,. were to as~ribe nil to God's grRcions bounty, .-a,, LXX.-nr burning serpents, BO OR.lied for from 111111 hnd come the power by whioh frnm the bnrning pnin caused by their bite; prosperity had been gained, nnd this he probably the ccrastcs, or one of the naja had given, not on account of nny merit in ~]'P('ies (cf. Numb. xxi. 6). them, but that he might fuldl his covenant Yer. 16.-The grand end of nil God's engagements to their fathers. Get wealth dealings with the Ismclitcs in the desert, ~'.l'.1 ;,~¥, to mnke strength, to gather sub- both the trials lo which they were subjected stRnce (Gen. xii. 5), to procure wealth nnd the benefits they rccoi rnd, was that he (Ruth iv. 11, margin ; Ezek. xxviii. 4 \ As might d., them good nltimntely. Thy latter it is this day. •• As wo.s quite evident then, end; not lhc end of life, as in Numb. x:s.iii. when tho establishment of the covenant JO. hut the state ensuing on the termination had alreo.dy commenced, and Israel had nf their period of discipline nnd probR.tion come through the desert to the border of in the desert (cf. Job viii. 7; xiii. 12; 2 Pet. Cannan (see eh. iv. 20) " (Keil). ii. 20). God thus dealt with the Israelites Vers. 19, 20.-Moses enforces his counsel as he still dcnls with his people; he o.fflicts by reminding them ngain that onlv destruc- them not for hi~- pleasure but for their tion nwaited them should they forget the profit (Heb. xi. 12); he subjects them to Lord their God o.nd apostatize from him trial and varied discipline thnt he may fit (cf. eh. iv. 251 eto.; vi. 14).
HOMILETICS. V crs. 1-G.-Life's meaning cliscerned Ly the retrospect of it. The remark has not nu frequently been made that incidents closely connected cannot be rightly understood till the time bas come for them to be reviewed in their entirety as matters of history. "'hat is true of events generally, applies in all its force to the wonders included in the rescue and wanderings of.the people of Israel. And that which may be said of them, holds good, in this respect, of the life-story of God's children now. Two words would sum up the pith of their experience-" redemption," "training." Redeemed first, trained afterwards. Redeemed, that they might be trained; trained, that they might hecome worthy of the redemption. Both the redemption and the training had in Israel's case a depth of meaning of which the people knew little at the time, but which Israel's God intended from the first. Afterwards, their varied experiences, when re- viewed as a piece of history, became matter for grateful record and adoring praise. The 1,aragraph before us now is II the aged lawgiver reviewing the experiences of Israel in tl,eir wanderings." Four lines of meditation open up-- I. THERE ARE MANY LESSONS WHICH Goo's CHILDREN NEED TO LEARN. 1. " To humble thee" (ver. 2), i.e. to bring them to feel their dependence on Gou. This, indeed, seems such an obvious truth, that men ought not to need to be taught it. Dut we must remember that, before we are redeemed, our trainiag for eternity has never Legun at all, and that when redemption is with us a realized fact, we then present ourselves to God only in the rough, relying on his love to make us what we should be. And one of the les,ons we have thoroughly to learn is that II without Christ we cau cio nothing." 2. 11 To prove thee" (ver. 2). A double proof is indicated. (1) What tLey were: "To know what was in tbiue heart." (2) What they would do; "Whether tl,ou wouldest hep his commandments, or no.'' '!'here is no subject on which the young convert is so ignorant as-himself'; and he never can become what a Christian should be till he sees bis own conceit. He must become a sadder man ere he can bo a wiser our 3, "That he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread alone." It has bocn remarked that, as Moses in this clause refers to the manna, the t)ll. VIII. 1-20.] 'rIIE llOOK or DEllTEUONoMY. 155