The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 309

~o to ,lcclarc the whole counsel of God, ns by manifestation of the truth to commend himself to e'l'cry conscience :-all these things go to make up a work so varied, so momentous, so exhausting, that nothiug less than" giving himself wholly" to it can cnahlc any man e'l'cn approximately to discharge it. III. Trns DEING THE CASE, IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT THE MINISTER SHOULD NOT DE F.KTANGLED IN IMPEDING CARES. The Levites were not to have great estates that might draw off their interest from the duties of their office, nor were they to be left at an uncertainty respecting the supply of their temporal need. Even so now. It will greatly fetter an<l hamper a minister if he is entangled with the affairs of his life, "hethcr by ha Ying so much on his hands that his time is absorbed in secular, which ought to be de'l'oted to sacred, things; or by having so little on which he can rely, that the anxiety about feeding the people with living bread, is diverted from its proper channel, by anxiety about having the "bread that perisbeth" for himself and his, IY. Co::--sEQUENTLY IT IS AN ORDINANCE OF GoD THAT TIIE MINISTRY, WHICII 1B FOR 'l'IIE PEOPLE, SHOULD DE THE CARE OF THE PEOPLE. This may be set on several grounds. 1. It is manifestly right. If a man gives up all ways of. securing temporal comforts for the sake of serving the people, they are bound to secure him the temporal comforts in some other way. 2. The Apostle Paul distinctly lays it down as an appointment by the Lord Jesus (1 Cor. ix. 14). (Paul waived this right, rather than hinder the gospel by pressing it, as is now done under like circumstances; but it was a right, nevertheless, and a Divine appointment.) 3. Wherever a people cause a minister to be embarrassed in temporalities, they will suffer for it. 'l'he minister'ij work, teaching, and preaching will all bear thfl traces of such embarrassment, and will be the weaker for it. 4. This Divine ordinance helpR to promote the mutual care of mir,ister and people for each ot.her. They reap his spiritual things; he reaps their carnal things. 5. There is also thus a high and holy spiritual education of the people, in calling out their own kindly and just activities to uphold that ministry by which they themselves are upheld. The ministry is 11ot to be found for them, but to be maintained by them. Thus there is seen to be a guard against abuse of position on either side. V. lsRAEL WAS TO GUARD ITS OWN PRIESTHOOD AS BEmG ITSELF A PRIESTHOOD FOR THE WORLD. So Churches are to guard the honour of their own ministry, because they have a ministry for the world. It is not for the ministers' own sakes that they are to be thus cared for, but on account of the high and holy cause which they represent, and which they seek, however imperfectly, to maintain. They are to be esteemed very l,ighly in Jove/or their work's sake; for the work which they fulfil is that which is purify- ing and sasving the world. It is, in fact, by thus supporting a minititry that the Church is folfi llin;:,: its commission, "to preach the gospel to every creature." Of course, it follows from all this, that a ministry can claim such and such support, only so far as it is carrying out the Divine intent, or seeking in all fidelity to do so. It is not that God has put clergy as a kind of official police over the people; but that those who love righteousness are to show it by upholding the preaching of righteousness, and that those who love their Saviour's Name are to sustain the heralds of that Name, both at· home and abroad. Vers. 9-14.-" Spiritualism" condemned. In the verses forming this paragraph, there arc nine terms or phrases, each with its own special meaning,1 pointing to some pao-an super,tition, against which Moses is warning the people. 'l'he variety and uu~1Jber of such terms show us how great a bold a spurious "spiritualism" had upon the peoplr. The phenomena connected therewith, however, present to us an aspect of history that is worthy of careful study. In some sort, the pagan cust_oms of olden times connecteJ with diYination may seem so completely out of date, that 1t may be thought useless for the preacher lo allude to them now, But though some cletails connected therewith may vary, yet the two purposes for which men "divined" of old, are still 1 The student may with advantage consult Geseniua for the elucidation of each term: pp. 603, 7315, 644, 5H, 418, 258, 18, 335, 209 (Dagster's edit.), contain the exple.natien ri,quired. The following works may be conBulted :-Wallace on 'Miracles and Spiritualism:' Crook on 'The Phenomena of Spiritu11,lism;' A.s11, Mahan on • Spiritualism.' cu. xvm. 1-22.J 'fllE IlOOK OF DEUTERONOMY.