TDIR BLEBSINO TO TilE OBEDIENT. (Ver. 12.) It may, at first 3ight, seem to be an nntiqunted setting of things which we find in this verse, in which it is sairl virtufllly that tho amount of rain will depenrl on the amount of virtue, and that the ac~umulaLio~ of men'd possessions will depend on their fidelity to God I The second sentence we can understand, since fidelity to God implies, among other things, fidelity in the use of God's appointed 11;1cans _of success; so that this is only saying, Use the right means rightly, and you will gam your end. But as to the former, who can understand it? The amount of rain dependent on tlte measure of virtue-how can such a thin~ be? W 0 ask, first of all, [lath the rain a father 1 The reply is, Yes, beyond all question-God. But then God is the Father of spirits also. That is to say, there are two spheres: that of matter and force, and that of spirit; the one governed by physical laws, the other by laws which aro spiritual ; bnt all laws, whether physical or spiritual, are ordained and regulated by one Supreme Being, and in his hands there is unity of action therein, So that, concerning these two as governed by one God, we ask, Is there any relation at all between them? Does the fact of both sets of laws originating with the same Ueing give them a point of contact, or does it not? In a word, Is the world of physical forces governed without the•slightest reference to the government of souls? or is it so governed as to help on the training of souls ?-which? If the first alternative is true, the doctrine of ver. 12 is shut out. But who can believe that the Great Father, in governing the less, ignores the greater? We, at any rate, recoil in horror from a view so unworthy of God. \Ve fall back, therefore, on the second alternative, which alone is reasonable, that the less is governed in the interest and on the behalf of the greater; that things are for spirits. .But this principle allows room for the point of detail in ver. 12, and for ten thousand more details in the physical sphere. God would make the natural world a theatre for, and a means of, the evolution of principles and the growth of souls (cf. Amos iv. 6-13; Ps. evil. 33-43). (See Homily on eh. xi. 10-17.) IV, LOYALTY TO GOD TENDS, NOT ONLY TO TEMPORAL SUCCESS, BUT ALSO TO HONOUR, (See end of ver.12 and ver.13.) 1. Individually; men, in the long run, go pretty much for what they are worth. Faithful fulfilment of duty to God and man must tell, and will. " Seest thou a man diligent in his business; he shall stand before kings, he shall not stand before mean men." 2, And collectively; if a nation has in it a preponderance of wise, true-hearted, upright men, such as fear God, love righteousness, and hate iniquity, not.hing can prevent such a nation rising in the scale. Its prosperity will be manifest in its inward peace, in the readiness of other nations to deal with it by opening up commercial relations, and in the good will of other nations which it will certainly share. It·will have the armour of light. Its virtue will be a wall of derence. "Its land will yield her increase; and God, even its own God, will bless it." "Happy is the nation that is in such a case; yea, happy is that people whose God is the Lord." To such a nation it may well be said, " Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee" (Numb. xxiv. 5-9). •
Vers. 15-68.-Love veiled in frown. Probably many may think that this is one of the most awful chapters in the Word of God. Certainly we are not aware of any obher in which there is such a long succegsion of warnings, increasing in terror as they advance. In fact, Matthew Henry tells us of a wicked man who was so enraged at reading this chapter that he tore the leaf out of his Bible I Impotent rage! Impotent as if, when a man dreaded an eclipse of the sun, he were to tear up the announcements thereof. It would come for all that I So here ; there are two historical facts, viz. that the children of Israel did depart from their God, and, that all these curses did befall them, Some are unspent even yet. Hence this chapter is a standing proof of the accuracy of the foresight which dictated its prophecies, But while we thus get, on tho one hand, a verification of tho words, and so a proof of their Divine origin, another question is ruised, viz. How nro all these terrible realities consistent with the lovtl of God? Now far be it from us to attempt any vindication of the ways of God. He is infinitely beyond any ucrd of that. What he does is right, whether we can see it to be so or no, Ono thing only do we aim at now: that is, to guard men against any misinterpretation of those ways, and to poiQt them to sqcb teac\lings concerning theni Jlf:V'rl!ROfO)[Y, j f THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY. [OH. xxvm. 1-08.