The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 467

God's, and the riches of his life flow into us. Ae Emerson, writing of gifts, ee.ye, "The gift, to be true, must be the flowing of the giver unto me1 correspondent to my flowing unto him. When the waters are 11,t a level, then my gooas pass to him and his to me. All his are mine, all mine his." It is exactly in this magnanimous spirit God deals with those who love him. All his life and fulness flow down to ue; we ce.nnot, of course, take all in-our measure is a small one, but we are filled up to our cape.city with all the fulness of God (Eph. iii. 1S). III. Lon: GIVES BIRTH TO NEW OBEDIENCE. If we love God, we shall keep his com- mandments (,John xiv. 15). In the eye of love, his commandments are not grievous (1 John v. 3). Our meat is found in doing the will of him tho.t sends us, nnd in finishing his work (Johu iv. 34). We say with the Master,'," I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy Law is within my heart" (Ps. xl. 8). And so, in the terms of the passage before us, we walk in God's ways, and keep his commandments and statutes and judgments. Now, this obedience strengthens the spiritual life. Just as exercise invigorates the body, so work of a spiritual kind invigorates the soul. We not only find rest in comincr to Jesus, but refreshment in taking on us his yoke and his burden (Matt. xi. 28-30)." I,. Suen A LIFE OF ATTACHMENT AND OBEDIENCE 'ONTO GoD TENDS TO PERPETUATE oUR POWER AND EXISTENCE. Other things being equal, a religious life tends to perpetuate physical power. '.!'he calm which pervades the faculties, the wholesome exercise which devotedness to God administers, the deliverance from fear which religion bestows in face of all possible vicissitude and change,-all this favours health and longevity. Of course, Christianity does not need now such outward testimonies as these. Many saints are sickly, and die young; but religion never made their sickness a whit more serious, nor shortened their career by a single day. They would have been less easy in their sickness, and it would have cut their thread of life more quickly, had they been strangers to its solaces and joys. V. SEPARATION FROM THE SOURCE OF LIFE IS DEATH IlIDEED. In this strikingpassage, while " good" a.nd " life" go together, so do "death" and "evil." The idea in death is not cessation of existence, but separation from God. Adam and Eve died the day they doubted God's love and ate the fruit. They ceased not to exist tbat day, but died out of fellowship with God. Hence we are not to associate an annihilation view with the Biblical idea of death. Men die when they are separated from God as really ns the branch broken from the stem. Sin is the mother of Death (Jas. i.15). It brings it forth, because it separates the soul from him who is the Fountain oflife. 'fhe Jews found in their national experience how deadly a thing it is to disobey their God and to depart from him. Nor shall their calamities cease till they return to him. Meanwhile, may we see to it that we cleave trustfully _and lovingly to God, a.nd have increasing life in his favour 1-R. M. E. OB. XXXI, 1-30.] THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY.