,ers. 26-29.-God, the crown of Israel's glory. As soon as Moses touches upon this theme, language seems too poor to express the greatness of his thought-too cold to convey the glowing ardour of his love. Here all metaphors fail; all comparisons are vain. God is above all imagery, or metaphor, or illustration. As thero is none like him, so nothing can fitly express his deeds towards his chosen. Ilis conduct is, like himself, ineffable. As heaven is loftier than earth, so do God's thoughts and ways transcend human conception. L OnsEnVE IsnAEL's SotraCE OF GREATNESS. Without ques_tjon, Israel's source of greatness is God. Inconceivable as it is to mortal minds, the et.ernal Sovereign of the uuiverse has come into intimate alliance with his chosen people. He is not simply God -the abstract Deity-he is the "God of Jeshurun." His eternity is brought into human use-is available for human needs. In the eternal and unchangeable God we may dwell. He is our Refuge, our Dwelling-place, our Sanctuary. All the resources of his omnipotence are for us: beneath UB "are the everlasting arms." But hath God arms? Hath he human members and organs? " He that formed the eye, shall he not see ? " He that fashioned our arms and hands, bath he no instruments with which to support. our siuking frame? Yea," in him we li,·e." . All the acti'l"ities of his pro,·idential government are for us. "He rideth upon the bea'l"cns," like a king in bis chariot, for our help. This is true, both for Israel collectively, and for every individual believer. In every decree that issues from his throne, he has us in view. All the machinery of bis extended providence works with one design, viz. our advantage. He thinks, and plans, and executes, and overturns for one main end-the final redemption or his people. God and we are one. II. IsnAEL's SAFETY. "Thou shalt dwell in safety alone." From the foregoing 1,reu,iss, this is a sound and certain conclusion. "If God be for us," who can assail us successfully ? W Lat can prevail against omnir,0tence? What can penetrate the tLick Losses of Jehovah's shield? Fear in such a case is unreasonable disloyalty. 'i'his globe must he shivered into a thousand atoms, all the forces in God's universe must be reodered powerless and ineffective, the sceptre of Jehovah must be broken, Lefore any dnngc:r can touch the elect of God, Safe, beyond the s1icctro of a fear, are thUile wLuID Gc.d defendB. ott. ttxff, t-12.j 'I'lltr. DOOK or Dtr.U'fERO:NOMY. 61;7
Ill. lsnAEL1R AnUNDANOE. "The fountain of Jacob shall be upon a. la.nd of corn ond wine." Jacob is represented as the fount or sonrce of n,any per,plc, all of wh'>m shall find an abodo in the land of corn and wine. Every want shall be met. In tl,is "mountain, shall the Lonl of hosts prepare a feast of fat things." In the pamrlisc 0 f God tbero flourishes on both sides of the stream, the tree of life, which bears twelve manner of fruits, 11nd yieldeth her fruit every month. Here is a perennial supply an,l satisfying variety, And though this is expressed by material images, it set~ r,,rtli s11bst11ntiol 11nd eternal truth-the very truth of God. In the kingdom of Goel there is provided whatever can please the eye, ,lclight the ea.r, regale the appetite, relieve a need, gratify a sense, For perpetually does the voice of the King ring out a hearty welcome, "Eat, 0 friemls; yea, drink abundantly, 0 beloved." IV. lsRAEL's TnIUMPH. God's triumph is Israel's triumph a.lso. Goel will not dissociate himself from his people. "His covenant is a.n everlasting coYenant, onlcred in nil things and sure.'' Yea, God's conquests are not separate and distinct from n11rs. Ho conquers through us-yeB, by means of us. -Jf we belong to the true Israel, God's foes are our foes, God's weapons are our wrnpons, God's interests arc our in tcrcs' s. Our excellent Sword in this warfare is God; be himself is" the Shield of our help.'' 'l'he contest may be protracted, severe, wavering; success may seem to hang in suspense; but beyond the smoke and dust and uncertainty of battle, faith clearly sees the final triumph, nm! bears the immortal pean: "Thou sbalt tread upon their hi:;h places." __ V. IsnAEL's TRANSCENDE~ HAPPINESS. "Happy art thou, 0 Israel; who io like unto thee?" Surely, their happiness is complete, and impossible of enlargement, who repose themsehes in the very heart of God, and dwell perpetually in bis love! The utmost capacity of human speech is impotent to express their deep and satisfying joy. lt is a thing to- be experienced, not expressed. Such joy bath no vocabulary, nu tongue. It is" joy unspeakable, and full of glory." What the noonday sun is to a glowworm's spark, so is the joy of the righteous compared with the joys of earth. God's ownjoy is conveyed to godly hearts.-D
EXPOSITION.
CHAPTER XXXIV. which the Jordan flows, extending from Jericho to Zoar, at the south end of the DEATH, DumAL, AND ENCOl!IUT!I OF MOSES. Dead Sea. This wide prospect could not be sUl'veyed by any ordinlll'y power of After blessing tho people, Moses, in vision; so thut Moses mnst for the occasion obedience to the Divine command, as• have bad his power of vis:on miracnlously cended Mount Nebo, the highest peak of increased. There is no ground for s □ ppos the Pisgnh range, nnd thence surveyed the ing that he saw the scene in an ecstatic whole land of Canaan, from north to south, vision, and not with his bodily eyes. Ver. 5.-According to the word of the nnd from cast to west, as well ns the district Lord; literally, at the mouth of the Lord. on the enst of the Jordan, not included in The rabbins iuterµret this, "by a kiss of Cano.an proper. theLord"('BabaBathra,' 17a); i.e.as]fai- Ver. !.-Unto the mountain of Nebo, to monides explains it ('l\Iore Nevoch ,' iii. 51 ), the top of Pisgah; rather, unto Mount Nebo, l\loses "died in a moment of holiest joy in tl,e summit of l'isgah. Gilead unto Dan. the l,,71owledge and lorn of God." The Not Dau Lni,h, near the central source of phrase, however, simply mdins ·' by or the Jmdnn, which wns not in Gilea,I, but according to the command of" (cf. Gen. another Dan in Northern Pe1·en, the site of xlv. 21; Exod.xvii. l; Lev. xxiv. I:.!; Numb. which has not yet beeu discovered (cf. Gen. iii. 16, etc.). - xiv. 14). Yer. G.-The valley in which God is Vera. 2-4.-Unto the utmost sea; rather, supposed to have buried Moses was pro- the Ttindei· sea, viz. the Mediterrnnean ( cf. bably some depression 011 the Pisgnh range, eh. xi. 2-1). The south; tho Negeb, the upon or close by NeLo. The rnbbins say pasture-land in the soutll, towards the tllat l\Ioses was buried by relirin::,; into a Arabian desert. The plain of the valley of c1wern, where he died und where his b0<ly .Jerioho ; ihe extensive plniu through , remaiucd. It is prob!lble that, liku Enoch 'l'i:l:E BOOK or DEUTERONOMY. toii, XXlt.tV, 1-12,