The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 42

romance of our ~pirits, Our real world ie bard and depressing. It is of the utmost concern to us that we may pass into an ideal world create,! by the irnacrination, and find pleasure in it~ winsome and joyous scenes. The arts take us into a~otber worl<l, and bring to the earth-toilers the pleasures of a paradise. Evidently true of music and poetry, really true of all. II. TnE MISSION OF THE ARTS IN RELIGIOUS LIFE, Strangely in this sphere we still dread their influence. Yet the decorations of even the tabernacle and templn reproach us, and much more David's elaborate efforts to secure the "beautiful" and the "pleasing" in the temple-worship. Explain that the arts serve in religion the one great end of keeping the ideal and the ideally perfect ever before us, and so they become a perpetual uplifting inspiration, su1Tounding us ever with the symbols and the suggestions of the Divine and eternal. They are for us the "figures of the true." !I!. THE NECESSA.RY LIMITATION OF TIIE ARTISTIC IN TIIE RIGIIER AND RELIGIOt:S SPllE!lES, The creations of art must never be sought for themselves, or they become virtual idols. They may only be symbols of realities, and handmaids to truths. As a practical conclusion, it may be shown that a man is not responsible for other gifts than those with which he is personally entrusted, but he is bound to be fully loyal to God in the use of those he has. l:looner or later in life, every_ man who wants to be faithful will discover his faculty and.find his sphere.-R. T. Vers. 22, 23.-Tlie prowess of Jair. The story of this man is given in Numb. xxxii. 41; Deut. iii. 14; Josh. xiii. 30. From the repeat~d mention of him we may assume that he was a remarkable man for military genius, and was in so largo a degree succe~s- ful in his warlike enterprises as to stand out before the ages as a prominent example of the warlike endowment, and its place in the Divine purposes. The brief notice of this man suggests for our consideration-The consecration to God of the military talent. We c:lnnot accept fully the facts of human history without recognizing the Divine gift of tbe genius of the warrior. Different views are held on the righteousness of war. From the Christian standpoint all offensive war must be at once and entirely condemned, but defensive war-and aid to those called to defensive war-appears to bo fully consistent with Christian principles. Still, we shall unfcignedly rejoice when the principle of arbitration can be universally adopted, and the "nations learn war no more." It is, even in its best forms, a terrible human scourge and evil. But, whatever our view of it rnny be, history keeps her testimony, and declares that, in the long story of our race, war has been one of the important agencies used by God, and overruled by him, to the accomplishment of his gracious ends; and that he bas, again and again, raised up men who had" war" for their life-mission, and the military endowment as their precise trust. There have been the Joshuas, the Davids, the Maccabees, the Marlboroughs, and the Wellingtons, etc. 'l'imes and circumstances have made war the only possible agency for the punishing of wrong and the deliverance and confir- mation of the right. Still, we should distinctly observe that warfare is the creation of man's lust of power and dominion, his ambition to be supreme ; and that the "God of peace" does but-if we may so say-fit, temporarily, into the circumstances thus created, until he can get fully established his kingdom of righteousness in which war will be unknown. I. THE DISTINCTIVE MILITARY GIFT. It is the gift of command over other men finding one particular mode of expression. This is the essence of it, bnt it is combined with the constructive faculty, the power of organization, courage, bodily skill, quick- ness of invention, etc.-all, it may be pointed out, endowments which may find other sphores than battle-fields. Illustrato by the devotion of F. '\V. Robertson's soldierly gifts to the service of the Church, and by the gift of ruling men found in tho heads of large mills and factories. II. THE LOYALTY TIIAT GUIDES THE USE OF THE MILITARY GIFTS. It is charac- teristic of the soldier that he is loyal to his king, and this loyalty finds expression in instant and unquestioning obedience. So the soldier among us is a plea urging us tu maintain similar relations to our Lord, who is the "King of kings." So far as we cau see, it would be a loss to the moral health of a nation if the example of soldierly loyalty and obedience were removed. St. Paul was essentially a loyal soldier. Wheu 32 THE FIRST BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. LCII, III, 1-24:.