The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 175

llressing or straining anything, we have the fact clear that the manliness of the tribe of the Levites was one reason of its selection for the priesthood, or at least one charac- teristic of it. There is a vulgar manliness, loud, blatant, coarse, unfamiliar with any of the finer questionings or feelings of the soul. Far from all priestly work be such. But the noblest manliness is not coarse. It blends gentleness with courage, is a thing of force of spirit rather than of bodily strength, marked by vigour and truth, daring rather t.ban any braggart delight in blows. And it should be remembered that weak and feeble spirits are nowhere more out of place than in the Christian ministry. To make a true minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ you want essentially, as the raw material out of which God makes him----manli11ess. Courage to avow the faith when all may be deny- ing it; to stand alone; to resist all seduction to smother doubt and to repeat hearsay; to dare to do right; to have the inspiring power which nerves others to dare it as well; to rebuke ; to warn ; to count and accept the cost of faithfulness to principles; to be a leader and commander to the people ;-for these things is manliness not needed? is courage not supremely requisite? Peter said, "Add to your faith manliness"(" virtue" in the Lat.in sense, not in the English). Christ said of Peter," Thou art a roclc, and on this rock I will build my Church." In Heb. xi. you could almost substitute the word " courage" for the word " faith," so constantly and inseparably are they united. The great names of the Church are no less illustrious for courage than for spiritual insight. Paul, Atbanasius standing" alone against the world," Luther, Calvin, Knox, Wesley, Carey, Williams, Livingstone; you have just to go over the great'names of the Church's history to see that the names of those greatly good have been those pre-eminently of men greatly brave as well. Whatever your work, Christian, if you would be a trne priest of God you must be brave. "Put on thy strength, 0 Zion." Religion never enervates when it is the real thing, but uses and increases all the braver qualities of the spirit. Faith is a fight in all directions. We have sometimes fostered a piety too sentimental, phrasy, and self-conscious. From the manliness which God approved in in the old priesthood, and which Benaiah had in prime fulness, learn that godliness and manliness should meet to make a thorough character. Observe (what, indeed, flows from tbis)- II. THAT THE COllBATIVE QUALITY IN MAN, WHILE IT NEEDS HALLOWING, ADMITS OF IT. Man is very largely a fighting animal. His modes of attack come almost as instinctively as the various modes of assault used by the lower animals. The taste for conflict distinguishing all men, true religion does not destroy, but seeks to hallow it. The mental analyst will tell you that he needs some admixture of the combative element to produce some of the finest qualities of nature. It is that which gives hard- ness and a staying power to the man. 'l'here is no decision of character without it. We need the power of standing up against our enemies to stand up against ourselves. There is no pertinacity of purpose without it. He who bas not a little of the com- bative element soon gives in. There is no conquest of difficulties without it. Wo shrink from every trouble, say a lion is in the street, if there is nothing of this quality in us. So that the combative quality is not one of nature's mistakes that grace has just to weed out, but something it has to hallow; an edged tool, in learning the uses of which we often cut our fingers, but something not on that account to be thrown away. It may be hallowed, but it needs a good deal of effort to secure a thorough hallowincr of it. It is apt to be a reckless quality, striking wildly; the weapon of the passions rather than of the reason ; used by and intensifying animosity; tho source of strife and confusion, and the "every evil work" which attend them-shedding blood, devastating kingdoms, burdening conscience with guilt, running riotous in its wrong. When rightly used, one of the grandest blessings of life; when ill used! one_ of its great curses. If so valuable hallowed, so mischievous unhallowed, the qucst10n nses- When is it hallowed, and truly and divinely used? And I think Benaiah's case gives ns, somewhat roughly, perhaps, but clearly, the true answer to the question. It is used rightly and hallowed when directed against the enemies of the public good. Sometimes against an Egyptian host mustered to battle, sometimes against t_he Moabites, and sometimes against the wild beasts. An evangelical generalization might not be far out of it which stated it that the combative element is wisely employed when it operates against whatever injures our own character or our neighbour's well-being. 'l'he m~n fi;::hts foolishly who docs not begin the conflict by fighting with himself, It were v111n on. :ll. 1-47.] THE FIRS'!' BOOK OF THE CHRoNICLES. 167