the camp of the Israelites proved to be fruitless of help (1 Sam. iv.). 3. That the ark was nothing more in itself than a box of wood, and, apart from God's determination to bless, could not possibly effect anything at all. 4. That to trust in a thing manu- factured of man and not in the living God himself would partake of the idolatrous (see ~ Kings xviii. 4). If we cherish the idea that, because we are connected by blood (or many other way) with sacred persons, or that because we have much to do officially with sacred things, with the utterance of sacred words, or the performance of sacred rites, or the care of sacred buildings, therefore it will be well with us in the books of heaven, we are only harbouring a fiction, we are leaning on a brittle reed we are building the house of our hope upon the sand. ' II. THE RELIGIOUS TRUTH TO BE RECEIVED AND WELCOMED. God blessed the house of Obed-edom because he cheerfully and reverently made room for the sacred chest. His act was one of simple piety, ren<lered in an hour of need and offered devoutly intelligently unto God; therefore God "blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that h; had." It was the mark of God's approval of a service rightly and worthily rendered. The truth for us to gather is that God's abiding favour is the one sure source of blessed- ness. If God be "with us," i.e. for us, on our side, who or what can be acrainst us'? "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Those who, in constru~tina their life, leave God's favour out of the account, make a fundamental and fatal error. "'Those who go on the principle that his Divine favour will secure true prosperity are pro- ceeding along the lines of truth. Let every man be discontented and disturbed in soul until he has first made sure of the abiding approval of the Most High. 'fill then it will be wrong with him 11.nd with all that he has; when that is gained, all is well with him and his. But how is this approval to be secured? 1. By doing the one thing which God demands of all his children now. This, first of all and most of all, is the work or the will of God, that we "believe on the Name of his Son Jesus Christ," etc. ( see John vi. 29; 1 John iii. 23). The acceptance of Christ as our personal Saviour and Lord is the way to secure the abiding favour of the Father of all. Haviog thus gaioed bis Divine regard, we must continue therein. 2. Ily striving to be and to do all those things in all our relations which are pleasing in his sight (see Phil. iv. 8; Col. iii.17, 23). .Among many other ways of pleasing Christ, we may win his approving smil-o in the particular way suggested 1n the text. 3. By showing special attention to that with which, and to those with whom, be is specially connected-his house and his disciples.-C. Vers. 1-B.-David and the ark. Now that David had been anointed king over Israel, his first act was to think of the ark. During the reign of Saul it had been utterly neglected, and the people had become careless about the ordinances of Divine worship. This was the thought ever uppermost in David's heart. The ark, the out- ward symbol of the Divine presence, was everything to him. He cc,uld not live outside the snnshine of God's favour. To him God was everything, and without him there was nothing. What to him was all the popularity, the loyalty of those who rallied round him to proclaim him king, the devotion of the maoy thousands of Israel, if the Lord was not with him, the Centre and Source of all? Nothing. We see what David's estimate of God's presence was by the praises which he and all Israel offered on the occasion of bringing up the ark (ver. 8). What had been of old e. t~rror to the Philistines (see 1 Sam. vi.) was the highest joy to the people of God. It 1s so always. God's presence is to God's people their highest joy. To those who are out of Christ wha.t can it be but terror? Notice, again, how David adds to "if it seem good ui;to you" the words "and it be of tbe Lord our God." A true Christian will never, in any question, leave out the latter words. 'l'hey must ever qualify all that precedes.-W.
Vers. 7, 9-12.-Uzza and the ark. Since the ark was last heard of it had been in Baalah, or Kirjath-jearim. For upwards of fifty years, since it had been in the hands of the Philistines, it had been in the house of Abinadab of Gibeah, under the charge of his two sons, Uzza and Ahia, who were Levites, and who had been consecrated for the ,ffice. For the purpose of removing the ark to Jerusalem it was set upon a new cart, Ahia the son of Abinadab going before (2 Sam. vi. 4) and Uzza folluwing. On the w11y the oxeo stumbled, and Uzza. fearing the ark would fall off, laid hold of it. For this en. xm. 1-14.J THE FIRST BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. 211