Ver. 13.-" Due order." David explained the failure of the former attempt to bring the ark to Jerusalem, by a reference to the neglect by himself and his people of the regulations divinely prescribed and applicable to such a case. In directing the Levites to prepare for their proper service, he acknowledged that, when he had before purposed to bring up the ark to its resting-place, he had acted thoughtlessly and profanely, and had suffered in consequence. '!'his lesson is inculcated by the text-Gud's order is the due order. I. RELIGION DOES NOT CONSIST m FORM. Even under the elder dispensat.ion, in which forms and ceremonies were prescribed in abundance, true religion did not consist in such things. The psalmists and the prophets rose altogether above e. merely sacrificial and ceremonial religion. And under the new covenant, the letter, the form, sink into insig- nificance, compared with the spiritual reality they a.re designed to express and to promote. "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." We, as Christians, serve him, not in the oldness of the letter, but in the newness of the spirit. II. YET THE MANIFESTATIONS OF RELIGIOUS LIFE AND SERVICE ARE NOT LAWLESS AND DISORDERLY. It would be e. bad thing to substitnle the form for the reality; but it does uot follow that it is a good thing to have no form at all. It is the direction of o.n inspired apostle: "Let all things be done decently and in order." Our worship should be seemly and reverent; our work should be organized and systematic; our liberality should be upon principle. Ill. PRESOnlPTIONS AS TO ORDER SHOULD BE CAREFULLY OBSERVED AND OBEYED, If, for instance, it is found that the New Testament lays down certain principles of Church government, prescribes certain ordinances or ministries, spiritual Christianity expects that these will be reverently considered and observed. Obedience is required ns homage to the authority of the Lawgiver and Lord. We have no right to set our fancies and preferences above Divine laws. IV, OBSERVANCE OF ORDER BECOMES CONGENIAL AND EASY WHEN INSPIRED BY GRATEFUL LOVE. To a child of God, a friend of Christ, there is nothing harsh or repugnant in compliance with Divine rt•gulations in attention to" due order."-'!'.
Ver. 1.-How little and how much w11 may do for God. There is something in this verse which, at first reading, painfully suggests the smallness of the effort made by THE FIRST BOOK OF 'l'HE CHRONICLES. [oa. xv. 1-29.
David in the cause of God as compared with those which be made for bis own conve- nience; he" made him houses "-solid buildings more than one, for himself; he prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched for it a tent-one frail tabernacle for Jehovah. Donbtless, under examination, all damaging reflection on the royal conduct will disap- pear. David was probably justified in doing as much for himself; he was certainly justified in doing no more, at that time, for the manifested presence of God. But the fact of his building houses for himself and one tent for the Lord may well suggest to us- I. How LITTLE, COMPARATIVELY, WE DO FOR GoD. There are those who complain, freely and sadly enough, that there are "so many claims" on their liberality. But it would do us all good to estimate bow small and trifling a proportion of all we have to spend we devote directly to God and to bis cause. It may seem large, sometimes, when we look at it by itself; but when compared with all we have to give-all at our command-it seems small and poor indeed. Let us reckon up and put down the proportion we give to Christ, consciously and directly, of (1) the hours of all our time; (2) the thoughts of all our care and reflection; (3) the strength of all our energy; (4) the money of all our funds ;-and we shall, in most cases, find that it is the bulk we reserve for ourselves, and only the "small dust of the balance" that we dedicate to God. We build ourselves houses and pitch a tent for the Lord. On the other hand, we may consider- II. How MUCH, IN FACT AND TRUTH, WE MAY DO FOR HIM, For that which we give directly to Christ should be but a very small part of all that we present to him. We should lay at his feet everything we have and are. 1. We dedicate ourselves and lives to him when, by a sacred and living faith, we accept him for our Saviour. 2. "\Ve endeavour to live, at every conscious moment, under his observant eye; regulating all our thoughts, controlling all our feelings, ordering all our words, choosing all our courses, executing all our work, according to his will, and in the hope of giving him pleasure. 3. We hold ourselves ready to lay down our life and surrender all our dearest treasures at his Divine bidding.-C.