Ver. 29.-The claims of God to the worship and homage of his creatures. What I have to demonstrate is: 1. That God is entitled to the homage of his creatures, and claims it as proptir and right. 2. That these claims aro made upon us, his intelligent creatures. It will therefore be necessary to show that we are capable of knowing God to all the extent necessary to excite in our minds the feelings of awe, reverence, and admiration, since these are essential to homage and worship. Also to provo that such claims are not only reasonable, but founded in justice and right. 8, That the worship and homage required is such that it not only does not degrade, but elevates the man that pays it; that it is not the hard requirement of despotism, but tho righteous claim of infinite excellence; not the service of flattery and servility, but thci free-will offering of o. discerning and admiring mind (J. Robinson).-R. T. Ver. 29.-The clothing of true worshippers. The expression "in the beauty of holiness" is rendered in the Septuagint Version, "in his sanctuary;" and by the Syriac Version," with reverence and thanksgiving." A similar expression is found iu 2 Chron. x.x. 21, "That should praise the beauty of holiness;" this is translated by Bertheau, "in holy attire;" and by Malvenda, "Praise the Lord with tho sumo costume, and dignity, and magnificence, as in the temple." '!'ho term " beauty ot holiness" may be regarded as including inward devotion, and also with outward reverence, Jennings and Lowe, in their note on Ps. xcvi. 9, translate, "in holy vestments;" and they quoto a passage in Ecclus. I. 11, where it is said that Simon tho bigh priest" put on the robo of honour, and . . . made tho garment of the sanctuary 2(l6 TUE FIRST BOOK OF ·rHE CHRONICLES. [ea. XVL 1-43.
l10nourable." For man external forms of worship are necessary, but in his relations to them there is a constant peril of formality, and so a constant need for e. watchful e.nd careful culture of the spiritual life nod feeling which a.Jone c.an make forms acceptable. Illustrate the danger of formality by the Jewish wearing of the tallith, etc., and by exaggerated rabbinical regulations. Note with what constant anxiety our Lord taught that they who "worship the Father must worship him in spirit and in truth." Holiness, as here used, has no precise equivalent. It includes "sincerity" and also "reverence," but it should be thought of as embracing "whole-heartedness "and "devout earnestness" and "spiritual preparedness." The term may be suggestively compared with the" integrity" of David and the" perfect" of the New Testament. The worship-clothing which is expressed in the term "beauty of holiness" may be treated as including (1) humility; (2) reverence; (3) sincerity; (4) earnestness; (5) preparedness; (6) and openness to receive. If the Christian Church is a "kinadom of priests," a "holy priesthood," then we should be devoutly anxious to secur~ the 1,riestly clothing for our high and noble spiritual worship.-R. T.
Ver. 31.-God's present reign. "The Lord reigneth," or "Jehovah is king." David saw, in the restoration of the ark, a new and solemn resumption of his direct govern- n,ent by Jehovah ; and of this glorious fact be bids the people make acknowledgment and render witness. Explain fully the Jewish conception of the theocracy, e.nd show bow it was connected with a present and abiding outward symbol-at first the pillar- cloud, and then the ark. The importance of the theocratic idea, and the actual influence of it on mind and heart, depended on the differing religious dispositions of the people. To the worldly minded Jew it would be e. vague notion, a sort of sublime, but impractical, philosophical conception-a sort of hereditary national sentiment, and nothing more. To the truly spiritually minded man it was the first, most impressive, and most practical of all truths. It was the thought that put glorious meaning into commonplace life and labour. Life has its holy issues, and it might well have its shrouded mysteries, for" the Lord reigneth." This Jewish notion passes over into Christianity, and we realize Jehovah's present spiritual reign in the adminis- tration of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Maccabean times there was a tendency to lose the idea that "the Lord doth reign," and to substitute for it a phrase which indicated a great outlooking for a coming Deliverer and a golden e.ge, "the Lord shall reign." And a similar evil tendency still affects the Christian Church; failing to realize Christ's present rule, some sections of the Church keep looking on to some fancied near time, when Christ shall come again and take to himself his p;reat power and reign. And the antidote is full and faithful teaching on the point of which tho psalmist makes so much-the present direct, and every way practical, present reign over the earth and the Church, of Jehovah, apprehended in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Keeping the present reign in Christ before our minds, it may be instructivo t-0 show- I. THAT CHRIST'S LIFE ON EARTH HELPS OUR APPREHENSION OF THE REIGN. The reicrn of God the Spirit must ever seem to man an unreal, intangible thing, unless it ca.;{ take some outward e.nd material shape; and yet thnt shape and form must be such as will in no sense imperil the spiritual character of tbe reign. No merely humnn sovereignty could be Ratisfactory, for none could be worthy of that sublime royalty which it presumed to represent. Christ's life on earth was the theocracy me.teria.lize,l for human appreben~ion. Our Lord's humanity sets God before our thought in human terms and figures such as we can understand. And the kingship of Jesus wns felt and acknowledged by friend e.nd foe, wherever he went, and not exclusively by those disciples who knew him most intimately. His teaching was given "with authority ; " his personal relations were a rule. It can be no wonder that peoplo should cast their garments in his way, and we.ve palm branches, e.nd shout, saying, "Hosanna to the King that cometh in the Name of the Lordi" His life is the earth- picture of the Divine reign over the hearts and lives of men. II. THAT CHRIST'S OLOBY IN BEAVEN MAKES US REALIZE THE REIGN AB A BPIDITUAL REIGN. It takes all the merely carnal features out of it. The reign is such e. one as our exalted, glorified, ascended, spiritual Lord and Saviour rne.y have, who is "Lord of lambs the lowly, King of saints the holy." '£he risen, heavenly Christ we feel must OB. xv1, 1-43.) THE FIRST BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. 267
have, as the sphere for his rule, not our bodily actions only, but our wills, our choices, our affections; gaining, as he must, his beginnings in our souls, and extending his holy authorities over all the relations we sustain. Explain and impress how, in our common, everyday life, we can realize the theo- cratic conception, and practically Jive in the joy and impulse of being daily "in the great Taskmaker's eye."-R. T.