of a conntry where the laws of the land are directly at variance with the will of God. But it is also true--- 11. THAT THEY ARE COMMONLY FOUND TO JIE CONSISTENT ONE WITH THE OTHER, Happily it is not often the case now that a man bas to choose whether he will "love the one and hate the other,'' etc. Usually both may be honourably and faithfully served at the same time. Indeed, it will be found: 1. 'l'hat we never serve the king better than when we are actively serving God. 'l'o be engaging in Divine worship, and thus encouraging piety and the good morals which are its invariable attendant ; to be evan- gelizing, and thus to be elevating and enriching those who have fallen into sin and vice; to be occupied in any of the thousand forms of philanthropy which distinauish this age of ours; to be thus occupied in the " business of the Lord " is to be taking a. very true and useful part in "the service of the king." Indeed, the monarch of a land has no more loyal and serviceable subjects than those whose piety prompts them to "every good word and work" among their fellow-subjects. It may be equally true: 2. That we never serve God more truly than when we are serving the king. With the Jew, patriotism and piety were inseparably united. He who wished to please and honour Jehovah strove to serve Israel. He who injured the people of God was an enemy of the Most High. And so with us. 'l'he statesman who is faithfully and con- scientiously serving his country may be pleasing and serving God quite as much as the minister in the pulpit, or the writer of sacred books at his desk. And not only the statesman who is charged with great and high things: all of us in our humbler ranh, when we join with our fellow-citizens in promoting the welfare of our common country, may be "serving God acceptably." Only, 1f we wish to enjoy his smile and win his Divine blessing in the act, we must do our work (I) unselfishly, (2) devoutly.-0. Vers. 1-32.-Doorkeepers, treasure-keepers, and external services. We are presented in this chapter with three separate lists. First, the classes of the door- keepers (vers. 1-19); secondly, the stewards of the sanctuary treasures (vers. 20-- 28); thirdly, those appointed for the external business (vers. 29-32). According to ver. 19 the doorkeepers were Korabites and Merantes. 'l'o the latter belonged Obed-edom and bis family, numbering eight sons and sixty-two grandchildren, all valiant heroes. All these doorkeepers were so distributed that twenty-four guard stations were occnpied daily. The next enumeration is the treasures of the house of God and the treasures of the dedicated things. 'l'he former were under the charge of a. branch of the Gershonites; the latter under a branch of the Kohathites. 'l'he last list in the chapter refers to the "outward business over Israel." '!'his business comprised the service of "scribes and judges," and it was committed to the Izharites along with Cbenaniah. For this work Da,id had set apart six thousand Levites (see eh. xxiii. 4). One spiritual lesson ma.y be learned from the twenty-seventh verse of this chapter: "Out of the spoils won in battles did they dedicate to maintain the house of the Lord." The spiritual points may be snggested by the following heads :-1. 'fhe house of the Lord-God's spiritual kingdom-whether it be in a man's own soul or whether it be a Church or nation, must not only he set up by the Spirit of God, but it must be kept up or "maintained." 2. It is maintained by fighting-fighting our worse than Canaanitish foes-the corruptions of our nature, the self-will, pride, and evil of our hearts, the world, the flesh, and the devil within us and around us. 3. The "spoils" of this spiritual warfare-every victory over sin, every triumph over passion, evil inclination, and temptation-these are all trophies or "spoils" which we must "dedicate " to God, from whom they have all come. His the power, the strength, the victory. All are to be laid at the t,aviour's feet and used for his glory. 4. 'l'his, not one battle, but "battles "-many of every kind. The armour continually on, the fight continually maintained. "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand " (Eph. vi. 13). fi. Thus, and only thus, can the "house" or kingdom of God in a man's soul be "maintained."-W.
Vers. 4, 5.-Culture by trusts. The reference made to Obed-edom recalls the fact that be and his family were blessed in the trust of work to do for God, the work of ea.ring for his sacred ark-symbol We may dwell on God's design in relation to tho on. xxv1. 1-32.) THE FIRS'l' BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. 407