that his heart was being lifted up "to his destruction." Had he foreseen the conseq11ences or bis :ash a?t, he might have paused. But questions of right and wrong must be determm~d ,nthout regard to temporal results. Only none need remain in i<rnorance of this, that the path of holiness is the path of safety (Prov. iii. 17), whatev~r be its external issues; and that the way of disobedience, however promising to appearance is and ~ust be the way of peril and doom (P!-ov. iv. 19). 2. The nature of it. "He went mto the temple of the Lord to burn mcense upon the altar of incense" i.e. he took upon himself the priestly function of ministering before Jehovah in the ho'ly place. Whether in doing so he conceh•ed himself to be following in the steps of David and Solomon (Thenius, Ewald, Stanley) may be doubted. It is not clear that either of thes~ sovereigns ever ?ffered ince_nse i~ the sanctuary proper, though they frequently offic1a.ted at the offermg of sacrifices m the outer court on the occasion of reli..,.ious festivals (Bertheau, Keil, Bahr). More likely is the view that Uzziah desired to ap; the potentates of the world generally, as e.g. those of Egypt (Harkness, 'Egyptian Life and History,' p. 44), who, as supreme priests (pontifices maximi), with other priests to aid them, conducted temple-worship in honour of the gods. In any case, what he did expressly violated the Divine Law, which reserved the privilege of entering the holy place and ministering therein exclusively for the priests (Exod. xxx. 7, 8; Lev. xvi. 2, 12, 13; Numb. xviii. 1-10). The statement of Josephus(' Ant.,' ix. 10. 4) may well be authentic, that the occasion which tempted Uzziah to forget himself was the crle- bration of some high national festival. 3. The aggravations of it. He committed this offence: (1) When he was strong; when his empire was at the height of its splendour, and himself at the top of his fame; when his kingly magnificence was in full bloom, and his regal heart hac. everything it could desire-in short, when he ought to have been supremely contented and happy, without aspiring after more. (2) Against that God through whose assistance be had climbed to the pedestal of earthly renown on which he stood, thereby furnishing a proof of monstrous ingratitude quite on a level with that of his father Amaziah (eh. xxv. 14). (3) In spite of the remonstrance of Azariah the priest and eighty colleagues, who, going into the sanctuary after him, courageously reminded him of the heinous character of his proposed action, as an invasion of the province Jehovah bad set apart for the Aaronic priesthood, fearlessly commanded him to leave the sacred edifice, and warned him of the peril he incurred in thus defying the ordinance of God. Men who have God upon their side have no need to be afraid of kings. Nothing emboldens the human spirit like a conscious- ness of right (Ps. :xxviL 1). (4) With ebullitions of kingly rage. According to Josephus, he threatened to kill Azariah and bis colleagues unless they held their peace (Prov. :xi:x. 12; xvi. 14). Wrath often leads to murder. II. UzZIAB's PUNISHMENT. (Vers. 19-23.) 1. Sudden. The Lord smote him (2 Kings X'I". 5) where be stood, within the holy place, censer ill hand, attired in a priestly robe, fuming at Azariah and bis eighty assistants, ready, in defiance of one and all, to go through with the unhallowed project he had in hand. Foolish Uzziah I Jehovah, who all the while was looking on (eh. vii. 16; Bab. ii. 20), simply stretched forth his invisible finger, and the daringly sacrilegious act was arrested. According to Josephus (' Ant.,' ix. 10. 4), at that moment a great earthquake shook the ground, splitting the mountain on which the city stood, and making in the temple dome a. rent, through which the sun's rays, shining, fell upon the king's face, insomuch that the leprosy seized on him immediately (cf. Amos i. 1; Micah i. 4; Zech. xiv. 6). 2. Severe. The leprosy brake forth (or rose as the sun) in bis forehead. (On the nature of this disease, consult the Exposition, and see Keil's 'Bibliscbe Archii.ologie,' s. 114.) The same punishment inflicted on Miriam for speaking against Moses (Numb. xii. 10), and on Gebazi for lying to Elisha (2 Kings v. 27). The severity of the stroke measured the greatness of the sin for which it fell. 3. Oo11spicuous. "The chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous." The signs and tokens of this plague had been laid down in the Law of Moses (Lev. xiii.). Like the mark upon Cain's brow (Gen. iv. 15), the spot upon Uzziah's forehead proclaimed him an object of Divine wrath. Many suffer on account of their transgressions whose chastisement is not visible to their fellow-men; that Uzziah's was perceptible to Azariah and his colleagues was a pr.::of of the heinous character of bis offence, while it served as a warning to otherl!. One of Jehovah's purposes in inflictiog punishmeot OD evil-doers is to convince beholders CH, xxvu. 1-9.] THE SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. 825
of the horrible iniquity of Bin, and deter them through "the terror of the Lord" (2 Cor. v. 11.) from its commiasion, 4. Hitmiliatirzg. The priests thrust the stricken king from the sacred dwelliug; yea, the king himself "basted to go out." Moreover, he was henceforth as an unclean person, cut of! from the congregation of Jehovah (Lev. xiii. 45, 46; Numb. v, 2), and, because of the infectious nature of bis malady, lodged in a "several house," i.e. a lazar-house, or infirmary. As the leprosy, in its spreading, wasting, corrupUng, loathsome, contagious, incurable character, was a. hideous emblem of sin, so the exclusion of the leper from the congregation, and bis isolation from the society of his fellows, was an impressive picture of the fate reserved for unpardoned sinners (Pa. i. 5, 6). It must not, however, be assumed that Uzzia.h died in impenitence. 6. Fatal. It ended in death, as all sin does (Ezek. xviii. 4; Rom. vi. 23). Yet sin is not incurable by Divine power any more than leprosy was. As Miriam, Naaman, and the man who came to Christ (Matt. viii. 2) were cleansed, so may the sinful soul be renewed (1 John i. 7). 6. Posthwmous. Uzziah's punishment followed him after death. His people buried him, indeed, but not in the royal .mausoleum, only in its neighbourhood, in the field of burial which belonged to the kings, lest his leprous dust should defile that of his fathers. LxssoNB. 1. The danger of prosperity. 2. The sin of pride. 3. The unlawfulness of will-worship. 4. The certainty that God can punish sin. 5. The hopelessness of those who die in sin.-W.