Judn.h n.ncl Ism.cl, among whom were many who did not immediately purify themselves from defilement as tboy ought to havo done on convening at Jerusalem. Most likely nt first hnlf-heal'ted in the business, aftenvards through beholdin~ tbe zeal of the people they were shamed into repairing their neglect. (2) Their discharge of official duties. Having sanctified themselves, they performed the statutory functions required of them in connection with tbeir con8ecration: "They brought burnt offerings into the house of the Lord" (cf. Lev. viii.18; Numb. viii.12); or with the Passover:" They brought the [Authorized Version] burnt offerings" presented by the people "into the house of the Lord," and "they stood in their places after their order according to the Law of Moses," the priests sprinkling the blood upon the "altar (Lev. xvi. 14-19), and the Levites, for the reason above explained, handing tho blood to them. 3. The piety of the king. (1) The king's prayer (vers. 18-20). (a) To whom addressed. "The good Lord." Goodness an attribute of the Divine nature (Ps. xxv. 8; xxxiv. 8; Nah. i. 7), in its ideal character belonging only to him (Matt. xix. 17), infinite in its measure (Exod. xx.xiv. 6) and excellence (Ps. xxxvi. 7), unwearied in its operation (Pd, xxxiii. 5; Jas. i. 5), ever-during in its continuance (Ps. Iii. 1). (b) For whom presented? "Every one that prepareth [ Authorized Version, or 'setteth' Revised Version J his heart to seek the Lord God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purifi- cation of the sanctuary;" i.e. for every one who approached God with earnestness and resolution, "preparing and setting his heart "-in the margin, "bis whole heart" ( eh. xv. 12; Ps. cxix. 2); with humility and faith, seeking "the Lord God of his fathers," thereby acknowledging he believed in Jehovah as his rightful Lord, and had sinned in turniDg aside to idolatry (J udg. x. 10; 1 Sam. xii. 10; eh. vi. 37 ; Ps. cvi. 6 ; J er. xiv. 7); with obedience and submission, embracing the right way of seeking God, in Jerusalem (Deut. xii. 5), at his temple (Exod. xxv. 8), through the sacrificial worship by him appointed (Heh. ix.13)-as under the New Testament dispensation no one can approach God acceptably except through Christ (John xiv. 6), though with imperfec- tion and defect in external ceremonial-which showed that the best spirits in the Hebrew Church had some conception of the spirituality of all true worship of God, of the value of real heart-adoration even when accompanied by errors in form, and of the worthlessness of the most externally correct, complete, aisthetically beautiful, and perfect performance when divorced from the inner homage of the heart. (c) What it sought. The pardon of every one who had approached the Divine altar without com- plying with the Divine prescription as to self-purification. A sin of ignorance in case of some, in that of others a sin of involuntary disability, it was nevertheless a violation of the divinely appointed order, as real thcugh not as heinous as that of Uzziah (eh. xxvi. 18), and as such fitted to evoke a display of Divine anger similar to that which fell on Uzziah. (d) How it fared. "The Lord hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people" (ver. 20); which may signify either that symptoms of bodily malady had begun to appear among the people, or that Hezekiah feared they would. In either case Hezekiah's prayer was successful for his people, as afterwards was his supplication for himself (eh. xxxii. 24). Of. the intercession of Abrahl\Dl for the cities of the plain (Gen. xviii. 23-32), of Moses for Israel (Exod. xxxii. 31, 32), of David for his people (2 Sam. xxiv. 17), of Daniel for Jerusalem (ix. 17-19), of Paul for his converts (Eph. iii. 14---19; Phil. i. 3-9). (2) The king's exhortation (ver. 22). (a) The recipients of it. "All the Levites that taught the good knowledge of the Lord" (Authorized Version), i.e. who were more skilled and able to instruct others in the proper method of worshipping Jehovah (Piscator); or, more accurately," all the Levites that were well skilled in the service of Jehovah" (Revised Version), or as regards Jehovah; i.e. "who had distinguished themselves by intelligent playing to the honour of the Lord" (Keil). (b) The spirit of it. He spako comfortably, or to the _heart, _of all. No doubt there were degrees of excellence amongst the players and their mu,ic, but the king made no distinction in his treatment of them; he spake to the hearts of all. His words of encourn.gement and good cheer were needed by o.11, perhaps most by those least skilled who yet were doing their best. Leaders of men, pastors of Churches, and such-like sometimes forget this, and, by making distinctions between the morn gifted o.nd the' less, do injury to both-inflate the former with pride, and c~st down thu latter with discouragement. (3) The king's liberality (ver. 24). 'l'h1s was: (<t) Munifice11t. Hezekiah prese11ted to the congregation a thousanu bullocks and seven 3,2 THE SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. [cH. XXXI. 1-21
th(lusand sheep. (b) Catching. "The princes gave to the congregation a thousand bul!ocks Rnd ten ~housand sheep." (c) Timely. It ene.bled the people to carry out thC'1r gMd resolution to prolong the feast for seven more days. (d) Appreciated, It filled the people's hearts with gle.dness, and doubtless contributed largely to entwine their affections rouud the person and the throne of the king. Learn: 1. The duty of not forsaking the assembling of ourselves to11:ether for Di,ine w(\r~hip (Heh. x. 25). 2. The excellence of unity among t.he reople of God (P~. cxxxii. 1; Acts iv. 32; 1 Cor. i. 10). 3. The joyous character of nl true worship (1 Chron. ni. 27; Ps. mii. 11; c. 1, 2; Luke xxiv. 62; Eph. v. 18, 19). 4. The 11ccept.ableness of sincere worship even when mingled with imperfection (Acts x. 36), 5. 'l'he beauty :i.s well as propriety of Christian liberality (Exod. u.iii. 16; 2 Cor. viii. 9).-W.