Ver. 26.-An ideal city: Jerusalem in the.first days of Hezekiah. I. ITs GoD WAB GRAcrous. (Yer. 9.) Its people had a Divinity who was: 1. Propitious towards their persons. He had given them one heart (ver. 12). 2. Propitious towards their ,;acr1fices. He accepted them, although offered not in perfect accordance with tho Law of Moses (ver. 16). 3. Propitious towards their prayers. He heard the king's interces- sion (ver. 20), the priests' prayers (ver. 27), and the people's confessions (ver. 22). II. lTs E:rNG WAS RELIGIOUS. (Ch. xxiL 2.) This was manifested by: 1. His care for the i1u;titutions of rdigion. Exemplified in his purification and dedication of the temple, including his rearrangement of the Levitical orders of musicians. 2. His zeal in the observances of religion. Shown by his revival of the Passover ordinance, and the efforts ma.de by him to secure a national observance of the same (eh. xxx. 1). 3. His possession ef the spirit of religion. Besides being a man of prayer (ver. 18), he delighted to encourage others in good works (ver. 22), and evinced his own sincerity by the abun<lance of his liberality (ver. 24). III. lTs MINISTERS WERE INDUSTRIOUS. (Ver. 17.) 1. In attending to their own personal sanctification. (Ver. 15.) This no ministers of religion under the New 'l'estament c'Uspensation can afford to neglect. He who cares nothiag for tho cultivation of piety in himself is not likely to be zealous in aiming at the good of others. 2. In discharging the public services of the sanctU,<I,ry. Under the Hebrew economy these services were the offering of sacrifice and the blessiag of the people (ver. 27) by the priests, with the making of music by the Levites; upder the Christian economy they are chiefly the preaching of the gospel, the conducting of worship, and the super- intendence of the Church. Where the ordinances of religion fall into abeyance and neglect, and the ministers of religion are as heedless r,f the souls of others as of their own, it is idle to expect prosperity, in either Church or state, in city or in country. IV. 1Ts Il!IHA.BIT.A..NTB WERE Joyous. (Ver. 26.) 1. Err,ulting in Jehovah's favour. Without a conviction that they possessed this, the mere external celebration would not have filled them wii.h such long-continued, deep, and exuberant emotion (Ps. xxxiii. 21; Isa. xii. 2; Rom. v. 11). 2. Observing tl,e rites of religion, In turning from the worship of idols to serve the living God, they experienced an inwa:d satisfaction which made them "sing in the ways of the Lord" (Ps. cx.xxviii. 5). 3. Enfoying the affec- tion of their brethren. Of one heart and mind, there was not a jarring note in their melody. They dwelt together in peace, and loved as brethren, each esteeming the other as better than himself, and all preferring one another and honouring one another.-W.
EXPOSITION. doings of the king), tells how Hezekiah once CHAPTER XXXL more settles, first, the eouraes of the priests This chapter, after its first verse (which and Levites, and the offerings for their sup- holds an intermediate place with relation to port (vers. 2-10); and, secondly, both the the euth11sw.stic devoutness of the people offices and officers needful for rightly ,.ecorcled in the last verse of the former attending to the business. The Dook of cl.io.pter, and whQt now followed of the Kings gives us no parallel to this chapter. on. xxxr. 1-21.] THE SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES.