-were assembled as participants in this high transaction (cf. eh. xv. 13; Deut. I. 17). III. THE PRELIMINARIES, 1. The reading of the book of the cO'IJenant. The part read most likely included Exod. xxiv., the readers being, not the king himself (.Adam Clarke), but others, presumably Shaphan, Hilkiah, Jeremiah, etc. The reading was "in their ears," from which may be inferred that it was audible and distinct. 2. TM standing of the lcing in hiB place. Thie was the platform beside the brazen altar, upon which the sovereign was accustomed to stand in high religious and national ceremonies (oh. vi. 13; xxiii. 13). IV. THE ENGAGEMENTS. 1. To walk after the Lord. The common phrase for observing the worship of Jehovah (oh. xi. 17; 2 Kings xvii. 8; xxi. 22; Micah iv. 5; vi. 16). Distinguish the similar phrases, " to walk before God " ( eh. vi. 14; Gen. xvi i. 1), and "to walk with God" (Gen. v. 24). The ideas in the first are perhaps those of imitation and obedience; in the second, those of sincerity and purity; in the third, those of communion and concord. 2. To lceep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes. Explanatory of the foregoing; to walk after Jehovah, signifying to keep his commandments, etc. The three terms-commandments, testimonies, statutes--occa- sionally occur together or in contiguity (Ps. xix. 7, 8; cxix. 21, 22, 23), and though etymologically distinguishable, are practically synonymous. They are employed here perhaps for variety, but chiefly for emphasis (Eccles. iv. 12). The obedience required by Jehovah and promised by the people was not formal and superficial, but earnest and sincere-" with all the heart, and with all the soul." God for Christ's sake may accept less, but for his own sake he never can demand less, while God's people and Christ's should strive never to present less. 3. To perform the words of the covenant written in the book of the Law. The ultimate standard of duty for king and people was to be the words of the book, and neither the opinions of others nor the imaginations of them- selves. So for Christians the supreme rule of faith and practice is the Holy Scriptures. V. THE RESULTS. 1. The people assented to the covenant. .At the king's command- whether with perfect free-will (2 Kings xxili. 3) is not clear-they bound themselves to its observance (ver. 32). Without the concurrence of the will there can be no true religious service. 2. The king purged the land of Israel from abominations. He allowed no external observance of idolatry. To cleanse the hearts of his people from idol-worship was beyond his power. Human enactments, by whatever power promulgated, can only effect external reformation ; the regeneration of the heart and renewal of the mind are competent to God alone. 3. The nation kept true to the covenant while Josiah lived. The practice of idolatry had _been suppressed, but the spirit of idolatry had not been killed. .After Josiah's death it again raised its head (eh. xxxvi. 5; 2 Kings xxi.ii. 32), as it had frequently done before after periods of reformation. LESSONS. 1. The Word of God the supreme directory to a Christian both for faith and practice. 2. The prime duty of man to keep God's commandments and testimonies. 3. The highest evidence of piety in either individual or nation is holiness.-W.
EXPOSITION. cumstances, the same day of the second CHAPTER XXXV. month was authorized by "Hezeh-ie.h and Thie chapter of twenty-seven verses, occu- his princes " ( eh. n:x. 2). pied with the account of Josiah's great Ver. 2.-Comp. eh. vii. 6; xui. 2: 1 Chron. xxiii. 32 ; and our notes in those Passover (vers. 1-19), and hie death in the places. battle of Megiddo, waged by Neoho King of Ver. 3.-That taught (see eh. xvii. 7, 9: Egypt with " Carohemish by Euphrates " Deut. xxxiii. 8-10). Which were holy (so (vers. 20-27), is paralleled by the ten oh. xxiii. 6). Put the holy ark . . . not to verses of 2 Kings xxili. 21-80. you a burden on the shoulder. There is a. double difficulty, though not of a very for- Ver.-1.-They killed the Passover on the midable character, kl this portion of the fourteenth ... of the :first month ; i.e. on the verse. We can only conjecture why the day appointed ol"iginally (Exod. xii. 6). H ark was not in its proper place, probably will be remembered that, under special oir- having been tempomrily removed during 428 THE SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. [oR. XU\r, 1-27,