consequently tho prohibition to have more than one wife partakes of the nature of a posiUve precept. Had man not been told what he should do, he would not have felt and known absolutely that only one wife must be taken. Had he not been told what he should do, he would nevertheless have felt and known that to love not God, to dis- obey God, to prefer vileness to purity, was wrong. David, left to himself, would see evil in aversion to God, but he would not so distinctly and certainly see evil in having many wives. II. THE SOCIAL CONDITIONS OF LIFE m ANCIENT TIMES WERE INHERITED. Inheri- tance does not make wrong right, but being over a long series of generations it tends to prevent those who are the subjects of it from seeing the evils which others fresh to the facts might soon discover. This applies especially to those forms of evil which are so in a secondary sense, being the opposite of what is termed good by positive precept. Polygamy was a custom very ancient, running through long generations of good men, and among sheiks and heads of nations it became one of the marks of distinction and an inevitable appendage of wealth. That, of course, does not make it useful or morally right, but it accounts for good men adopting it with as little compunction of conscience as others, in modern times, have bought and sold slaves, or sold drink, which are known to be the occasion of great evils. JI!, THE MEANS OF EDC'CATING MEN TO MORE PERFECT FORMS OF SOCIAL LIFE ARE GRADUAL IN OPERATION, AND THE FORCE OF PRECEPTS CONCERNING THEM IS NOT AT ONOE BEOOGNIZED. No doubt monogamy was the will of God-the co=on law from the beginning (Matt. xix. 4, 5). The subsequent practice of polygamy by good men was tolerated, but it was the evident design of the Mosaic regulations to moderate and minimize it (Deut. xvil. 17; Exod. x.xL 10, 11; Deut. xxi.11-17). The elevation of the people above the degrading practice was a slow process, and, accordinz to the Talmudists, even the distinct precept (Deut, xvii. 17) was understood in a non-literal sense. It is possible, therefore, that David, inheriting practices straight from Abraham, should be disposed to anticipate the Talmudic interpretation, and understand "multiply" to refer to an "inordinate number," and the reason assigned to be a matter of discretion. The same difficulty in educating men to rise to the full recognition, in social relations, of some of our Saviour's precepts set forth in Matt. v. and vL, is obvious to us even now. In the case of Oriental polygamy in Old Testament times the difficulty was greater from the circumstance that the wife in chief held her place, and others improperly called in English "concubines" were secondary, and often served in court as "maids of honour" do now. IV. IT 1B TIIE METIIOD OF GoD TO WORE: BY IMPERFECT AGENTS UP TO A filGHEB FORX OF LIFE. All things in the earlier stages of constructive work are in an eltmenta.ry condition, and in that sense inferior. Out of the elemental forms organisms arise, and from the lower organisms higher types. have appeared. Out of our own imperfect mental condition there arises, by use of that imperfect condition, a superior form of •mental life. The same holds good of our moral habits. By use of the weak and inferior, with a tendency upwards, ther& comes to pass a moral elevation that can never descend to the old conditions out of which it spran,g. Likewise, in constructing a perfect human society on the purest and noblest gospel principles, it is God's way to use men as he finds them, with their inherited notions and tendencies, and by precept and inspiration gradually raise them above themselves, and so make them instruments of raising others to a higher level of life. Had God waited till men became as clear in their conceptions of social proprieties and utilities and as strong in purity as Christ, nothing would have been done for the world. He is a Father who pitieth his children. He remembereth that we are but dust. It is, therefore, in unison with general prin- ciples of government that David, though a polygamist, was blessed, and for the same reason many a slave-owner's life has been attended with spiritual blessing. Were it not eo, who of us dare hope for favour? V. TBE BLEBBING OF GoD 18 RESTRICTED BY OUR IMPERFECTIONS. Had David risen to the dignity of true monogamy, and, with clear vision and firm spirit, entered on a. domestic life in keeping with gospel principles, he would doubtless have exerted a wider and more powerful spiritual influence. But as it was, the kind and ·measure of prosperitr vouchsafed to him were proportionate to his imperfect domestic life. God'8 blessing is only restrained by the channel through which it has to flow. The more we cau 126 THE SECOND l3OOK OF SAMUEL. [ou. v. 1-2:1.
llnticipate the more holy Rnd consecrated Rnd enlightened future hy our present eleva- tion of life, the more surely will the blessing rest on us and our deede. Accordin.,. to our fa.ith RD?, love, a~ eeen in perfect conformity of feelin~, perception, and actio; to the blessed life of Chnst, so may we expect the favour and l)leesing of God. GEKEBAL LESSONS. 1. It becomes us every now and then to make careful scrutiny of our li~es, to ece what elements there are in them derived from an ungodly inheritance and r4:5tmg on mere fashion and custom. 2. The best light by which we may discover what 1s merely traditional and perhaps morally defective in our characters is that derived from a close study of the spirit that animated our Saviour and the ideal he set up for our model. 3. In our anxiety to know whether we are really accepted of God and are enjoying his favour, we may safely reckon prosperity in our calling, if only, like David we are conscious of going forth in his Name and not for personal ends. 4. We may' like David, after seasons of long trial for the eake of Christ, well take courage when th~ tide of success flows freely in, and should be careful at such times to ascribe all to God. 6. We see how the essence ofreligion, namely, trust in God, desire to know and do his will, and maintenance of righteousness in all affairs according to the measure of Iicrht obtained, is distinguishable from the form of social morality which custom or tradition may have generated.