they would further diffuse the influence caught by contact with the godly king, am! contribute elements of good to their respective localities. 'fhe great reformations of the world have all been effected thus. Few come into direct tiersonal contact with the originators. 'l'he multitude get the secondary influences. Nor can we tell how far our influence may thus be difl'Ullcd. The wave moves on in proportion to the susceptibility of those who first receive its impact. The question of indirect influeoce deserves much consideration on the part of Churches and individuals. IV. A TIME OF REFORMATION IN RELIGION DEVELOPS MUCH FEELING NOT PURELY SPIRITUAL. Although a great interest was awakened by David's zeal in the restoration of the more regular worship of God, yet we must discriminate between such devout feelings and clear views of spiritual things as were trae of him, and the vague sentiments of the multitude. If Ps. lxviii. and cxxxii. may be taken as indicative of his real state of mind, we are not to suppose that all the rest who joined in the procession or were stirred to excitement in their homes rose to the same height in the religious life. Men cannot help being roused when powerful religious minds put forth their energie~; and in some instances they are awakened to a really new spiritual life; but contagion of thought and sentiment and fervid interest in a great public movement are not the same as vital godliness. They may be better than dull indifference, and may even serve as a step to a higher and more permanent elevation, yet if they be all the reformation is very superficial. Forming an estimate on the general rules that govern human action, we may be sure that many who sang and danced before the ark were only nominal worshippers, and had but slight sympathy with the deep meaning of the words of the psalmist. 'l'he same was true of the Protestant Reformation. Multitudes took an interest· in doctrinal discussions and in the freedom from priestly domination who knew little of that inner spiritual life which, in the case of Luther and the leaders, found its core in personal union with Christ, Our modem revivals are to be estimated in the same way, We may be thankful that crowds flock to sing and hear and welcome ostensibly the true Ark of the covenant, and many, no doubt, sing with the understanding and rejoice in spirit, but the mass have still to be regarded as relatively strangers to the new and deeper life.
Human fudgments on Divine acts of fudgment. The part of the narrative referring to the conduct of Uzzah and the consequences to himself always awaken in the reader a feeling of' surprise at the apparent disproportion of the puoishment to the offence. Sympathy is felt with the feeling of David, who was "displeased," and could no iurth,er carry out his project· of conveying the ark to Jerusalem. Evil-minded men have not been alone in pointing to this record as an evidence of what they would call the unworthy representations of the Divine Being contained in the Old Testament. It is •well to look this difficulty fully in the face, and see, if possible, how far man is warranted to express a judgment at all upon an event so terrible and seemingly inex- plicable, on such principles at least as govern human acts of justice. Note here- I. THE REASONS FOR DIVINE JUDGMENTS ARE NOT ALWAYS APPARENT TO MA:-., AND YET MAY BE MOST VALID. It is a firs~ principle that the " Judge of all the earth " c:ianot but do right. '!'bat is the solid rock on which to rest when events occur in providence that do not admit of explanation. It is, further, a sound position that God looks at the inner life of men, and knows exactly the tone and spirit concealed from human view; and it is this condition of the inner man, and not the bare outward act, which ·constitutes the real character and determines the moral value of the action in the sight or God. Also, incidental actions are incidental in their form because of passing circumstances; but the state of mind out of which they spring is permanent; for given two minds of different spi~itual tone and bias, they will, when placed under pressure of the same external circumstances, produce totally different actions. Now, we have a right to assume, prima, facie, that, if thE're are no adequate reasons for the sudden terrible punishment discoverable in the bare and apparently well-disposed act of Uzzah, there must have been,.in his habitual state of feeling towards the symbol of God's presence nnd the whole events of the day, something determinateiy evil, and of which that which seemed to others to be an innocent act was known by God to be the natural outcome. 'l'hat was the case in the destruction of Dathan and Abiram. Thll falsehood of Ananins was outwardly only like other falsehoods, but we aro tohl tha~ 1Fi2 THE SEOOND BOOK OF SAMUEL. [oll, Vl, 1-23.