And then the Word is so plain, so distinct, so emphatic. We are bound to search into it. We cannot fold our arms and sit down in cold indifference and culpable neutrality, else we shall be involved in the awful consequences of this evil; yea, we _are_ involved until we clear ourselves of it by judging it, with unflinching decision and unsparing severity.

Such, beloved reader, would be the language of every loyal Israelite, and such his mode of acting in reference to error and evil wherever found. To speak or act otherwise would simply be indifference as to the truth and glory of G.o.d, and independency as regards Israel. For any to say that they were not responsible to act according to the instructions given in Deuteronomy xiii. 12-18, would be a complete surrender of the truth of G.o.d and of Israel's unity. All were bound to act, or else be involved in the judgment of the guilty city.

And surely if all this was true in Israel of old, it is not less true in the Church of G.o.d now. We may rest a.s.sured that any thing like indifference where Christ is concerned is most hateful to G.o.d. It is the eternal purpose and counsel of G.o.d to glorify His Son; that every knee should bow to Him, and every tongue confess that He is Lord to the glory of G.o.d the Father; "that all should honor the Son even as they honor the Father."

Hence, if Christ be dishonored,--if doctrines be taught derogatory to the glory of His Person, the efficacy of His work, or the virtue of His offices, we are bound, by every motive which could possibly act on our hearts, to reject, with stern decision, such doctrines.

Indifference or neutrality where the Son of G.o.d is concerned is high treason in the judgment of the high court of Heaven. We would not be indifferent if it were a question of our own reputation, our personal character, or our personal or family property; we should be thoroughly alive to any thing affecting ourselves or those dear to us. How much more deeply ought we to feel in reference to what concerns the glory and honor, the name and cause, of the One to whom we owe our present and everlasting all--the One who laid aside His glory, came down into this wretched world, and died a shameful death upon the cross, in order to save us from the everlasting flames of h.e.l.l. Could we be indifferent to Him? neutral where He is concerned? G.o.d, in His great mercy, forbid!

No, reader; it must not be. The honor and glory of Christ must be more to us than all beside. Reputation, property, family, friends--all must stand aside if the claims of Christ are involved. Does not the Christian reader own this, with all the energy of his ransomed soul?

We feel persuaded he does, even now; and oh, how shall we feel when we see Him face to face, and stand in the full light of His moral glory?

with what feelings shall we then contemplate the idea of indifference or neutrality with respect to Him!

And are we not justified in declaring that next to the glory of the Head stands the great truth of the unity of His body--the Church?

Unquestionably. If the nation of Israel was one, how much more is the body of Christ one! and if independency was wrong in Israel, how much more wrong in the Church of G.o.d! The plain fact is this: the idea of independency cannot be maintained for a moment in the light of the New Testament. As well might we say that the hand is independent of the foot, or the eye of the ear, as a.s.sert that the members of the body of Christ are independent one of another. "For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body; _so also is Christ_"--a very remarkable statement, setting forth the intimate union of Christ and the Church.--"_For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body_, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath G.o.d set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee; nor again, the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more, those members of the body which seem to be more feeble, are necessary; and those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness; for our comely parts have no need; but G.o.d hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked: _that there should be no schism in the body_; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it. NOW YE ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST, AND MEMBERS IN PARTICULAR." (1 Cor. xii. 12-27.)

We do not attempt to dwell upon this truly marvelous scripture; but we earnestly desire to call the attention of the Christian reader to the special truth which it so forcibly sets before us--a truth which intimately concerns every true believer on the face of the earth, namely, _that he is a member of the body of Christ_. This is a great practical truth, involving, at once, the very highest privileges and the very weightiest responsibilities. It is not merely a true doctrine, a sound principle, or an orthodox opinion; it is a living fact, designed to be a divine power in the soul. The Christian can no longer view himself as an independent person, having no a.s.sociation, no vital link, with others. He is livingly bound up with all the children of G.o.d--all true believers--all the members of Christ's body upon the face of the earth.

"By one Spirit are we all baptized into one body." The Church of G.o.d is not a mere club, or a society, an a.s.sociation, or a brotherhood; it is a body united by the Holy Ghost to the Head in heaven; and all its members on earth are indissolubly bound together. This being so, it follows, of necessity, that all the members of the body are affected by the state and walk of each. "If one member suffer, all the members suffer with it,"--that is, all the members of the body. If there is any thing wrong with the foot, the hand feels it. How? Through the head. So in the Church of G.o.d, if any thing goes wrong with an individual member, all feel it through the Head with whom all are livingly connected by the Holy Ghost.

Some find it very hard to grasp this great truth; but there it stands plainly revealed on the inspired page, not to be reasoned about, or submitted in any way to the human judgment, but simply to be believed.

It is a divine revelation. No human mind could ever have conceived such a thought; but G.o.d reveals it, faith believes it, and walks in the blessed power of it.

It may be the reader feels disposed to ask, How is it possible for the state of one believer to affect those who know nothing about it? The answer is, "If one member suffer, all the members suffer with it." All the members of what? Is it of any mere local a.s.sembly or company who may happen to know or be locally connected with the person concerned?

Nay, but the members of the body wherever they are. Even in the case of Israel, where it was only a national unity, we have seen that if there was evil in any one of their cities, all were concerned, all involved, all affected. Hence, when Achan sinned, although there were myriads of people totally ignorant of the fact, the Lord said, "_Israel_ hath sinned," and the whole a.s.sembly suffered a humiliating defeat.

Can reason grasp this weighty truth? No; but faith can. If we listen to reason, we shall believe nothing; but, by the grace of G.o.d, we shall not listen to reason, but believe what G.o.d says because He says it.

And oh, beloved Christian reader, what an immense truth is this unity of the body! What practical consequences flow out of it! How eminently calculated it is to minister to holiness of walk and life! How watchful it would make us over ourselves--our habits, our ways, our whole moral condition! How careful it would make us not to dishonor the Head _to_ whom we are united, or grieve the Spirit _by_ whom we are united, or injure the members _with_ whom we are united!

But we must close this chapter, much as we should like to linger over one of the very grandest, most profound, and most powerful formative truths that can possibly engage our attention. May the Spirit of G.o.d make it a living power in the soul of every true believer on the face of the earth.

CHAPTER XIV.

"Ye are the children of the Lord your G.o.d; ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead; for thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy G.o.d, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto Himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth." (Ver. 1. 2.)

The opening clause of this chapter sets before us the basis of all the privileges and responsibilities of the Israel of G.o.d. It is a familiar thought amongst us that we must be in a relationship before we can know the affections or discharge the duties which belong to it. This is a plain and undeniable truth. If a man were not a father, no amount of argument or explanation could make him understand the feelings or affections of a father's heart; but the very moment he enters upon the relationship, he knows all about them.

Thus it is as to every relationship and position, and thus it is in the things of G.o.d. We cannot understand the affections or the duties of a child of G.o.d until we are on the ground. We must be Christians before we can perform Christian duties. Even when we are Christians, it is only by the gracious aid of the Holy Ghost that we can walk as such; but clearly, if we are not on Christian ground, we can know nothing of Christian affections or Christian duties. This is so obvious that argument is needless.

Now, most evidently, it is G.o.d's prerogative to declare how His children ought to conduct themselves, and it is their high privilege and holy responsibility to seek, in all things, to meet His gracious approval. "Ye _are_ the children of the Lord your G.o.d: ye shall not cut yourselves." They were not their own; they belonged to Him, and therefore they had no right to cut themselves or disfigure their faces for the dead. Nature, in its pride and self-will, might say, Why may we not do like other people? What harm can there be in cutting ourselves, or making a baldness between our eyes? It is only an expression of grief, an affectionate tribute to our loved departed ones. Surely there can be nothing morally wrong in such a suited expression of sorrow.

To all this there was one simple but conclusive answer--"Ye are the children of the Lord your G.o.d." This fact altered every thing. The poor ignorant and uncirc.u.mcised Gentiles around them might cut and disfigure themselves, inasmuch as they knew not G.o.d, and were not in relationship to Him; but as for Israel, they were on the high and holy ground of nearness to G.o.d, and this one fact was to give tone and character to all their habits. They were not called upon to adopt or refrain from any particular habit or custom _in order to be_ the children of G.o.d. This would be, as we say, beginning at the wrong end; but _being_ His children, they were to act as such.

"Thou _art_ a holy people unto the Lord thy G.o.d." He does not say, Ye _ought to be_ a holy people. How could they ever make themselves a holy people, or a peculiar people, unto Jehovah? Utterly impossible.

If they were not His people, no efforts of theirs could ever make them such. But G.o.d, in His sovereign grace, in pursuance of His covenant with their fathers, had _made_ them His children, _made_ them a peculiar people above all the nations that were upon the earth. Here was the solid foundation of Israel's moral edifice. All their habits and customs, all their doings and ways, their food and their clothing, what they did and what they did not do--all was to flow out of the one grand fact, with which they had no more to do than with their natural birth, namely, that they actually were the children of G.o.d, the people of His choice, the people of His own special possession.

Now, we cannot but acknowledge it to be a privilege of the very highest order to have the Lord so near to us, and so interested in all our habits and ways. To mere nature, no doubt--to one who does not know the Lord--is not in relationship to Him, the very idea of His holy presence, or of nearness to Him, would be simply intolerable: but to every true believer--every one who really loves G.o.d, it is a most delightful thought to have Him near us, and to know that He interests Himself in all the most minute details of our personal history and most private life; that He takes cognizance of what we eat and what we wear; that He looks after us by day and by night, sleeping and waking, at home and abroad; in short, that His interest in and care for us go far beyond those of the most tender, loving mother for her babe.

All this is perfectly wonderful; and surely, if we only realized it more fully, we should live a very different sort of life, and have a very different tale to tell. What a holy privilege--what a precious reality, to know that our loving Lord is about our path by day, and about our bed by night; that His eye rests upon us when we are dressing in the morning, when we sit down to our meals, when we go about our business, and in all our intercourse from morning till night! May the sense of this be a living and abiding power in the heart of every child of G.o.d on the face of the earth.

From verse 3 to 20, we have the law as to clean and unclean beasts, fishes, and fowls. The leading principles as to all these have already come under our notice in the eleventh chapter of Leviticus;[14] but there is a very important difference between the two scriptures. The instructions in Leviticus are given primarily to Moses and Aaron; in Deuteronomy, they are given directly to the people. This is perfectly characteristic of the two books. Leviticus may be specially termed, The priest's guide-book. In Deuteronomy, the priests are almost entirely in the back-ground, and the people are prominent. This is strikingly apparent all through the book, so that there is not the slightest foundation for the idea that Deuteronomy merely repeats Leviticus. Nothing can be further from the truth. Each book has its own peculiar province, its own design, its own work. The devout student sees and owns this with deep delight. Infidels are willfully blind, and can see nothing.

[14] As we have given in our "Notes on the Book of Leviticus," chapter xi., what we believe to be the scriptural import of verses 4-20 of our chapter, we must refer the reader to what is there advanced.

In verse 21 of our chapter, the marked distinction between the Israel of G.o.d and the stranger is strikingly presented.--"Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself; _thou shalt give it unto the stranger_ that is in thy gates, that _he may eat it_; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien; for thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy G.o.d." The grand fact of Israel's relationship to Jehovah marked them off from all the nations under the sun. It was not that they were, in themselves, a whit better or holier than others; but Jehovah was holy, and they were His people. "Be ye holy, for I am holy."

Worldly people often think that Christians are very pharisaic in separating themselves from other people, and refusing to take part in the pleasures and amus.e.m.e.nts of the world; but they do not really understand the question. The fact is, for a Christian to partic.i.p.ate in the vanities and follies of a sinful world would be, to use a typical phrase, like an Israelite eating that which had died of itself. The Christian, thank G.o.d, has gotten something better to feed upon than the poor dead things of this world. He has the Living Bread that came down from heaven--the true Manna; and not only so, but he eats of "the old corn of the land of Canaan," type of the risen and glorified Man in the heavens. Of these most precious things the poor unconverted worldling knows absolutely nothing, and hence he must feed upon what the world has to offer him. It is not a question of the right or the wrong of things looked at in themselves. No one could possibly have known aught about the wrong of eating of any thing that had died of itself if G.o.d's word had not settled it.

This is the all-important point for us. We cannot expect the world to see or feel with us as to matters of right and wrong. It is our business to look at things from a divine stand-point. Many things may be quite consistent for a worldly man to do which a Christian could not touch at all, simply because he is a Christian. The question which the true believer has to ask as to every thing which comes before him is simply, Can I do this to the glory of G.o.d? can I connect the name of Christ with it? If not, he must not touch it.

In a word, the Christian's standard and test for every thing is Christ. This makes it all so simple. Instead of asking, Is such a thing consistent with _our_ profession, _our_ principles, _our_ character, or _our_ reputation? we have to ask, Is it consistent with Christ? This makes all the difference. Whatever is unworthy of Christ is unworthy of a Christian. If this be thoroughly understood and laid hold of, it will furnish a great practical rule which may be applied to a thousand details. If the heart be true to Christ,--if we walk according to the instincts of the divine nature, as strengthened by the ministry of the Holy Ghost, and guided by the authority of holy Scripture, we shall not be much troubled with questions of right or wrong in our daily life.

Before proceeding to quote for the reader the lovely paragraph which closes our chapter, we would very briefly call his attention to the last clause of verse 21.--"Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk." The fact that this commandment is given three times, in various connections, is sufficient to mark it as one of special interest and practical importance. The question is, What does it mean?

what are we to learn from it? We believe it teaches very plainly that the Lord's people must carefully avoid every thing contrary to nature.

Now, it was manifestly contrary to nature that what was intended for a creature's nourishment should be used to seethe it.

We find, all through the Word of G.o.d, great prominence given to what is according to nature--what is comely. "Does not even nature itself teach you?" says the inspired apostle to the a.s.sembly at Corinth.

There are certain feelings and instincts implanted in nature by the Creator which must never be outraged. We may set it down as a fixed principle, an axiom in Christian ethics, that no action can possibly be of G.o.d that offers violence to the sensibilities proper to nature.

The Spirit of G.o.d may, and often does, lead us beyond and above nature, but never against it.

We shall now turn to the closing verses of our chapter, in which we shall find some uncommonly fine practical instruction. "Thou shalt truly t.i.the all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy G.o.d, in the place which He shall choose to place His name there, the t.i.the of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy G.o.d always. And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the Lord thy G.o.d shall choose to set His name there, when the Lord thy G.o.d hath blessed thee; then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy G.o.d shall choose; and thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul l.u.s.teth after--for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth; and thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy G.o.d, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household, and the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him, for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee. At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the t.i.the of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates. And the Levite (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee), and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied, that the Lord thy G.o.d may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest." (Ver. 22-29.)

This is a deeply interesting and most important pa.s.sage, setting before us, with special simplicity, the _basis_, the _centre_, and _practical features_ of Israel's national and domestic religion. The grand foundation of Israel's worship was laid in the fact that both they themselves and their land belonged to Jehovah. The land was His, and they held as tenants under Him. To this precious truth they were called, periodically, to bear testimony by faithfully t.i.thing their land: "Thou shalt _truly_ t.i.the all the increase of thy seed that thy field bringeth forth year by year." They were to own, in this practical way, the proprietorship of Jehovah, and never lose sight of it: they were to own no other landlord but the Lord their G.o.d. All they were and all they had belonged to Him. This was the solid ground-work of their national worship--their national religion.

And then as to the centre, it is set forth with equal clearness. They were to gather to the place where Jehovah recorded His name. Precious privilege for all who truly loved that glorious name! We see in this pa.s.sage, as also in many other portions of the Word of G.o.d, what importance He attached to the periodical gatherings of His people around Himself. Blessed be His name, He delighted to see His beloved people a.s.sembled in His presence, happy in Him and in one another; rejoicing together in their common portion, and feeding in sweet and loving fellowship on the fruit of Jehovah's land. "Thou shalt eat before the Lord thy G.o.d, _in the place which He shall choose_, to place His name there, the t.i.the of thy corn, ... _that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy G.o.d always_."

There was, there could be, no other place like that, in the judgment of every faithful Israelite, every true lover of Jehovah. All such would delight to flock to the hallowed spot where that beloved and revered name was recorded. It might seem strange and unaccountable to those who knew not the G.o.d of Israel, and cared nothing about Him, to see the people traveling--many of them--a long distance from their homes, and carrying their t.i.thes to one particular spot. They might feel disposed to call in question the needs-be for such a custom. Why not eat at home? they might say. But the simple fact is, such persons knew nothing whatever about the matter, and were wholly incapable of entering into the preciousness of it. To the Israel of G.o.d, there was the one grand moral reason for journeying to the appointed place, and that reason was found in the glorious motto, _Jehovah Shammah_--"The Lord is there." If an Israelite had willfully determined to stay at home, or to go to some place of his own choosing, he would neither have met Jehovah there nor his brethren, and hence he would have eaten alone. Such a course would have incurred the judgment of G.o.d; it would have been an abomination. There was but one centre, and that was not of man's choosing, but of G.o.d's. The G.o.dless Jeroboam, for his own selfish, political ends, presumed to interfere with the divine order, and set up his calves at Bethel and Dan; but the worship offered there was offered to demons and not to G.o.d. It was a daring act of wickedness, which brought down upon him and upon his house the righteous judgment of G.o.d; and we see, in Israel's after history, that "Jeroboam the son of Nebat" is used as the terrible model of iniquity for all the wicked kings.

But all the faithful in Israel were sure to be found at the one divine centre, and no where else. You would not find such making all sorts of excuses for staying at home; neither would you find them running hither and thither to places of their own or other people's choosing; no, you would find them gathered to Jehovah Shammah, and there alone.

Was this narrowness and bigotry? Nay; it was the fear and love of G.o.d.

If Jehovah had appointed a place where He would meet His people, a.s.suredly His people should meet Him there.

And not only had He appointed a place, but, in His abounding goodness, He devised a means of making that place as convenient as possible for His worshiping people. Thus we read, "And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if _the place_ be too far from thee _which the Lord thy G.o.d shall choose to set His name there_, when the Lord thy G.o.d hath blessed thee; then thou shalt turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy G.o.d shall choose: ... and _thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy G.o.d_, and thou shalt rejoice, thou and thy household."

This is perfectly beautiful. The Lord, in His tender care and considerate love, took account of every thing. He would not leave a single difficulty in the way of His beloved people, in the matter of their a.s.sembling around Himself. He had His own special joy in seeing His redeemed people happy in His presence, and all who loved His name would delight to meet the loving desire of His heart by being found at the divinely appointed centre.

If any Israelite were found neglecting the blessed occasion of a.s.sembling with his brethren at the divinely chosen place and time, it would have simply proved that he had no heart for G.o.d or for His people, or, what was worse, that he was willfully absent. He might reason as he pleased about his being happy at home, happy elsewhere; it was a false happiness, inasmuch as it was happiness found in the path of disobedience, the path of willful neglect of the divine appointment.

All this is full of most valuable instruction for the Church of G.o.d now. It is the will of G.o.d now, no less than of old, that His people should a.s.semble in His presence, on divinely appointed ground, and to a divinely appointed centre. This, we presume, will hardly be called in question by any one having a spark of divine light in his soul. The instincts of the divine nature, the leadings of the Holy Ghost, and the teachings of holy Scripture do all most unquestionably lead the Lord's people to a.s.semble themselves together for worship, communion, and edification. However dispensations may differ, there are certain great principles and leading characteristics which always hold good, and the a.s.sembling of ourselves together is most a.s.suredly one of these. Whether under the old economy or under the new, the a.s.sembling of the Lord's people is a divine inst.i.tution.

Now, this being so, it is not a question of _our_ happiness, one way or the other; though we may be perfectly sure that all true Christians will be happy in being found in their divinely appointed place. There is ever deep joy and blessing in the a.s.sembly of G.o.d's people. It is impossible for us to find ourselves together in the Lord's presence and not be truly happy. It is simply heaven upon earth for the Lord's dear people--those who love His name, love His person, love one another, to be together around His table, around Himself. What can exceed the blessedness of being allowed to break bread together in remembrance of our beloved and adorable Lord, to show forth His death until He come; to raise, in holy concert, our anthems of praise to G.o.d and the Lamb; to edify, exhort, and comfort one another, according to the gift and grace bestowed upon us by the risen and glorified Head of the Church; to pour out our hearts, in sweet fellowship, in prayer, supplication, intercession, and giving of thanks for all men, for kings and all in authority, for the whole household of faith--the Church of G.o.d--the body of Christ, for the Lord's work and workmen all over the earth?

Where, we would ask with all possible confidence, is there a true Christian, in a right state of soul, who would not delight in all this, and say, from the very depths of his heart, that there is nothing this side the glory to be compared with it?

But, we repeat, our happiness is not the question; it is less than secondary. We are to be ruled, in this as in all beside, by the will of G.o.d as revealed in His holy Word. The question for us is simply this: Is it according to the mind of G.o.d that His people should a.s.semble themselves together for worship and mutual edification? If this be so, woe be to all who willfully refuse, or indolently neglect to do so, on any ground whatsoever; they not only suffer serious loss in their own souls, but they are offering dishonor to G.o.d, grieving His Spirit, and doing injury to the a.s.sembly of His people.