THE words with which our chapter opens are peculiarly striking, when
taken in connection with the contents of chapter xiv. There, all seemed
dark and hopeless. Moses had to say to the people, “_Go not up_, for the
Lord is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies.” And
again, the Lord had said to them, “As truly as I live, as ye have spoken
in Mine ears, so will I do to you. Your carcasses shall fall in this
wilderness.... Doubtless _ye shall not come into the land_ concerning
which I sware to make you dwell therein.... As for you, your carcasses,
they shall fall in this wilderness.”
Thus much as to chapter xiv. But no sooner do we open the section now
before us, than, just as though nothing had happened, and though all
were as calm, as bright, and as certain as God could make it, we read
such words as these: “The Lord spake unto Moses, saying, ‘Speak unto the
children of Israel, and say unto them, _When ye be come into the land of
your habitations, which I give unto you_,’” etc. This is one of the most
remarkable passages in the entire of this most wonderful book. Indeed
there is not, in the whole compass of the book, a passage more thoroughly
characteristic, not only of Numbers, but of the entire volume of God.
When we read the solemn sentence, “Ye shall not come into the land,” what
is the plain lesson which it reads out to us? The lesson, which we are so
slow to learn, of man’s utter worthlessness.—“All flesh is grass.”
And, on the other hand, when we read such words as these: “When ye be
come into the land of your habitations, which I give unto you,” what is
the precious lesson which they read out to us? This, assuredly, that
salvation is of the Lord. In the one, we learn man’s failure; in the
other, God’s faithfulness. If we look at man’s side of the question, the
sentence is, “Doubtless _ye shall not_ come into the land;” but if we
look at God’s side of the question, we can reverse the matter, and say,
“Doubtless _ye shall_.”
Thus it stands in the scene now before us, and thus it stands in the
whole volume of inspiration—from beginning to end. Man fails, but God is
faithful: man forfeits every thing, but God makes good all. “The things
which are impossible with man are possible with God.” Need we travel
through the inspired canon in order to illustrate and prove this? Need
we refer the reader to the history of Adam in paradise? or the history
of Noah after the flood? or the history of Israel in the wilderness,
Israel in the land, Israel under the law, Israel under the Levitical
ceremonial? Shall we dwell upon the record of man’s failure in the
prophetic, priestly, and kingly office? Shall we point out the failure of
the professing church as a responsible vessel on the earth? Has not man
failed always and in every thing? Alas! it is so.
This is one side of the picture—the dark and humbling side. But, blessed
be God, there is the bright and encouraging side also. If there is the
“Doubtless ye shall not,” there is also the “Doubtless ye shall.” And
why? Because Christ has entered the scene, and in Him all is infallibly
secured for the glory of God and the eternal blessing of man. It is
God’s eternal purpose to “head up all things in Christ.” There is not a
single thing in which the first man has failed that the second Man will
not make good. All is set up on a new footing in Christ. He is the Head
of the new creation; Heir of all the promises made to Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob touching the land; Heir of all the promises made to David
concerning the throne. The government shall be upon His shoulders. He
shall bear the glory. He is the Prophet, Priest, and King. In a word,
Christ makes good all that Adam lost, and brings in much more beside than
Adam ever had. Hence, when we look at the first Adam and his doings,
whenever and however viewed, the sentence is, “Doubtless _ye shall not_.”
Ye shall not remain in paradise—ye shall not retain the government—ye
shall not inherit the promises—ye shall not enter the land—ye shall not
occupy the throne—ye shall not enter the kingdom.
But, on the other hand, when we look at the last Adam and His doings,
wherever and however viewed, the entire category must be gloriously
reversed; the “not” must be forever elided from the sentence, for in
Christ Jesus “all the promises of God are yea and Amen, to the glory of
God by us.” There is no “nay” in the matter when Christ is concerned.
All is “yea”—all is divinely settled and established; and because it
is so, God has set His seal to it, even the seal of His Spirit, which
all believers now possess. “For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was
preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was
not yea and nay, but in Him was yea. For all the promises of God in Him
are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. Now He which
stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; who hath
also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” (2
Cor. i. 19-22.)
Thus, then, the opening lines of Numbers xv. must be read in the light of
the whole volume of God. It falls in with the entire history of the ways
of God with man, in this world. Israel had forfeited all title to the
land. They deserved nothing better than that their carcasses should fall
in the wilderness. And yet such is the large and precious grace of God,
that He could speak to them of their coming into the land, and instruct
them as to their ways and works therein.
Nothing can be more blessed or more establishing than all this. God
rises above all human failure and sin. It is utterly impossible that
a single promise of God can fail of its accomplishment. Could it be
that the conduct of Abraham’s seed in the wilderness should frustrate
God’s eternal purpose, or hinder the fulfillment of the absolute and
unconditional promise made to the fathers? Impossible. And therefore,
if the generation which came out of Egypt refused to go into Canaan,
Jehovah would, of the very stones, raise up a seed to whom His promise
should be made good. This will help to explain the opening sentence of
our chapter, which comes in with such remarkable force and beauty after
the humiliating scenes of chapter xiv. In this latter, Israel’s sun seems
to go down amid dark and angry clouds; but in the former, it rises with
serene brightness, revealing and establishing that great truth that “the
gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” God never repents of
His call or His gift; and hence, though an unbelieving generation should
murmur and rebel ten thousand times over, He will make good all that He
has promised.
Here is the divine resting-place of faith at all times—the sure and safe
haven for the soul amid the wreck of all human schemes and undertakings.
Every thing goes to pieces in man’s hands, but God in Christ remains.
Let man be set up in business again and again, under the most favorable
circumstances, and he is sure to become a bankrupt; but God has set up
Christ in resurrection, and all who believe in Him are placed on a new
footing altogether—they are taken into partnership with the risen and
glorified Head, and there they stand forever. That wondrous partnership
can never be dissolved. All is secured on a basis that no power of earth
or hell can ever touch.
Reader, say, dost thou understand the application of all this to thyself?
Hast thou discovered, in the light of God’s presence, that thou art, in
very deed, a bankrupt? that thou hast made shipwreck of every thing?
that thou hast not a single plea to urge? Hast thou been led to make
a personal application of those two sentences upon which we have been
dwelling, namely, “Doubtless thou shalt not,” and “Doubtless thou
shalt”? Hast thou learnt the force of these words, “Thou hast destroyed
thyself; but in Me is thy help”? In one word, hast thou come to Jesus as
a lost, guilty, self-destroyed sinner, and found redemption, pardon, and
peace in Him?
Do pause, dear friend, and seriously consider these things. We can never
lose sight of the weighty fact that we have something more to do than to
write “Notes on the book of Numbers:” we have to consider the soul of the
reader. We have a most solemn responsibility to discharge to him or to
her; and therefore it is that, from time to time, we feel constrained to
turn, for a moment, from the page on which we are meditating, in order
to make an appeal to the heart and conscience of the reader, and entreat
him, most earnestly, that if he be as yet unconverted, undecided, he
would lay aside this volume, and apply his heart seriously to the great
question of his present condition and eternal destiny. In comparison with
this, all other questions dwindle into utter insignificance. What are all
the schemes and undertakings which begin, continue, and end in time, when
compared with eternity and the salvation of your never-dying soul? They
are as the small dust of the balance. “What shall it profit a man if he
shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” If you had the wealth
of a Rothschild—the money-king, if you stood on the loftiest pinnacle
of literary fame or political ambition, if your name were adorned with
all the honors which the universities of this world could bestow, if
your brow were wreathed with the laurels and your breast covered with the
medals of a hundred victories, what would it profit you? You must leave
all—you must pass through the narrow arch of time into the boundless
ocean of eternity. Men of princely wealth, men of literary fame, men who
have ruled by their intellectual power the House of Lords and Commons,
men who have held thousands hanging entranced upon their lips, men who
have reached the very highest point of naval, military, and forensic
distinction, have passed away into eternity; and the awful question as to
such is, “Where is the soul?”
Beloved reader, we beseech thee, by the most weighty arguments that
can possibly be urged upon the soul of man, not to turn away from this
subject until thou hast come to a right conclusion. By God’s great love,
by the cross and passion of Christ, by the powerful testimony of God the
Holy Ghost, by the awful solemnity of a never-ending eternity, by the
unspeakable value of thy immortal soul, by all the joys of heaven, by
all the horrors of hell—by these seven weighty arguments, we urge thee,
this moment, to come to Jesus. Delay not! argue not! reason not! but come
now, just as you are—with all your sins, with all your misery, with your
misspent life, with your dreadful record of mercies slighted, advantages
abused, opportunities neglected—come to Jesus, who stands, with open arms
and loving heart, ready to receive you, and points to those wounds which
attest the reality of His atoning death upon the cross, and tells you to
put your trust in Him, and assures you you will never be confounded. May
God’s Spirit carry home this appeal to thy heart, this moment, and give
thee no rest until thou art savingly converted to Christ, reconciled to
God, and sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.
* * * * *
We shall now return, for a moment, to our chapter.
Nothing can be more lovely than the picture here presented. We have
vows, and free-will offerings, sacrifices of righteousness, and the wine
of the kingdom, all based upon the sovereign grace which shines in the
very first verse. It is a fair sample, a beauteous foreshadowing of the
future condition of Israel. It reminds us of the marvelous visions which
close the book of the prophet Ezekiel. The unbelief, the murmuring, the
rebellion, are all over and all forgotten. God retires into His own
eternal counsels, and from thence looks forward to the time when His
people shall offer an offering in righteousness and pay their vows to
Him, and the joy of His kingdom shall fill their hearts forever. (Ver.
3-13.)
But there is a very striking feature in this chapter, and that is, the
place which “the stranger” gets. It is most thoroughly characteristic.
“And if a stranger sojourn with you, or whosoever be among you in your
generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor
unto the Lord; as ye do, so he shall do. One ordinance shall be both for
you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with
you, _an ordinance forever_ in your generations: _as ye are, so shall the
stranger be before the Lord_. One law and one manner shall be for you,
and for the stranger that sojourneth with you.”
What a place for the stranger! What a lesson for Israel! What a standing
testimony on the page of their favorite and boasted Moses! The stranger
is placed on the very same platform with Israel! “_As_ ye are, _so_ shall
the stranger be;” and this, too, “before the Lord.” In Exodus xii. 48,
we read, “And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep
the passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then
let him come near and keep it.” But in Numbers xv. there is no allusion
to circumcision at all. And why? Is it that such a point could ever be
waived? No; but we believe the omission here is full of meaning. Israel
had forfeited every thing. The rebellious generation was to be set aside
and cut off; but God’s eternal purpose of grace must stand, and all His
promises be fulfilled. All Israel shall be saved; they shall possess the
land; they shall offer pure offerings, pay their vows, and taste the joy
of the kingdom. On what ground? On the ground of sovereign mercy. Well,
it is on the self-same ground that “the stranger” shall be brought in;
and not only brought in, but “_as_ ye are, _so_ shall the stranger be
before the Lord.”
Will the Jew quarrel with this? Let him go and study Numbers xiii. and
xiv. And when he has drunk into his inmost soul the wholesome lesson,
then let him meditate on chapter xv, and we feel assured he will not seek
to push “the stranger” off the platform, for he will be ready to confess
himself a debtor to mercy alone, and to acknowledge that the same mercy
which has reached him can reach the stranger, and he will rejoice to go
in company with that stranger to drink of the wells of salvation thrown
open by the sovereign grace of the God of Jacob.
Are we not forcibly reminded, by the teaching of this part of our book,
of that profound section of dispensational truth presented in Romans
ix.-xi, particularly of its magnificent close? “The gifts and calling
of God are without repentance. For as ye [strangers] in times past have
not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
even so have these also now not believed in your mercy [_i. e._, mercy
shown to the Gentiles—_see Greek_], that they also may obtain mercy [_i.
e._, come in on the ground of mercy like the stranger]. For God hath
concluded them all in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all [Jews
and Gentiles—Israel and the stranger]. O the depth of the riches both of
the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and
his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or
who hath been His counselor? Or who hath first given to Him, and it shall
be recompensed unto him again? For of Him, and through Him, and to Him,
are all things; to whom be glory forever. Amen.” (Rom. xi. 29-36.)
From verse 22-31 of our chapter, we have instructions as to sins of
ignorance and presumptuous sins—a very grave and important distinction.
For the former, ample provision is made, in the goodness and mercy
of God. The _death_ of Christ is presented, in this portion of the
chapter, in its two grand aspects, namely, the burnt-offering and the
sin-offering; that is, its aspect to Godward and its aspect to usward;
and we have also all the preciousness, fragrance, and joy of His
perfect _life_ and service as a man in this world, as typified by the
meat-offering and drink-offering. In the burnt-offering, we see atonement
wrought according to the measure of Christ’s devotedness to God, and
of God’s delight in Him: in the sin-offering, we see atonement wrought
according to the measure of the sinner’s necessities and the hatefulness
of sin in God’s sight. The two offerings, taken together, present the
atoning death of Christ in all its fullness. Then, in the meat-offering,
we have Christ’s perfect life and the reality of His human nature, as
manifested in all the details of His path and service in this world;
while the drink-offering, typifies His complete surrender of Himself to
God.
Into the rich and marvelous instruction conveyed in the different classes
of sacrifices presented in this passage, we do not attempt to enter now.
The reader who desires to study the subject more fully is referred to a
little volume entitled “Notes on the book of Leviticus.” (Pages 1-140.)
We merely state here, in the very briefest manner, what we judge to be
the main import of each offering; to go into details would only be to
repeat what we have already written.
We would merely add that the claims of God demand that sins of ignorance
should be taken cognizance of. We might feel disposed to say, or at least
to think, that such sins ought to be passed over; but God does not think
so. His holiness must not be reduced to the standard of our intelligence.
_Grace_ has made provision for sins of ignorance, but _holiness_ demands
that such sins should be judged and confessed. Every true heart will
bless God for this. For what would become of us if the provisions of
divine grace were not adequate to meet the claims of divine holiness? and
adequate they most surely could not be if they traveled not beyond the
range of our intelligence.
And yet, while all this will, generally speaking, be fully admitted, it
is often very sorrowful to hear professing Christians making excuses
for ignorance, and justifying unfaithfulness and error on the ground of
ignorance. But very often, in such cases, the question may very cogently
be urged, why are we ignorant, in reference to any point of conduct,
or the claims of Christ upon us? Suppose a question comes before us
demanding a positive judgment, and calling for a certain line of action;
we plead ignorance. Is this right? will it avail? will it dispose of
our responsibility? will God allow us to shirk the question after such
a fashion? Nay, reader; we may rest assured it will not do. Why are
we ignorant? Have we put forth all our energies, have we adopted every
available means, have we made every possible effort, to get at the root
of the matter and reach a just conclusion? Let us bear in mind that
the claims of truth and holiness demand all this of us; nor should we
be satisfied with any thing less. We cannot but admit that were it a
question involving, in any measure, _our own_ interests—_our_ name, _our_
reputation, _our_ property, we should leave no stone unturned in order to
make ourselves fully acquainted with all the facts of the case. We should
not long plead ignorance in such matters. If information were to be had,
we should have it. We should do our very utmost to know all the ins and
outs, the _pros_ and _cons_, of the question, so that we might form a
sound judgment in the matter.
Is this not so, reader? Well, then, why should we plead ignorance when
the claims of Christ are in question? Does it not prove that while we are
quick, earnest, energetic, all alive, when _self_ is concerned, we are
indifferent, sluggish, slow-paced, when Christ is concerned? Alas! alas!
this is the plain, humbling truth. May we be humbled under a sense of
it. May the Spirit of God make us more thoroughly in earnest in things
which concern our Lord Jesus Christ. May self and its interests sink,
and may Christ and His interests rise in our estimation, every day; and
may we at least cordially own our holy responsibility to go diligently
into every question in the which the glory of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ may, even in the most remote degree, be involved, however
we may fail practically in our research. Let us not dare to say or think
or act as though we thought that aught that concerns Him is a matter of
indifference to us. God, in His mercy, forbid! Let us esteem all that
merely concerns ourselves to be comparatively non-essential, but the
claims of Christ to be of paramount authority.
We have said thus much on the subject of ignorance, in the sense of our
responsibility to the truth of God and to the soul of the reader. We
feel its immense practical importance. We believe we very often plead
_ignorance_, when _indifference_ would be the truer term to use. This is
very sad. Surely, if our God, in His infinite goodness, has made ample
provision even for sins of ignorance, that is no reason why we should
coolly shelter ourselves behind the plea of ignorance, when there is the
most abundant information within our reach had we only the energy to make
use of it.
We might not, perhaps, have dwelt at such length upon this point were it
not for the conviction, which becomes each day more strengthened in the
soul, that we have reached a serious moment in our history as Christians.
We are not given to croaking: we have no sympathy whatever with it. We
believe it is our privilege to be filled with the most joyful confidence,
and to have our hearts and minds ever garrisoned by the peace of God that
passeth all understanding. “God hath not given us the spirit of fear;
but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim. i. 7.)
But it is impossible to close our eyes to the startling fact that the
claims of Christ, the value of truth, the authority of holy Scripture,
are being more and more set aside each day, each week, each year. We
believe we are approaching a moment in the which there will be toleration
for any thing and every thing save the truth of God. It behooves us,
therefore, to look well to it that God’s Word has its own proper place in
the heart, and that the conscience is governed in all things by its holy
authority. A tender conscience is a most precious treasure to carry about
with us from day to day—a conscience that ever yields a true response to
the action of the Word of God—that bows down without a question to its
plain statements. When the conscience is in this fine condition, there is
always a regulating power wherewith to act upon one’s practical course
and character. Conscience may be compared to the regulator of a watch.
It may happen that the hands of the watch get astray; but so long as
the regulator has power over the spring, there is always the means of
correcting the hands. If that power be gone, the entire watch must be
taken to pieces. So with the conscience. So long as it continues true to
the touch of Scripture, as applied by the Holy Ghost, there is always a
safe and sure regulating power; but if it becomes sluggish, hardened,
or perverted—if it refuses to yield a true response to “Thus saith the
Lord,” there is little, if any, hope. It then becomes a case similar
to that referred to in our chapter,—“But the soul that doeth aught
_presumptuously_, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, _the
same reproacheth the Lord_; and that soul shall be cut off from among his
people. _Because he hath despised the word of the Lord_, and hath broken
His commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall
be upon him.” (Ver. 30, 31.)
This is no sin of ignorance, but a presumptuous, willful sin, for which
nothing remained but the unmitigated judgment of God. “Rebellion is as
the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.”
(1 Sam. xv. 23.) These are weighty words for a moment like the present,
when man’s will is developing itself with such extraordinary force.
It is deemed manly to assert our will, but Scripture teaches the
direct opposite. The two grand elements of human perfection—of perfect
manhood—are these, namely, _dependence_ and _obedience_. In proportion
as any one departs from these, he departs from the true spirit and
attitude of a man. Hence, when we turn our eyes to Him who was _the_
perfect Man—the Man Christ Jesus, we see these two grand features
perfectly adjusted and perfectly developed from first to last. That
blessed One was never, for a single moment, out of the attitude of
perfect dependence and absolute obedience. To prove and illustrate this
fact would take us through the entire gospel narrative. But take the
scene of the temptation, and there you will find a sample of the whole
of that blessed life. His one unvarying reply to the tempter was, “_It
is written_.” No reasonings, no arguments, no questions. He lived by the
Word of God. He conquered Satan by holding fast the _only_ true position
of a man—dependence and obedience. He _could_ depend upon God, and He
_would_ obey Him. What could Satan do in such a case? Absolutely nothing.
Well, then, this is our example. We, as having the life of Christ, are
called to live in habitual dependence and obedience. This is walking
in the Spirit: this is the safe and happy path of the Christian.
Independence and disobedience go together: they are utterly unchristian
and unmanly. We find these two things in the first man, as we find the
two opposites in the second. Adam in the garden sought to be independent.
He was not content with being a man, and abiding in the only true place
and spirit of a man, and he became disobedient. Here lies the secret of
fallen humanity—these are the two elements which make up fallen manhood.
Trace it where you will—before the flood, after the flood, without law,
under the law, heathen, pagan, Jew, Turk, or nominal Christian,—analyze
it as closely as you please, and you will see that it resolves itself
into these two component parts—independence and disobedience. And when
you reach the close of man’s history in this world—when you view him in
that last sad sphere in which he is to figure, how do you see him?—in
what character does he appear? As “the willful king,” and the “lawless
man.”
May we have grace to ponder these things aright. Let us cultivate a
lowly and an obedient spirit. God has said, “To this man will I look,
even to him who is of a contrite spirit and trembleth at My word.” May
these words sink down into our ears and into our hearts; and let the
constant breathing of our souls be, “Keep back Thy servant, O Lord, from
presumptuous sins, and let them not have dominion over him.”[13]
It only remains for us, ere closing this section, to notice the case of
the Sabbath-breaker and the institution of “the ribband of blue.”
“And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found
a man that gathered sticks upon the Sabbath day. And they that found
him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the
congregation. And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what
should be done to him. And the Lord said unto Moses, ‘The man shall be
surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones
without the camp.’ And all the congregation brought him without the camp,
and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses.”
(Ver. 32-36.)
This surely was a presumptuous sin—it was flying in the face of a most
plain and positive commandment of God. It is this that specially marks a
presumptuous sin, and leaves it utterly inexcusable. Ignorance cannot be
pleaded in the face of a divine command.
But why, it may be asked, had they to put the man in ward? Because,
although the commandment was explicit, yet the breach of it had not
been anticipated, nor had any penalty been enacted. To speak after the
manner of men, Jehovah had not contemplated such folly on man’s part as
the interruption of His rest, and therefore He had not formally provided
for such an occurrence. We need not say that God knows the end from the
beginning; but in the matter now before us, He purposely left the case
unnoticed until occasion required. But, alas! occasion did require,
for man is capable of any thing. He has no heart for God’s rest. To
kindle a fire on the Sabbath day was not only a positive breach of the
law, but it evidenced the most complete alienation from the mind of the
Law-giver, inasmuch as it introduced into the day of rest that which is
the apt symbol of _judgment_. Fire is emblematical of judgment, and as
such it was wholly out of keeping with the repose of the Sabbath; nothing
therefore remained but to visit the Sabbath-breaker with judgment, for
“whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, ‘Speak unto the children of
Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their
garments, throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe
of the borders a ribband of blue. And it shall be unto you for a fringe,
that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord,
and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart, and your own
eyes, ... that ye may remember, and do all My commandments, and be holy
unto your God. I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land
of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord your God.’” (Ver. 37-41.)
The God of Israel would keep His people in continual remembrance of His
holy commandments. Hence the beautiful institution of “the ribband of
_blue_,” which was designed to be a _heavenly_ memorial attached to the
very borders of their garments, so that the word of God might ever be
held fast in the remembrance of the thoughts of their hearts. Whenever
an Israelite cast his eyes upon the blue ribband, he was to think of
Jehovah, and yield a hearty obedience to all His statutes.
Such was the great practical intention of “the ribband of blue.” But when
we turn to Matthew xxiii. 5, we learn the sad use which man had made
of the divine institution.—“But all their works they do for to be seen
of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and _enlarge the borders
of their garments_.” Thus the very thing which had been instituted
for the purpose of leading them to remember Jehovah, and to yield a
lowly obedience to His precious word, was turned into an occasion of
self-exaltation and religious pride. Instead of thinking of God and His
word, they thought of themselves, and of the place which they held in the
estimation of their fellows. “_All_ their works they do to be _seen of
men_.” Not a thought of God. The spirit of the original institution was
completely lost, while the outward form was kept up for selfish ends. Can
we not see something like this around us and among us? Let us think of
it—think deeply and seriously. Let us see to it that we do not turn the
heavenly memorial into an earthly badge, and that which ought to lead to
lowly obedience into an occasion of self-exaltation.