'But of the cities of these people, which Je- of their duty and of their danger-of hovah thy God doth give thee for an inhe- the terrible woe of expatriation, and ritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth; but thou shalt utterly destroy them, even extermination, which would be the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites their just recompense, if they, too, and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebu- practised the like abominations. The sites, as Jehovah thy God hath commanded thee; that they teach you not to do after all command to slay the men of a distant their abominations, which they have done city, and to save the women and chilunto their gods; so should ye sin against dren, &c. alive, is probably introduced Jehovah your God.' by way of contrast to the other more terrible command, and not with any view of its being really executed. And, indeed, in Josiah's time there was little probability of any such distant conquests being made by Israel. 889. Such laws as the above are felt at once to be directly contradictory to those first principles of humanity and equity, which God our Creator has planted within us, to be our monitors and guides through life; and they equally contradict the plainest teaching of the Gospel of Christ. I have explained how the writer may be justly relieved from the reproach of having set on record such sanguinary laws as these, with any idea of their being really carried out. The 'rebellious son' is only a figure of 'rebellious Israel'; and the judgment denounced against his disobedience shadows forth the penalty deserved by those who will not obey the voice of Jehovah,' their Heavenly Father. And so, too, the last of the above laws simply expresses the burning zeal which glowed within him against the idolatrous practices, human sacrifices, impurities, &c. which were then common among his own people, and which they had adopted either from the Canaanite nations of former days, or more probably from the heathen tribes then living around them. 90. The Prophet here makes use of the tribes of Canaan as a standing type of such idolators. In the age of Josiah, when these words were written down, those tribes, we may believe, no longer existed: they had long disappeared, or been merged in the Israelitish people. The history teaches us that they never were exterminated, that 'Uriah the Hittite' served as a captain in David's army, and Araunah the Jebusite' had his threshing-floor on the site of the future Temple at Jerusalem. But the Deuteronomist, by setting forth before his people the figure of these tribes, driven out from their old abodes as a judgment for their sins, and ruthlessly exterminated by the hands of Jehovah's worshippers, seeks to remind the latter 891. In such a way as this we can explain intelligibly the fact, that even a good man, a lover of justice and mercy, an inspired Prophet, could yet write down such laws as these. But it is surely nothing else than a tampering with the truth,—an unintentional, doubtless, but yet a real, dishonesty,and therefore, if done with a religious motive, only (disguise it as we will) an idolatrous worship, of a God, who is not our God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the very God of Truth, if we endeavour to defend such laws as these as truly and infallibly Divine, and really uttered from the Mouth of the Most Holy and Blessed One, on the principle that-not a mere man like Moses, but the Divine Being Himself was compelled to adapt His laws to an imperfect state of society,-'to preconceived and popular ideas,'-and, therefore, was led to utter commands, which a child instructed in the first lessons of the Gospel,- nay, which a heathen walking in that Light, which 'lighteneth every man that cometh into the world,' -can at once condemn as unjust and inhuman. 892. We must, then, even in reading the Scriptures, 'try the spirits, whether they are of God.' In this way only can we do the Will of God, and discharge the true duty, and rise to the true dignity, of man as the child of God. We might wish, perhaps, many do wish,-to have it otherwise, to be able to fall back upon the notion of an Infallible Book, or an Infallible Church. But God has not willed it so. He will not give us,—at least He has not given us,-a Revelation of such a kind, as to relieve us from the solemn duty of Judging, each for himself, what is right and true in His Sight. His Spirit has quickened us, that we may do, as living men, His work in the world. He will not suffer us to abdicate the glorious office to which He calls us. We must -not only claim and exercise the right, but-bear the responsibility of private judgment, upon the things of the life to come, as well as of this world. 893. The Deuteronomist himself will teach us this lesson. He tells us, indeed, that God in all ages will raise up prophets like unto ourselves, xviii. 18, will kindle His Fire within the heart, and put His Words into the mouth, of men, who, in all the weakness of humanity, shall speak to their fellowmen all that they feel commanded to teach in His Name,-who shall utter His Eternal Truth, and minister to their brethren the lessons of 'doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction in righteousness.' And their brethren shall 'hear' them; they dare not neglect the truth, of whatever kind, which God's own grace imparts and brings home to them from the lips of a fellow-man, however high or humble. 894. But they must not listen to him with a blind unreasoning acquiescence, though He speak to them in the name of Jehovah, and though the 'sign or wonder' come to pass, xiii.2, which he brought to them as the very credentials of his mission. They must try the spirit' of the Prophet's words by that law which they have within them. written upon their hearts. Jehovah, their God, is proving them, to know whether they truly and entirely love Him, and love His Truth, with all their heart, and with all their soul.' If the words, which that Prophet speaks to them, come home to their consciences as right and true words, then in God's Name let them acknowledge and wel come them, and send them on with a blessing of God speed!' to others. If the Voice, which speaks within, declares that the utterance from without is false, then shalt thou not hearken,' xiii.3, the word is not God's, and he who hears must not obey it. 895. In this spirit we must read the Book of Deuteronomy itself, and we shall find the Living Bread which our souls may feed on, -we shall find in it the Word of God. And that Word will not be at variance with the eternal and essential substance of Christianity, with those words which shall not pass away.' Then we shall live no more in constant fear, that some rude stroke of criticism may shake, perhaps, the ' very foundations of our faith,' or that the announcement of some simple fact of science or natural history may threaten 'to take from us our nearest and dearest consolations.' We shall learn thus to have faith in God,' as our Lord has bidden us, Mark xi.22, and not in the written records, through which He has been pleased, by inspiring the hearts of our brother-men with life, to quicken and comfort our own. When we hear such words as these 'Man doth not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God doth man live,' D.viii.3 'Thou shalt also consider in thy heart that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the Living God, thy God, doth chasten thee, D.viii.5— sin-wrought misery- thou shalt seek the 'If from thence,'-from the very depth of Living God, thy God, thou shalt find Him, if thou seek Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul,' D.iv.29— we shall joyfully welcome them as messages of truth, not merely because we find them in the Bible but because they are true-eternally true. · 896. It is true that God loves us as dear children, and that we may go to Him at all times, as to a wise and tender Father, with a childlike trust and love, as with a childlike reverence and fear. Rather, we must go to Him thus if we would please Him, and act in the spirit of those words, which have taught us all to say, Our Father.' We must believe, not only that He is 'loving unto every man,' and 'His tender mercies are over all His works,' but that that deep love, which human parents feel, is a true reflection of His Great Love,-is meant to image forth to us, however faintly, the Love of Him who is the Father of us all. 'He that planted the ear,' says the Psalmist, shall He not hear? He that formed the eye, shall He not see? He that teacheth man knowledge, shall He not know?' Ps.xciv.9,10, and we may add for our consolation, 'He that teacheth man to love, shall He not love?' 897. This truth, then, we must consider in our hearts' that He, who has planted in our breasts, as parents, dear love to our children, a love stronger than death, does by that very love of ours intend to shadow forth to us His own Eternal Love. Our love, we know, can take in every child of the family: our hearts can find a place for all; yes, and our love embraces the far-off prodigal, in his miserable wanderings, no less surely, and no less tenderly, than the dear obedient child that sits by our side, rejoicing in the sweet delights of home. He that has taught us to love our children in this way, how shall He not also love His children,-love us and love ours, with a love in which the separate loves of earthly parents are blended, and find their full infinite expression, the Father's loving wisdom and firmness, to guide and counsel, and, if need be, to correct and chasten, -the Mother's tender pity and compassion, that will draw near with sweet consolations, in each hour of sorrow and suffering, will sympathise with every grief and trial, will bow down to hear each shame-stricken confession, will be ready to receive the first broken words of penitence, and whisper the promise of forgiveness and peace? that are far off as well as those that are near, the heathen and the Christian, the sinner and the Saint. 899. Happy, indeed, are we, who are blessed to know this to know the high calling and the glorious privileges of the children of God! Not that we may be more safe than others, who as yet know it not, but that we may be filled with hope and strength and courage in the assurance of this Truth,that we may be more living and earnest and joyful in our work,- -more brave to speak the Truth, to do the Right, to wage eternal war with all that is false and base and evil, within us and without,-more patient in suffering,-more firm and true in temptation and trial,-more sorrowful and ashamed when we have fallen,- -more quick to rise, and go on again, in the path of duty, with tears and thankgivings, -more eager to tell out the Love of God to others, whether to those who as yet are groping, if haply they may feel after Him and find Him,' Who is not far from any one of them,' 'in Whom they live and move and have their being,' or to those who have known Him, but know no longer now the joy of His children, 'sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, fast bound in misery and iron.' 900. But, in all this, it is not our knowledge, however clear, or our faith, however firm and orthodox, or our charity, 898. Ah! truly, the little child may however bright or pure, that holds us cling to its mother's neck, and the up daily, and binds us to the Bosom mother's love will feel the gentle pres- of our God. 'Our Father' will delight sure, and will delight to feel it: but it is in all the sacred confidences of His not the feeble clinging of the little one children,—their clingings of faith and that holds it up; it is the strong arm of hope,-their longings of pure desire for love that embraces it. And we, in our a closer sense of His Presence,-their most earnest prayers and aspirations, holy aspirations and penitential conin our cleaving unto God, in our long-fessions. But it is not our prayer that ing and striving after Truth, are but will hold us up; it is His Love alone as babes, 'stretching out weak hands which does this. of faith to lay hold of Him Whom no man hath seen or can see, but Who, unseen, is ever near us, Whose tender Love embraces all His children-those 'THE ETERNAL GOD IS OUR REFUGE, AND UNDERNEATH ARE THE EVERLASTING ARMS.' D.xxxiii. 27. THE PENTATEUCH AND BOOK OF JOSHUA CRITICALLY EXAMINED BY THE RIGHT REV. JOHN WILLIAM COLENSO, D.D. BISHOP OF NATAL. 'We can do nothing against the Truth, but for the Truth.'-St. Paul, 2 Cor. xiii. 8. 'Not to exceed, and not to fall short of, facts,--not to add, and not to take away,-to state the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,-are the grand, the vital, maxims of Inductive Science, of English Law, and, let us add, of Christian Faith.' Quarterly Review on Essays and Reviews,' Oct. 1861, p. 369. PART IV. LONDON: LONGMAN, GREEN, LONGMAN, ROBERTS, & GREEN. 1865. The right of translation is reserved. |