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This brings us to the present chapter, the purport of which may now be more particularly explained and illustrated.

Chap. iv., ver. 1, 2. Moses now calls upon them to let their experience in the past convey to them profitable instruction for the future. As they saw that disregard of his warnings had been fruitful of disasters to them; as they saw that they had had the best reasons to trust him, let them be persuaded that it is their wisdom to trust him still. Let them trust him when he should be taken from them, so as carefully to make the Law, which he would leave with them, their guide; to make it their guide in its purity and wholeness, free from any retrenchment or addition of their own.

The Jews have always valued themselves highly upon their obedience to this injunction: that is, upon their literal observance of the law. But this eventually grew into a mere superstition, as in the time of our Saviour, from whom they incurred the reproach of having lost sight of the living spirit of the law, in their care for the dead letter of it. The strictness with which Moses here prohibits any addition to, or substraction from, the law which the Lord had given through him, was proper and necessary in a law of divine origin, but improper in merely human legislation. It has, however, been insisted upon by human legislators. Demosthenes, in one of his orations, describes the Locrians as so strongly attached to their laws, that it was not allowed for any innovation to be proposed without this ceremony: the person who was hardy enough to propose any new ordinance, had to present himself before the assembled people, with a rope around his neck. If his proposal were accepted, he was freed from this perilous collar; if it were rejected, he was strangled with it.

Ver. 3-23. They are, above all, to remember that the law thus impressed upon their attention to all generations, chiefly enforces upon them its commands to reserve their * Deuteronomy ii. 13, 18, 19. + Ibid. ii. 26; iii. 17.

bol. And he enforces this by reminding them, that on the day when the law was delivered from Mount Sinai, they heard a Voice indeed, but beheld no visible form which they could possibly imitate as a representation of their God. Thus zealously did the lawgiver endeavour to guard the people entrusted to his charge, from the greatest danger of their time -the first step to idolatry-the worship even of the true God by material representations. The most ensnaring idolatry of the age, was the worship of the sun, the moon, and the planets, either directly, or under various human and other symbols. Against this, therefore, Moses especially guards them, in verse 19, by reminding them that these are but the Lord's creatures, and it is by his ordinance that they impart their light, and heat, and salutary influences to all the nations of the earth.

Ver. 25-40. Moses, then, proceeds to assure them, that the Lord, who had given the law to them, would not fail to uphold its obligations, by bountifully rewarding the obedient, and grievously punishing the transgressor.

Here, properly, the argument of the first discourse closes.

It was

Ver. 40-44. It is now stated that a territory east of the river Jordan having been acquired, Moses appointed three towns for cities of refuge to those who had committed undesigned homicide, from the pursuit of the next of kin to the slain, called "the avenger of blood," because on him inveterate custom devolved the duty of exacting blood for blood with his own hand. The cities were at convenient distances from each other. the benevolent object of the law that the fugitive should have every facility for escaping the hot pursuit of the avenger; and hence the necessity of appointing these three places of sanctuary in this eastern territory, for the probabilities of his escape would be greatly diminished had there been no places of refuge but on the other side of the river-for not only would the exhausting flight have been longer and more perilous, but the intervention of the river would, in most cases, have been fatal, as the pursuer could not fail to know that the fugitive must needs pass at one of the fords of the Jordan.

Of the three cities thus distinguished, the southernmost was "Bezer in the wilderness," belonging to the tribe of Reuben. Nothing is distinctly known of it; but it seems to have lain in the plain of Moab, somewhere

not far east of the part where the Jordan enters the Dead Sea. The northern-most was Golan in Bashan, belonging to the half-tribe of Manasseh. This was always a considerable place, and eventually gave its name to the district of Bashan, in which it was situated. This, in our Lord's time, and after, was called Gaulonitis. It was divided into Upper and Lower Gaulonitis. The former was the eastern portion, and contained the city; the latter lay on the eastern shores of the Lake of Tiberias, and had Gamala for its capital. The district still retains its ancient name, in the scarcely altered form of Jaulan. The middlemost of the three cities, Ramoth in Gilead, is better known historically than either of the others. In Scripture it is mainly memorable as the scene of the contest between the Syrians and king Ahab, in which the latter lost his life, and his ally, king Jehoshaphat, narrowly escaped. (1 Kings xxii.) The army, that afterwards held the field at this place against the Syrians, proclaimed Jehu, one of their generals, king. (2 Kings ix. 1-6.) It was the metropolis of Gilead standing among the mountains of that name, not far from the river Jabbok. This region once teemed with inhabitants, and in it we everywhere meet with the remains of ancient towns, many of which retain their old names. But it is now deserted of fixed inhabitants, and only the rapacious Bedouins remain in the land, rendering travelling through it difficult and dangerous.

Not many years ago there was one town which still possessed inhabitants; but this has since been destroyed, and the inhabitants plundered. It bore the name of es-Salt, and stood upon the northern declivity of Jebel (Mount) Jelad-a name in which we recognize that of Mount Gilead, This town is thought to have been the Ramoth Gilead of Scripture; and this may give some interest to the statement, that it was situated upon a hill running into a wild and romantic valley, and surrounded on all sides by steep mountains. The houses are small and flat-roofed, with a door, but rarely a window; and the ceiling resting upon an arch. They rise in terraces, one above another, upon the slopes of the hill, the crest of which is occupied by a castle, with square flanking projections, walls thirty feet high, abutments of support in the ditch, and an extensive line of defence, finishing with a high terrace around the court. These constructions show the former importance of the place as a fortified site, and which, to a recent date, rendered the place a "city of

refuge" from the assaults of the Bedouins; and if this was, indeed, Ramoth Gilead, there can be no doubt that a strong fortress occupied the site of the present castle at the time of the wars between Syria and Israel, and, probably, long before.

Ver. 44-47. It would have been better that the division of chapters had been so made as to place these verses at the commencement of the fifth chapter; for they form an introduction to the second division of the book of Deuteronomy,--which contains a recapitulation of laws and ordinances, commencing with that chapter,—rather than a close to the introductory address contained in the previous chapters.

THE LORD'S PRAYER.

PETITION 1." Our Father who art in

heaven, hallowed be thy name."

THE incomprehensible God hath given out such manifestations of himself as whereby we may know him from all pretended deities, and according to which we may conceive and speak of him. All this is imported by God's name here, which the Apostle (Romans i. 19) calls "that which is knowable of God."

The name of God is peculiarly holy. "Name,” that is, both God himself and all those manifestations of himself whereby he hath made himself known, whether his attributes, word or works. "Holy," that is, pure, right, singularly excellent. "Peculiarly," that is, essentially, so God himself, and eminently so all that whereby he hath manifested himself. This observation is thus grounded: viz., to sanctify his name, is not (as the word may seem to import) to make it holy; but to conceive, acknowledge and profess it to be what indeed it is, that is, peculiarly holy: so that the holiness of God's name is the ground of our sanctifying it: because it is holy, we must so acknowledge it. Though God can sanctify his name, (that is, manifest it to be holy and glorious,) yet he will have us to testify our desire by praying that he will sanctify it. For this, as hath been explained, is one sense of the petition: viz., that God will sanctify his own name, vindicate his honour, and let out upon the world resplendent beams of his own glory.

The sanctification of God's name, that is, the declaring, acknowledging, and celebrating of his holiness, ought to be the principal desire and endeavour of every one that calls God, Father. Therefore is this petition the first in order.

ceive much of evangelical perfection lies in hearty, enlarged desires and prayers after perfection.

While our conversation is on earth, we never arrive at that perfection but that we still need to pray for ability to do and submit to God's will. For this pattern is for the highest scholars in Christ's school.

PETITION 4.-" Give us this day our
daily bread."

In prayer we have liberty, next to the concernments of God's name and glory, to commend our own both outward and spiritual concernments to God. Next, that is, not so much in the order of our petitions, for we may begin with our own, as in the ardour of our affections. These form the matter of the last three petitions, which respect ourselves.

Whatever we ask for ourselves, must be with reference, and in subserviency to the sanctifying of God's name, promoting of his kingdom and doing his will. For the three former petitions being absolute, do confine the following petitions within their bounds.

God will have us beg our daily bread, and beg it at his door. This is the sum of the petition.

Even those that have the greatest proportion of worldly blessings, still have need to beg their bread at the hands of God. This petition is for the rich as well as the poor Christians, and there is reason sufficient. For they cannot enjoy what they have without his blessing (Ecclesiastes vi. 3). Neither will it be bread to them (Haggai i. 6; Deuteronomy viii. 3). Nor can they longer enjoy it than it pleaseth God: he can strip them in a moment. Nor have they a lawful title to it, till then, before God. Nor the sanctified use of it. 1 Timothy iv. 5.

Necessaries only are to be asked of God; for under bread all, and only necessaries are comprehended.

We are not to desire or beg anything of God, but what we may lawfully call our bread: that is, that which becomes ours by honest labour, or other lawful means, and what God hath appointed for us.

Even that which becomes ours by our own industry, or by any other lawful way of getting, we are still to acknowledge the free gift of God, for we are taught to say, "Give us," &c.

The care we take, or the provision we lay in for the future, must be consistent with a continual dependence upon the Providence

of God. For we must every day say, "Give us this day," &c., which doth allow moderate care for the future, but forbids trusting in either.

Prayer is a singular means to procure a supply of all necessaries for this life. Else our Saviour would not have taught us this petition.

PETITION 5.-"And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us."

Though temporal things may be asked, yet we are not to dwell upon them, but to arise from them to spiritual things. Therefore hath our Saviour couched the infinite necessities of this life in one single petition.

Pardon of sin is a mercy attainable, and one of the first and choicest we should ask of God.

Confession of sin is a requisite condition in order to pardon, for therefore are we taught to pray thus, that in so praying we may acknowledge, and pass sentence upon ourselves.

Man by sin becomes a debtor to God, and stands bound to satisfy his justice. For in Matthew, sins are called debts, and the word forgive, imports releasement, cancelling a debt, dismissing a prisoner.

Satisfaction for sin is an impossibility as to a man's self. For, could satisfaction be made by any, this petition as to such would be unnecessary, whereas it is to be put up by all. Galatians iii. 21, 22.

Christ's satisfaction is no contradiction to a free pardon of sin, but the foundation of it; no contradiction, for even he that made the satisfaction hath yet taught us to pray, "Forgive us," &c. The foundation of it; for though it be not mentioned in the petition, it is necessarily implied.-1st. In that we pray for pardon in subordination to God's glory; but it cannot consist with the glory of his truth (Genesis ii. 17) to pardon without compensation.-2nd. We pray for pardon in a way agreeable to God's will; but this is by faith on Christ's satisfaction. (Hebrews x. 10.) The remission which is here begged includes reconciliation, justification, and adoption, which divines call the relative change, according to that general rule laid down in our entrance upon the petitions. Now it is certain all these are procured by the death and satisfaction of Christ. Romans v. 10; Philippians iii. 9; Galatians iv. 4, 5.

All Christians even of the highest attainments have need to pray day by day for the pardon of sin; for this petition, as the whole, is of general concernment.