"He is in you, than he that is in the world." will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." How wonderful it is, that with such promises, there should be such fears; that with such assurances of victory, there should be such disinclination to persevere in the conflict! This is indeed the want of faith; we do not see our Joshua with the eye of sense, and we will not look for him with the eye of faith, therefore we tremble, and are needlessly dismayed. Lord, that our eyes may be opened," should be our daily prayer; Lord, increase our faith," our constant petition. 66 66 9. And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and unto all the elders of Israel. 10. And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, 11. When all Israel is come to appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12. Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: 13. And that their children, which have not known anything, may hear, and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it. This marks the entire conclusion of that repetition of the law, with which the book of Deuteronomy is occupied. It states distinctly, "Moses wrote this law and delivered it unto the priests," ordering, in addition to those weekly readings of it in the synagogues, to which reference is made in the Acts of the Apostles,* when we are told, " Moses of old time was read in the synagogue every sabbath day;" one grand national publication of the law, at the close of every seven years, before all the people. It is pleasing to find, how literally this was in after days fulfilled, whenever there was a pious ruler to undertake the solemn, and striking duty. Thus we are told of Joshua, He read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law. “There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them."+ And so again of the good king Josiah, that "He read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the Lord." Such was the fatherly care, manifested by the Al↑ Joshua viii. 34, 35. * Acts xv. 21. 2 Chron. xxxiv. 40. mighty, that all might be instructed in this important and essential duty. Even the youngest child was not overlooked or forgotten, for it is expressly commanded, that "their children which have not known anything, may hear and learn to fear the Lord their God." How much more important, then, must it not be in the dispensation under which we live, that the Scriptures should be kept back from none, that all should be early and carefully trained in their blessed, and life-giving doctrines, since " they are they which testify of Christ." Of what avail is other knowledge if this be withheld, or partially, and darkly communicated? May God grant that a growing perception, and a far more widely extended practice of this great duty, may be vouchsafed to us, until not a family in our country, but shall possess the word of life, and not a child but shall be taught therefrom, to raise its little hands in the name of Jesus, and to seek for his love within its heart. 1 EXPOSITION LXVII. DEUTERONOMY xxxi. 14—30. 14. And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thy day's approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation. 15. And the Lord appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle. 16. And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strungers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them. 17. Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befal them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us? 18. And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods. 19. Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel. 20. For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant. 21. And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware. Thus, at the very moment that the Almighty again reminded Moses, that the time of his departure was at hand, "Behold, thy days approach that thou must die," did He also predict the fearful apostasy of the people; "I know their imagination which they go about, even now before I have brought them into the land which I sware." The Lord then commands his servant to write a song, in which all the wondrous dealing of God with the Israelites, and all their ungrateful and treacherous dealings with God, should be faithfully rehearsed. This song was to be taught to the people, that it might form a |
