SERMON XIII.

JEWISH ZEAL, A PATTERN TO CHRISTIANS.

JUDGES V. 31.

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So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord; but let them that love Him, be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. the land had rest forty years.

WHAT a contrast do these words present to the history which goes before them!"It came to pass," says the sacred writer, "when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out. Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer .... Neither did Zebulon drive out the inhabitants of Kitron. . . . Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho.... Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Bethshemesh 1." What was the consequence? "And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served Baalim.... .. they forsook the Lord and served Baal and Ashtaroth.

And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and He sold them into the hands of their enemies round about . . . . Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn unto them; and they were greatly distressed 1." Here is the picture of indolence and unfaithfulness leading to cowardice, to apostasy, and to national ruin.

On the other hand, consider, by way of contrast, the narrative contained in the chapter which ends with the text. Ephraim and Benjamin, Machir and Zebulon, Issachar and Naphtali, rousing, uniting, assailing their enemies, and conquering; conquering in the strength of the Lord. Their long captivity was as nothing, through God's great mercy, when they turned to Him. In vain had their enemies trod them down to the ground; the Church of God had that power and grace within it, that, whenever it could be persuaded to shake off its lassitude and rally, it smote as sharply and as effectively as though it had never been bound with the green withs and the new ropes of the Philistines. So it was now.

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Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam." Such was the inspired cry of war; and it was obeyed. In consequence the Canaanites

'Judges ii. 11-15.

were discomfited in battle and fled; "and the land had rest forty years." Here is a picture of manly obedience to God's will,-a short trial of trouble and suffering,—and then the reward, peace.

propose now to make some remarks upon the lesson conveyed to us in this history, which extends indeed through the greater part of the Old Testament, the lesson to us as individuals; for surely it is with reference to our own duties as individuals, that we should read every part of Scripture.

What the Old Testament especially teaches us is this: that zeal is as essentially a duty of all God's rational creatures, as prayer and praise, faith and submission; and, surely, if so, especially of sinners whom He has redeemed; that zeal consists in a strict attention to His commands-a scrupulousness, vigilance, heartiness, and punctuality, which bears with no reasoning or questioning about them,-an intense thirst for the advancement of His glory,-a shrinking from the pollution of sin and sinners,—an indignation, nay impatience, at witnessing His honour insulted,a quickness of feeling when His name is mentioned, and a jealousy how it is mentioned,-a fulness of purpose, an heroic determination to yield Him service at whatever sacrifice of personal feeling, an energetic resolve to push through all difficulties, were they as mountains, when His eye or hand but gives the sign,— a carelessness of obloquy, or reproach, or persecution, a forgetfulness of friend and relative, nay a hatred (so to say) of all that is naturally dear to us, when

He says, "Follow Me." These are some of the characteristics of zeal. Such was the temper of Moses, Phinehas, Samuel, David, Elijah; it is the temper enjoined on all the Israelites, especially in their conduct towards the abandoned nations of CaThe text expresses that temper in the words of Deborah: "So let all Thine enemies perish, O Lord; but let them that love Him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might."

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Now, it has sometimes been said that the commands of strenuous and stern service given to the Israelites, for instance, relative to their taking and keeping possession of the promised land,-do not apply to us Christians. There can be no doubt it is not our duty to take the sword and kill the enemies of God, as the Jews were told to do; "Put up again thy sword into his place '," are our Saviour's words to St. Peter. So far, then, if this is what is meant by saying that these commands do not apply to us, so far, doubtless, it is clear they do not apply to us. But it does not, hence, follow that the temper of mind which they pre-suppose and foster is not required of us; else, surely, the Jewish history is no longer profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. St. Peter was blamed, not for his zeal, but for his use of the sword.

Man's duty, perfection, happiness, have always

been one and the same. He is not a different being now from what he ever was; he has always been commanded the same duties. What was the holiness of an Israelite is still the holiness of a Christian, though the Christian has far higher privileges and aids for perfection. The Saints of God have ever lived by faith, and walked in the way of justice, mercy, truth, self-mastery, and love. It is impossible, then, that all these duties imposed on the Israelites of driving out their enemies, and taking and keeping possession of the promised land, should not in some sense or other apply to us; for, it is clear, they were not in their case mere accidents of obedience, but went to form a certain inward character, and as clear is it that our heart must be as the heart of Moses or David, if we would be saved through Christ.

This is quite evident, if we attentively examine the Jewish history and the divine commands which are the principles of it. For these commands, which some persons have said do not apply to us, are so many and varied, and repeated at so many and diverse times, that they certainly must have formed a peculiar character in the heart of the obedient Israelite, and were much more than an outward form and a sort of ceremonial service. They are so abundant throughout the Old Testament, that, unless they in some way apply to us, it is difficult to see what is its direct use, at this day, in the way of precept; and this is the very conclusion which these same