98 lines
7.1 KiB
XML
98 lines
7.1 KiB
XML
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<div2 id="Deu.i" n="i" next="Deu.ii" prev="Deu" progress="81.78%" title="Introduction">
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<h2 id="Deu.i-p0.1">Deuteronomy</h2>
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<hr/>
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<pb id="Deu.i-Page_562" n="562"/>
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<div class="Center" id="Deu.i-p0.3">
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<p id="Deu.i-p1"><b>AN</b></p>
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<h3 id="Deu.i-p1.1">EXPOSITION,</h3>
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<h4 id="Deu.i-p1.2">W I T H P R A C T I C A L O B S E
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R V A T I O N S,</h4>
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<h5 id="Deu.i-p1.3">OF THE FIFTH BOOK OF MOSES, CALLED</h5>
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<h2 id="Deu.i-p1.4">D E U T E R O N O M Y.</h2>
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<hr style="width:2in"/>
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</div>
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<p class="indent" id="Deu.i-p2"><span class="smallcaps" id="Deu.i-p2.1">This</span> book is
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a repetition of very much both of the history and of the laws
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contained in the three foregoing books, which repetition Moses
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delivered to Israel (both by word of mouth, that it might affect,
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and by writing, that it might abide) a little before his death.
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There is no new history in it but that of the death of Moses in the
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last chapter, nor any new revelation to Moses, for aught that
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appears, and therefore the style here is not, as before, <i>The
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Lord spoke unto Moses, saying.</i> But the former laws are repeated
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and commented upon, explained and enlarged, and some particular
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precepts added to them, with copious reasonings for the enforcing
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of them: in this Moses was divinely inspired and assisted, so that
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this is as truly the word of the Lord by Moses as that which was
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spoken to him with an audible voice <i>out of the tabernacle of the
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congregation</i>, <scripRef id="Deu.i-p2.2" osisRef="Bible:Lev.1.1" parsed="|Lev|1|1|0|0" passage="Le 1:1">Lev. i. 1</scripRef>.
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The Greek interpreters call it <i>Deuteronomy,</i> which signifies
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the <i>second law,</i> or a <i>second edition of the law,</i> not
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with amendments, for there needed none, but with additions, for the
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further direction of the people in divers cases not mentioned
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before. Now, I. It was much for the honour of the divine law that
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it should be thus repeated; how great were the things of that law
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which was thus inculcated, and how inexcusable would those be by
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whom they were <i>counted as a strange thing!</i> <scripRef id="Deu.i-p2.3" osisRef="Bible:Hos.8.12" parsed="|Hos|8|12|0|0" passage="Ho 8:12">Hos. viii. 12</scripRef>. II. There might be a
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particular reason for the repeating of it now; the men of that
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generation to which the law was first given were all dead, and a
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new generation had sprung up, to whom God would have it repeated by
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Moses himself, that, if possible, it might make a lasting
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impression upon them. Now that they were just going to take
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possession of the land of Canaan, Moses must read the articles of
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agreement to them, that they might know upon what terms and
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conditions they were to hold and enjoy that land, and might
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understand that they were upon their good behaviour in it. III. It
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would be of great use to the people to have those parts of the law
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thus gathered up and put together which did more immediately
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concern them and their practice; for the laws which concerned the
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priests and Levites, and the execution of their offices, are not
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repeated: it was enough for them that they were once delivered.
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But, in compassion to the infirmities of the people, the laws of
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more common concern are delivered a second time. <i>Precept must be
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upon precept, and line upon line,</i> <scripRef id="Deu.i-p2.4" osisRef="Bible:Isa.28.10" parsed="|Isa|28|10|0|0" passage="Isa 28:10">Isa. xxviii. 10</scripRef>. The great and needful
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truths of the gospel should be often pressed upon people by the
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ministers of Christ. <i>To write the same things</i> (says Paul,
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<scripRef id="Deu.i-p2.5" osisRef="Bible:Phil.3.1" parsed="|Phil|3|1|0|0" passage="Php 3:1">Phil. iii. 1</scripRef>) <i>to me
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indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.</i> What God has
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spoken once we have need to hear twice, to hear many times, and it
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is well if, after all, it be duly perceived and regarded. In three
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ways this book of Deuteronomy was magnified and made honourable:—
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1. The king was to write a copy of it with his own hand, and to
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read therein all the days of his life, <scripRef id="Deu.i-p2.6" osisRef="Bible:Deut.17.1-Deut.19.21" parsed="|Deut|17|1|19|21" passage="De 17:1-19:21"><i>ch.</i> xvii. xviii. xix.</scripRef> 2. It was
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to be written upon great stones plastered, at their passing over
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Jordan, <scripRef id="Deu.i-p2.7" osisRef="Bible:Deut.27.2-Deut.27.3" parsed="|Deut|27|2|27|3" passage="De 27:2,3"><i>ch.</i> xxvii. 2,
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3</scripRef>. 3. It was to be read publicly every seventh year, at
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the feast of tabernacles, by the priests, in the audience of all
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Israel, <scripRef id="Deu.i-p2.8" osisRef="Bible:Deut.31.9-Deut.31.13" parsed="|Deut|31|9|31|13" passage="De 31:9-13"><i>ch.</i> xxxi.
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9</scripRef>, &c. The gospel is a kind of Deuteronomy, a second
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law, a remedial law, a spiritual law, a law of faith; by it we are
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under the law of Christ, and it is a law that <i>makes the comers
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thereunto perfect.</i></p>
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<p class="indent" id="Deu.i-p3">This book of Deuteronomy begins with a
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brief rehearsal of the most remarkable events that had befallen the
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Israelites since they came from Mount Sinai. In the fourth chapter
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we have a most pathetic exhortation to obedience. In the twelfth
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chapter, and so on to the twenty-seventh, are repeated many
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particular laws, which are enforced (<scripRef id="Deu.i-p3.1" osisRef="Bible:Deut.27.1-Deut.28.68" parsed="|Deut|27|1|28|68" passage="De 27:1-28:68"><i>ch.</i> xxvii. and xxviii.</scripRef>) with
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promises and threatenings, blessings and curses, formed into a
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covenant, <scripRef id="Deu.i-p3.2" osisRef="Bible:Deut.29.1-Deut.30.20" parsed="|Deut|29|1|30|20" passage="De 29:1-30:20"><i>ch.</i> xxix. and
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xxx.</scripRef> Care is taken to perpetuate the remembrance of
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these things among them (<scripRef id="Deu.i-p3.3" osisRef="Bible:Deut.31.1-Deut.31.29" parsed="|Deut|31|1|31|29" passage="De 31:1-29"><i>ch.</i>
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xxxi.</scripRef>), particularly by a song (<scripRef id="Deu.i-p3.4" osisRef="Bible:Deut.32.1-Deut.32.52" parsed="|Deut|32|1|32|52" passage="De 32:1-52"><i>ch.</i> xxxii.</scripRef>), and so Moses concludes
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with a blessing, <scripRef id="Deu.i-p3.5" osisRef="Bible:Deut.33.1-Deut.33.29" parsed="|Deut|33|1|33|29" passage="De 33:1-29"><i>ch.</i>
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xxxiii</scripRef>. All this was delivered by Moses to Israel in the
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last month of his life. The whole book contains the history but of
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two months; compare <scripRef id="Deu.i-p3.6" osisRef="Bible:Deut.1.3 Bible:Josh.4.19" parsed="|Deut|1|3|0|0;|Josh|4|19|0|0" passage="De 1:3,Jos 4:19"><i>ch.</i>
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i. 3 with Josh. iv. 19</scripRef>, the latter of which was the
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thirty days of Israel's mourning for Moses; see how busy that great
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and good man was to do good when he knew that his time was short,
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how quick his motion when he drew near his rest. Thus we have more
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recorded of what our blessed Saviour said and did in the last week
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of his life than in any other. The last words of eminent persons
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make or should make deep impressions. Observe, for the honour of
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this book, that when our Saviour would answer the devil's
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temptations with, <i>It is written,</i> he fetched all his
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quotations out of this book, <scripRef id="Deu.i-p3.7" osisRef="Bible:Matt.4.4 Bible:Matt.4.7 Bible:Matt.4.10" parsed="|Matt|4|4|0|0;|Matt|4|7|0|0;|Matt|4|10|0|0" passage="Mt 4:4,7,10">Matt.
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iv. 4, 7, 10</scripRef>.</p>
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</div2>
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