4. Since a blessing and a curse are so plainly set before us, 19. The let us choose life, that both we and our seed may live, v. more seriously, frequently and solemnly, a law is urged and enforced, the greater the obligation is to observe it. We naturally seek good, and shun evil; love life, and fear death. Hope and fear are our most governing principles. God addresses himself to both of these. He promises the greatest good, and threatens the greatest evil: and after all he deals with us as rational creatures, and free agents: proposing to our choice life or death. They who, through grace, choose life, and pursue it accordingly, shall have it. They who choose and pursue death, must blame themselves alone for the consequences. God offers life, but they disregard it. Thus fairly and equitably the law dealt with men, and so does the gospel also. Therefore, let us choose life, that we may live.

CHAP. XXXI.

Moses here encourages the people and Joshua; he delivers the law, unto the priests, to be read every seventh year to the people; God giveth a charge to Joshua ; and a song for the instruction of the people.

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ND Moses, on another occasion, just before his death, when he had called the people together, went and spake 2 these words unto all Israel. And he said unto them, I [am] an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in, I can no longer discharge the office of a commander and a governor : also the LORD hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan; I am therefore come to 3 take my final leave of you. The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee; the ark, as the token of his presence, will go with you, till ye possess the land; [and] he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: [and] Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said, and be your commander in my stead. And the LORD shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed; let And 5 your former experience encourage your hope of success. :the LORD shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you, to destroy them and their altars, images, 6 and groves, and root idolatry out of the land. Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them for the LORD thy God, he [it is] that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee; do not distrust God, as your fa

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thers did; fear not their numbers, their stature, nor strength, for God will go with you. The words are here addressed to all Israel, and afterward to Joshua.

And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, to give them greater reverence for his person and authority, and engage them to follow his directions, Be strong and of a good courage for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. 8 And the LORD, he [it is] that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee fear not, neither be dismayed. Though Joshua was a brave man, he needed this encouragement, considering the difficulties that were before him, and the temper of the people; and there could be no stronger motives to be courageous than these.

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And Moses wrote this law, he put a finishing hand to the whole law or doctrine contained in these five books; and he de livered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of 10 Israel. And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of [every] seven years, in the solemnity in the year of release, 11 in the feast of tabernacles, When all Israel is come to ap

pear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hear12 ing, as Ezra read it, Neh. viii. 1, &c.t Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, (though these were not bound to come to the feast, yet many times they brought them,) and thy stranger that [is] within thy gates, all the pros elytes to the Jewish religion, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all 13 the words of this law: And [that] their children which have not known [any thing,] have not seen God's wonders and miracles, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to pos sess it.

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And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold thy days 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, in that part of the court which was before the door of the tabernacle: this was done in the sight of the people, to increase their reverence for

He gave the original copy to the priests, to be kept safely by them: and probably gave a copy to the elders of Israel, or heads of each tribe, for the use of that tribe; and each of these original copies might be signed by himself.

†They were to read the original copy, for the greater solemnity, and that other copies might be corrected by it. Joshua was to do this during his life, and afterward, the Jews say, it was to be done by the supreme governor, or king. They began to read it the first play of the feast, and continued till it was read throughout.

15 Joshua, and to give him greater authority. And the LORD ap peared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle; the cloud, which was usually over the tabernacle, came down and stood at the door.

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And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold thou shalt sleep (in the Hebrew, lie down) with thy fathers; which intimates that he should awake, and rise again; and this people will rise up and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go [to be] among them, the Canaanites that were estranged from God and his people, and will forsake me 17 and break my covenant which I have made with them. Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, when they have thus broken their marriage covenant with me; and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them, so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God [is] not among us? So it was upon every revolt, God withdrew his protection, and delivered 18 them to their enemies. And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that 19 they are turned unto other gods. Now therefore write ye this song for you, (recorded in the next chapter,) 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; a wit◄ ness of my kindness, in giving them so many blessings; of my patience, in bearing so long with them; and of my justice, in 20 punishing such an ungrateful and perverse people. 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 21 me, and break my covenant. 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; they shall have sad occasion to remember it, when they feel the dreadful calamities mentioned in it; for I know their imagination, their proneness to idolatry, and backsliding, which they go about, even now, before I have 22 brought them into the land which I sware. And Moses therefore, by divine inspiration, wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.

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And he, that is, Jehovah, gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware

This was the ancient way of instruction: ancient lawgivers delivered their laws in verse, and occasioned them to be sung at their festivals.

unto them and I will be with thee; how bad soever they are, 84 or may be, I will be with thee, and give thee success. And it

came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the 25 words of this law in a book, until they were finished, That Moses commanded the Levites which bare the ark of the cov26 enant of the LORD, saying, Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee; or, by the side of the ark, with Aaron's rod, and the manna; that is, in some chest that was set by it; for there was nothing in the ark, but the two tables of the law, 1 Kings viii. 9. This was the book that was found, 2 Kings xxii. 2 Chronicles xxxiv. 27 14. For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death? He mentions nothing of their rebellions against him, these were 28 forgiven and forgotten; but only those against God. Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them; that I may deliver the song to them, and that they may distribute it to the several tribes and families; and that all the world may witness how ungrateful and wicked they will be, if they revolt after so much has been done for them. 29 But he did this with a bleeding heart, For, he adds, I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt [yourselves,] and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands. It was a melancholy thing for Moses to leave them with such a prospect, to see no better effect of his labours; but he had done his duty; God would remember and 30 reward him, and the guilt would be theirs. And Moses then spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.

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REFLECTIONS.

HE promise of God's presence and assistance, is sufficient encouragement for us to undertake the hardest work, and to encounter the greatest difficulties. This encouraged the Israelites to march toward Canaan, and this encouraged Joshua to lead them, although the people were perverse, though the service was difficult, and though coming after a man so eminent as Moses. The promise, I will never leave thee, I will never forsake thee, is applied to all christians, Heb. xiii. 5. Depend therefore on the care and power of God; let us boldly say, The Lord is my helper; and fear no danger in the way of duty. God will be

with us in our spiritual combats. Let us not reason with flesh and blood, nor say, How shall I overcome unruly appetites, or principalities and powers? If we seek him, he will assist us; and so we shall be more than conquerors. Be strong then, and of a good courage; for greater is he that is with you, than those which are against you.

2. The public reading of God's law, is a very important and useful service: Moses read it in the synagogue every sabbath day, especially every sabbatical year. So should the christian oracles be read; this was the custom of the primitive churches, and is proper to be retained to this day. It is doing public honour' to God's word, conveys useful instruction to children, and to those who cannot read, or but very little; and things are more strongly impressed on the mind, which are done in a solemn assembly. How much reason is there to be thankful that we have a written law! It reaches to all nations, and even to places where no living preacher ever came. It is good to hear it read in public; let us not look upon it as a matter of form, but seriously attend to it; be doers of the word, and not hearers only.

3. All the methods of religious instruction that we have received, will be witnesses against us if we prove rebellious. Put this song into their mouths, that it may be a witness for me against the children of Israel. v. 19. This was the charge to Israel; the faw written, read, or sung, were all witnesses against Israel's disobedience, and aggravated their guilt. The reason holds equally strong with regard to ourselves. We have the word, sacraments, and prayer; the word read, expounded, or preached; and prayer in public or private all which will be witnesses against us, if we continue ignorant, impenitent, and disobedient; all will be witnesses for God, that he has not been wanting on his part; and all will make our condemnation the more intolerable.

4. Let us learn from the whole chapter, that it is the duty of aged and dying saints to do all they can to promote religion. Moses chargeth Joshua and Israel again and again; now, when he was going to his fathers. Aged christians have but a little time to live, their faculties are impaired, their hands are Let them charge weakened; but still they may be serviceable. their families, and successors to serve God, to be strong. Let them recommend religion to them, and encourage them to servė the Lord; set before them good and evil. If your prospects are but melancholy, as Moses' was concerning Israel, still do your duty. Exhort, reprove, rebuke; bear testimony to the truth and comforts of religion; that your exhortations may be a witness against those of your descendants and relations that forsake God, and be witnesses for you at his bar, that you were faithful. Thus David, when he was old and grayheaded, showed God's strength to that generation, and his power, righteousness, and goodness, to those that were to come after him.