after the victory, a fact turns up unequalled | In the faint resistance made by the Midiin the history of mankind-not so much as anites to a force so small, we behold the naone of the twelve thousand has fallen in tive tendency of vice to enfeeble and enerbattle and that in attacking and destroying vate. : Sunk in effeminacy and sloth, they a nation so populous as to contain thirty-two are overcome as soon as attacked. Strong thousand females of a particular description.* in cunning, they are destitute of true wisThe hand of God was clearly visible in this, dom, and defective in valour. The foe that and thankfully acknowledged. The super- assaults, that conquers them, is within. "The fluous ornaments which lately published the wicked flee when no man pursueth, but the shame of Midian, now proclaim the piety and righteous is bold as a lion." Addictedness gratitude of Israel; and become part of the to the pleasures of sense gradually, though sacred treasury of the tabernacle. Every insensibly, encroaches on all the nobler princreature of God is good in itself, and intend- ciples of our nature, undermines and subed to do good. Use the world so as not to verts them. Every spring of the soul is reabuse it, and the Creator is glorified. laxed through disuse; the bodily powers Every day added to our life is as much a become languid, and the sluggish giant bemiracle of mercy, as the preservation of comes an easy prey to the active and vigorous every individual of the twelve thousand in child. Exercise your faculties, and they will the day of battle. Let our gratitude declare increase and improve neglect them, and itself in an habitual devotedness of heart and they will quickly fall into utter decay. Fear life, to the God of our life, and the length of God, maintain a conscience void of of our days; let us present our "bodies a living fence," and bid defiance to what earth and sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which hell can do against you. is our reasonable service: and be transformed by the renewing of our mind, that we may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God."t

In the freewill offering of these grateful Israelites for protection and deliverance in the day of battle, behold a laudable example of attention to the ways of Providence, and of thankful acknowledgment of them. Let friends, after the days of separation are at an end, after the hour of danger is past, reckon their numbers. Do they remain entire, not one missing, is no allay mingled with the joy of re-union? It was the hand of God that supported; he "gave his angels charge concerning you." "He covered you with his feathers; his truth was your shield and buckler; no evil befel you, no plague came nigh your dwelling." "Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; offer unto him thanksgiving, honour him with your substance;" present "the calves of your lips," the devotedness of your hearts, the obedience of your lives.

In the punishment inflicted on Midian, we behold a righteous God prosecuting an injury done to Israel as an insult offered to himself. And indeed every offence against society is a direct attack of the divine authority, which has fenced the person, the fame, and the virtue of our neighbour on every side, against all the assaults, whether of violence or deceit. The character and conduct, in connexion with the untimely end of the arch seducer Balaam, are an awful and instructive instance of the justice of God in making signal guilt its own avenger, and furnish a striking illustration of the observations made by the psalmist and his wise son: "Behold he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought Does the punishment of this people apforth falsehood. He made a pit, and digged pear to any rigorous and excessive? Let it, and is fallen into the ditch which he them consider that they are very incompemade. His mischief shall return upon his tent judges of God's moral government; that own head, and his violent dealing shall come they see but a few scattered fragments of the down upon his own pate. I will praise the vast scheme of Providence; that creatures Lord according to his righteousness; and themselves, ignorant, weak, and criminal, will sing praise to the name of the Lord most must be much disqualified to "hold the bahigh." "The heathen are sunk down in lance and the rod ;" that every transgression the pit that they made, in the net which of the divine law merits death; that "fools" they hid is their own foot taken. The Lord only "make a mock at sin." Let the whole is known by the judgment which he exe-earth tremble before Him "who will by no cuteth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands."} "For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings. His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins. He shall die without instruction: and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray."¶

* Num. xxxi. 35. † Rom. xii. 1, 2. ↑ Ps. vij. 14-17. Psalx. 15, 16. ¶ Prov. v. 21-23.

means clear the guilty:" who has denounced "indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish against every soul of man that doth evil," while to the humble and contrite in heart, he proclaims his name, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in goodness and truth; keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin:"*"visiting the iniquity of * Exodus xxxiv. 6, 7.

the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them who hate him; but showing mercy to thousands of them that love him and keep his commandinents."*

In the leader and commander of Israel behold, once more, a man exalted far above all temporary, all selfish concerns; occupied only with the interests of truth and justice, the duties of his station, the prosperity of his charge, the glory of Him who had conferred it upon him. In this last object his whole

HISTORY OF MOSES.

LECTURE LXXVI.

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come over Jordan, into the land of Canaan, then ye shall appoint you cities, to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither which killeth any person at unawares. And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment. And of these cities which ye shall give, six cities shall ye have for refuge. Ye shall give three cities on this side Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge. These six cities shall be a refuge, both for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them; that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee thither.-NUMBERS Xxxv. 9-15.

bits, in all directions, were to be set apart for the tribe of Levi, and distributed by lot. As the lot was specially ordered by Divine Providence, the dispersion of this tribe over the whole land, there is good reason to believe, God in wisdom overruled favourably to the exercise of their sacred function. Of their other privileges and immunities, we are not now led to treat. The words we have read limit our attention to an institution, in many respects singular, and unexampled in the history of mankind-the appointment of six of the Levitical cities as places of refuge for the unintentional, and therefore less criminal manslayer. Respecting this institution, and its reason and design, the following particulars recommend themselves to our notice.

strument of a man's death, were superadd ed alarming apprehensions and painful re straints.

The first regulation limited the number of these cities to six, for the whole commonwealth of Israel. Hence, an escape to a place of refuge must, in many instances, have been effected through much danger, exertion, and labour; and the unhappy fugitive must frequently have felt all the bitterness of death in his solicitude to flee from it. Thus, while the finger of mercy pointed to the strong hold of safety, the voice of justice exclaimed, "Flee for thy life, look not behind thee, lest thou perish; behold the avenger of blood is at thy heels."

But that the danger, and the anxiety reThe provision here made refers to a case sulting from it, might be diminished as far of singular importance to society; on which as the limited number of the cities would adindeed the very being of society depends-mit, it was determined by the lot that these the security of human life against violence. should be dispersed at the most commodious To take away the life of another is the most distances, over the country; and it was exatrocious offence which man can commit pressly provided that three of them should against man. The laws of every well-regu- be on each side the Jordan, in order to facililated community have accordingly marked tate and secure escape at the seasons when it as the object of just vengeance, saying, in that river overflowed its banks, and rendered the language of the supreme Legislator, a passage tedious, difficult, or impracticable. “Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall In the same view, it has been affirmed, and his blood be shed." But into the commission seems probable, that the roads which led to of this offence, as of every other, circum- these cities were formed and maintained at stances of aggravation or alleviation may the public expense, and that their breadth enter; and every wise legislator will take was very considerable that every obstructhese into consideration; adapting the degree tion was removed out of the way, bridges of punishment to the degree of criminality, were thrown over interposing streams, and distinguishing the action, as connected with, when roads happened to cross or separate, or separated from the intention. To the an index, inscribed with the word Refuge, wilful and deliberate murderer no place was pointed out the right course. And thus an to serve as a sanctuary; to him the altar it-institution humane in its design, was renderself was to afford no protection. But a man ed more so, by the manner in which it was may deprive his neighbour of life without observed. incurring the guilt of murder; and it must be imputed to him as a calamity, not a crime. To meet such a case, the provision in question was made; and a refuge was provided for both the citizen and the stranger who might "unawares," without malice or intention, occasion the death of another.

This refuge, however, was not wholly unrestricted, but subject to a variety of regulations, all calculated powerfully to impress on the minds of the people, an awful sense of the value put on the life of man by the great Legislator and to serve as a caution not only against deliberate violence, but even against carelessness and inattention, where the life of another was concerned. Blood lies heavily, as it ought, on the head of him who sheddeth it, however innocently; and the consciousness of it will ever be felt as a severe punishment by a sensible heart, though no judge arise to avenge it. But punishment to a certain degree was inflicted on the manslayer, by the very statute which appointed the refuge; and to the uneasy reflections arising from having been the unwilling in

But again-the city was, in the first instance, to serve only as a temporary refuge, and afforded shelter only till inquiry was made into the fact, and judgment was solemnly given between the manslayer and the avenger of blood, upon evidence adduced. If criminal intention was proved, there was no remedy, blood demanded blood, the prisoner must be delivered up to the hands of justice. If otherwise, public protection was granted, and he was restored to his refuge. The ordinance having it in view not to prevent and suppress the truth, but to bring it openly and fully to light.

The innocence of the prosecuted party having been made clearly to appear, he was restored indeed to his refuge, but it became, at the same time, his prison. Exiled from his native possession, and from all that rendered it dear; doomed to live among strangers, to subsist on their bounty, perhaps to feel their unkindness or neglect, he must drag out a comfortless existence, to an unknown, uncertain period: or stir abroad under constant apprehension and hazard of his

cry out of the ground for vengeance upon his head--while eternal, inflexible justice, like the avenger of blood," pursues him to the death. To flee from, or endure the wrath of an offended God, is equally impossible. All nature is up in arms against him; he is become a terror to himself; the king of terrors aims his fatal dart, and hell follows after.

¡ife. And confinement is still confinement, | eth him will slay him: his multiplied crimes though in a place of safety, a city of refuge: and ignorance and uncertainty respecting the termination of our misery, are bitter ingredients in the cup of affliction. "It may outlast life," sad thought! "or consume the best and most valuable portion of my days. Unhappy that I am, to have introduced mourning into my neighbour's family, and desolated my own. Though I feel not the The "refuge" provided by the statute for pangs of remorse, my heart is torn with those the unhappy man who had destroyed his broof regret; and blood, though shed without a ther, and troubled his own soul, prefigures crime, is a burden too heavy for me to bear." the remedy prescribed by infinite wisdom for The last regulation on record respecting the recovery of a lost, perishing world—that this subject, was a permission to the hapless dispensation of Divine Providence in which manslayer to "return into the land of his "mercy and truth are met together, rightpossession," on the death of the high priest. eousness and peace have kissed each other." The reason of this ordinance does not appear; Fear not, guilty creature, there is hope conbut it contains a circumstance very affecting cerning thee: thou shalt not die. The God to the prisoner himself, and affecting to all whom thou hast offended, even he, “hath found Israel. His release from confinement could out a ransom;" he hath “laid help on One be purchased only by death, the death of who is mighty to save, even to the uttermost, another; and that not of an ordinary citizen, them who come unto God through him." Cease but of the most dignified and respectable from the anxious inquiry, "Who shall ascend character in the republic. The weight of into heaven, to bring Christ down from above? blood innocently shed, was at length to be Who shall descend into the deep, to bring up removed; but how? Not by the demise of Christ again from the dead?" "The word him who shed it, but of "the high priest is nigh thee," and in this word the Lord which should be in those days." And may" brings near his righteousness," and his salwe not suppose a refugee of sensibility look-vation. The name of JEHOVAH is as a strong ing forward to this event with the mixed tower, whoso runneth into it is safe. Proemotions of hope and sorrow? The very cause of his enlargement makes it to partake of the nature of a punishment. He dare hardly wish for liberty, for it involved guilt deeper than what already lay upon his head; deliberate devising the death of his neighbour, and taking pleasure in it.

Now, if guiltless homicide subjected the perpetrator of it to such accumulated danger, anxiety, and distress, how atrocious in the sight of God must wilful murder be? And how sacred, in the sight of man, ought to be the life of his brother, and every thing relating to its preservation and comfort, his health, his peace, his reputation? To attack him in any of these respects, is to level a blow at his head, or, where he feels more sensibly still, at his heart.

phets, apostles, evangelists, with one accord, point to the sanctuary, saying, "This is the way, walk ye in it."" Turn ye to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope." Here is "an highway"-" the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein." The Saviour himself proclaims, "Look to me, and be saved." "Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out."

The very act of flying from " the avenger of blood," argued a consciousness of criminality, and an apprehension of danger; and the course directed to a city of refuge, indicated a knowledge of its appointment, and of the privileges pertaining to it. In this we behold the character of the convinced, penitent sinner, condemned of his own conscience, stripped of every plea of self-righteousness, Let us review this last of the Mosaic in- alarmed with the terrors of the "wrath to stitutions, and mark its reference to a clearer come," encouraged by the declarations of the and more explicit dispensation: for it is too mercy of God in Christ, apprehending "salvaevidently" a shadow of good things to come." tion in no other," perceiving no way to esThe flying" manslayer" is an affecting cape but this, he flees" for refuge to lay hold representation of what every man is by na- of the hope set before him," even to " Him ture and by wicked works; an unhappy crea- who is mighty to save;" to that "blood ture, who has offended against his brother, which speaketh better things than the blood violated the laws of society, broken his own of Abel;" to "the Lamb of God, who taketh peace of mind, and trampled on the divine away the sin of the world:" saying, in the authority, not only accidentally and uninten- words of the psalmist," O Lord, thou art my tionally, but deliberately, presumptuously. refuge; return unto thy rest, O my soul, for His conscience, "like the troubled sea," can- the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee." not rest. What he feels is dreadful, what he" In Jehovah alone have I righteousness and fears is infinitely worse. With trembling strength;" "he also is become my salvation." Cain, he apprehends that every one who meet- The safety of the manslayer depended, not

"We ought, therefore, to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we let them slip.' For if the intentional murderer was to be dragged from God's altar, to suffer the punishment of his crime; and if the manslayer, I conclude with suggesting a few hints, who despised and neglected his refuge, fell which will serve to evince the glorious superi- a just sacrifice to the resentment of "the ority of the object prefigured, over the figure; avenger of blood," and to his own presumpof the very image of the things," above tion and neglect of the merciful ordinance "the shadow of good things to come." The of God; "how shall we escape, if we neinstitution under review was a provision for glect so great salvation?" "He that deone particular species of offence and distress, spised Moses's law died without mercy, under and for a case which could occur but in rarer two or three witnesses: of how much sorer instances. Indeed the whole history of Israel | punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought