offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. 'Strange fire';-of this there are various sorts-such as, 'False zeal in prayer. All zeal, when it is not taken from the altar of a sincere heart, is 'strange fire.' Great earnestness and fervency may be shown, when we are actuated by no better motives, than an eager desire of distinguishing ourselves, of acquiring honour or advantage, or of promoting the credit and success of the party to which we are attached. The use of ornamental language in prayer, is another instance of the kind, and is both highly unbecoming in a sinful suppliant, and highly offensive to God. The people of Koreah, it is said, have hardly any religion at all. All the worship which they pay to their idols consists in lighting a stick of some odoriferous wood before them, and making a very low bow at leaving them. Such a vain flourish may do in the service of an idol, but God will not thus be mocked. The practice of commenting in prayer on the virtues and excellencies of our fellow men, is an other very common and heinous exemplification of this sin. Incense is thus offered to the creature, instead of homage being rendered to the Creator. Among the ancient Egyptians, it was the custom of the priests, when officiating at the daily sacrifice, to enlarge, with a loud voice, on the virtues of their monarch, and to speak with execration of such faults as he might have committed through surprise or ignorance, or the evil counsel of his ministers. This method, it is alleged, they adopted, to allure their kings to the practice of virtue, and to set forth, in its most hideous colours, the deformity of vice, without incurring the risk of souring the temper by plain reproaches or sharp admonitions. Whatever may be pleaded, however, in vindication of such a practice, it is attended with so many difficulties, and liable to so much abuse, that it is hardly in any case to be safely recommended.-L. Praying in an unknown tongue, as the Papists do, and indeed all worship professedly rendered to God, with which the understanding has no sympathy, affords another instance of the same kind. The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth,' saith Solomon, Prov. xvi. 23; that is, he will not suffer his tongue to run before his wit, but knows what he shall speak before he sends his tongue on his errand. And surely, above all, wisdom is to be shown in our prayers, wherein we speak not to man, but to God. To say 'Amen' to that prayer which we understand not, what is it but to offer the sacrifice of fools? Holy matter in prayer is the incense to be offered; the tongue is the censer, but the affections of the devout soul bring the fire to the incense, before it can ascend as a sweet perfume into the nostrils of God. Now, if the intellect want light to understand what the matter of the prayer is, the affections must either be cold, or wild; and wild fire is unfit to offer up the incense of prayer with. It is not enough that the praying soul be touched with some devout affections, but that these affections be suitable to the matter of the prayer, yea, arise from the sense it hath thereof.-Gurnall. We find that under the law it was a sin, not only to offer strange incense, but also to bring strange fire. By the incense, which was a composition of sweet spices, appointed by God to be burnt as a sweet perfume in His nostrils, was signified the merit and satisfaction of Christ, who, being bruised by His Father's wrath, offered up Himself a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. The fire that was put to it (which was also appointed to be taken from the altar) signified the Spirit of God, by which we are to offer up all our prayers and praises, even as Christ offered Himself up by the eternal Spirit. To plead Christ's merits in prayer, and not by the Spirit, is to bring right incense, but strange fire; and so our prayers are but smoke, offensive to His eyes, and not incense, a sweet savour to His nostrils.—Ibid. 2 And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. It is a dangerous thing, in the service of God, to decline from His own institutions. We have to do with a power, which is wise to prescribe His own worship, just to require what He hath prescribed, and powerful to revenge that which He hath not required. -Bp. Hall. This is it that the LORD spake, 8 Then Moses said unto Aaron, saying, I will be sanctioned in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. 'And Aaron held his peace.'-Nothing can be more emphatic and beautiful than these words. The venerable father, without murmuring or complaint, bows his head and adores the Divine Providence in this awful dispensation.-Old Bible. During the siege of Barcelona by the Spaniards and English in 1705, an affecting incident occurred, which is thus related by Capt. Carleton in his Memoirs: I remember I saw an old officer, having his only son with him, a fine young man about 20 years of age, going into the tent to dine. While they were at dinner, a shot from the bastion of St. Antonio took off the head of his son. The father immediately rose up, first looking down upon his headless child, and then lifting up his eyes to heaven, while the tears ran down his cheeks, only said,Thy will be done!'-Anecdotes. 5 * And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp. So they went near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp; as Moses had said. "And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled. And ye shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses. And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying, * Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations: 10 And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; "And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses. 12 And Moses spake unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons that were left, Take the meat offering that remaineth of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and eat it without leaven beside the altar: for it is most holy: 18 And ye shall eat it in the holy place, because it is thy due, and thy sons' due, of the sacrifices of the LORD made by fire: for so I am commanded. 14 And the wave breast and heave shoulder shall ye eat in a clean place; thou, and thy sons, and thy daughters with thee: for they be thy due, and thy sons' due, which are given out of the sacrifices of peace offerings of the children of Israel. 15 The heave shoulder and the wave breast shall they bring with the offerings made by fire of the fat, to wave it for a wave offering before the LORD; and it shall be thine, and thy sons' with thee, by a statute for ever; as the LORD hath commanded. 16 And Moses diligently sought the goat of the sin offering, and, behold, it was burnt: and he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron which were left alive, saying, 17 Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin offering in the holy place, seeing it is most holy, and God hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD ? 18 Behold, the blood of it was not brought in within the holy place: ye should indeed have eaten it in the holy place, as I commanded. 19 And Aaron said unto Moses, Behold, this day have they offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD; and such things have befallen me: and if I had eaten the sin offering to day, should it have been accepted in the sight of the LORD ? 20 And when Moses heard that, he was content. CHAP. XI. ND the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat. Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. "And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. • And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. 'Parting the hoof' may denote separation from sin and the world, and distinguishing between truth and error, good and evil; while chewing the cud' aptly represents serious, pleasant, habitual meditation upon the truths and precepts of the word of God, in order to a holy conversation. These are united in the experience and character of the true Christian; but hypocrites show that they do neither in sincerity, by evidently attempting to separate between profession and practice; and therefore, they are as unclean as the avowed infidel or profligate.-Scott. "And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you. Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you. The aversion of the Jews to this animal is universally known, which is generally considered as an emblem of impurity; but was most probably for bidden, chiefly on account of its tendency to breed the leprosy; hence the Jews had a proverb, that of ten mea 11 sures of leprosy which descended into the world, the swine took nine to themselves.-Old Bible. 9 These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat. 10 And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you: They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination. 12 Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you. 13 And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, 14 And the vulture, and the kite after his kind; 15 Every raven after his kind; 16 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, 17 And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl, 18 And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle, 19 And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. 20 All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you. 21 Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth; 22 Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind. 23 But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you. 24 And for these ye shall be unclean: whosoever toucheth the carcase of them shall be unclean until the even. 25 And whosoever beareth ought of the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even. 26 The carcases of every beast which divideth the hoof, and is not clovenfooted, nor cheweth the cud, are unclean unto you: every one that toucheth them shall be unclean. 27 And whatsoever goeth upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean unto you: whoso toucheth their carcase shall be unclean until the even. 28 And he that beareth the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: they are unclean unto you. 29 These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind, 80 And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole. 81 These are unclean to you among all that creep: whosoever doth touch them, when they be dead, shall be unclean until the even. And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean; whether it be any vessel of wood, or raiment, or $2 83 skin, or sack, whatsoever vessel it be, wherein any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even; so it shall be cleansed. And every earthen vessel, whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean; and ye shall break it. 34 Of all meat which may be eaten, that on which such water cometh shall be unclean: and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean. 5 And every thing whereupon any part of their carcase falleth shall be unclean; whether it be oven, or ranges for pots, they shall be broken down: for they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you. 86 Nevertheless a fountain or pit, wherein there is plenty of water, shall be clean: but that which toucheth their carcase shall be unclean. 37 And if any part of their carcase fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean. 88 But if any water be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcase fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you. 39 And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that toucheth the carcase thereof shall be unclean until the even. 40 And he that eateth of the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: he also that beareth the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even. 41 And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten. 42 Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination. 43 Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby. I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 45 For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. V. 45. We are not commanded to be mighty and wise, as God is mighty and wise; but be holy, as I am holy.' The declarations of God's power are to enforce our subjection; those of His wisdom, to encourage our direction by Him; but this only to attract our imitation. When He saith, I am holy,' the immediate inference He makes is, 'Be ye so too;' which is not the proper instruction from any other perfection. Man was created by Divine power, and harmonized by Divine wisdom, but not after them, or according to them, as the true image; this was the prerogative of Divine holiness, to 44 For be the pattern of His rational creature; wisdom and power were subservient to this, the one as the pencil, the other as the hand that moved it. The condition of a creature is too mean to have the communications of the Divine essence; the true impressions of His righteousness and goodness, we are only capable of. It is only in those moral perfections that we are said to resemble God. The devils, those impure and ruined spirits, are nearer to Him in strength and knowledge than we are; yet, in regard of that natural and intellectual perfection, never counted like Him, but at the |