THE ARK OF THE COVENANT.

EVERY one who has read with care the history of the people of Israel, from the time when "The Law" was delivered to Moses on Mount Sinai, to the period when Solomon dedicated the Temple, must have noticed that the "Ark of the Covenant" stands out in that history with great prominence, and that it sustained a conspicuous part in all the religious proceedings of that people. It came into existence through the delivery of the Law, and it appears to have been lost at the destruction of the Temple. The Israelites regarded it as the most sacred object associated with their worship, and the greatest care was exercised to indicate the veneration with which they regarded it. During their marches in the wilderness it was carried before them; the purpose of this advanced position was to secure for them protection from their enemies, and to prepare a place in which they could rest from their labours. When difficulties stood in the way of their progress it removed them; and when it fell into the hands of their enemies it was of no advantage to them. An instrument capable of producing those marvellous results which it is recorded to have done was well calculated to excite the greatest reverence and care on the part of those by whom it was possessed. It was a phenomenon in the midst of the Israelites to which they were indebted for a great variety of wonderful deliverances, successes and triumphs.

Now what was the cause of these results? There must have been some cause, and that capable of commending itself to our reasonable

apprehension; for God, in His intercourse with mankind, does not deal unreasonably with them. How then are we to find it? We answer that it will be found when we make ourselves intelligently acquainted with the purposes which the Divine law is intended to promote among those by whom it is honestly accepted.

In the first place it is to be observed that the ark and the covenant which it contained were two distinct things; the results of two separate revelations made to Moses. That which is called "The Covenant" consisted of the Ten Commandments, miraculously delivered upon the Mount, for the obedience of the people; that which is called "The Ark" was the chest in which these commandments were deposited, and this was made after a pattern shown to Moses in a vision by the Lord. Thus both had a supernatural origin, and each was suited to the purposes of the other. A law, divinely revealed, could only be fittingly placed in an ark, constructed according to a plan divinely prepared. It is only because these two things were so suitable to each other that they are sometimes spoken of as one; such as "The ark," ," "The ark of the covenant;" "The ark of God," and the "Ark of the law :" still it is the ark with the covenant, or the ark containing the covenant, which are meant.

Let us now endeavour to see what each of these two things is intended to teach us. They are commonly accepted as an undoubted symbol of the Divine presence among the sons of Israel. They were, however, not merely the symbol, but the evidence of that presence, and therefore they are sometimes called the ark of the testimony. Thus the Divine was really present with His symbol, acting through it for the safety of the people. It was in consequence of that presence, so effected, that all those extraordinary events were accomplished which are commonly ascribed to the ark of the covenant. But it was not that which produced them, for they being merely material things could of themselves produce nothing. It was the Divine, acting by means of them as suitable media, who accomplished all. This may be evident. No doubt the manner in which the Divine operated through the ark to produce the natural results which are recorded, was very extraordinary, but still no more wonderful than the fact that He is ever present and active in every law by which all things in the universe, and the universe itself, are kept in order and safety. God operates through His laws, and the Ten Commandments are the laws through which He operates upon the people of His church. If they accept those laws as sacred instruction, as the ark was accepted as a

holy thing by the Jews, then God's presence in that law will be very conspicuous among them, by providing for them spiritual intelligence and safety. It is easy to see that a people who respect the divine law must have advantages over those who do not respect it. Affection for the Divine law is associated with a power to save, which those who have no such affection cannot possess; and this affection is the channel of all their real superiority and successes. It was because the Israelites reverenced the ark of the covenant, and put it in the first place, during their marches in the wilderness and their progress in Canaan, that they became so formidable to their enemies. The Divine was present in that law, and He acted for the safety of the people through the reverence with which they regarded it. When that reverence failed the Divine operation for their safety was not experienced-not that God had withdrawn His presence, but that the people had withdrawn that reverence for His law through which He acted, and by which He ever acts, for the protection of mankind.

In this view we all see something of the philosophy which explains the remarkable power by which the ark was accompanied. The ark of the covenant, when accepted with the reverence of the people, was a medium through which the Omnipotence of the Lord could display itself for their safety and protection; and so it will ever be. If men have the Divine law among them, and lovingly accept it as holy instruction, it is easy to see that they are in the possession of that through which the Divine can operate for their benefit and blessing. This was the case with the ark among the Israelites; it was the most sacred thing in all their worship; it procured sanctity for the Tabernacle and caused the special apartment in which it was deposited to be called "the holy of holies." Being provided by revelations from God we may be sure that it was intended as a medium for the display of some divine power for the advantage of those by whom that revelation was reverently accepted. The end of all God's revelations to man is to furnish him with a spiritual power by which he may overcome all those obstacles which stand in the way of his religious progress. The Ark of the Covenant indicates revelations of the highest character for the religious life of mankind, and therefore we at once perceive why it was so effective in establishing the Israelitish dispensation.

It is quite true that all the occurrences which are related to have taken place through the instrumentality of the ark of the covenant were natural occurrences; still they were all designed to be representatives of spiritual things. This was the chief purpose of them, and, con

sequently, the ark of the covenant had a religious significance, the true purpose of which is to assist in establishing the Christian dispensation. Let us then endeavour to understand what is the religious significance of the covenant.

Every one knows that covenants are frequently mentioned in the Scriptures, and that the Lord is stated to have made covenants with Noah and the patriarchs of the Jewish nation. What did they mean? The legal definition of a covenant is that of the mutual agreement between two parties to observe certain stipulated conditions for the accomplishment of certain purposes. Thus A agrees to confer certain privileges upon B, provided B complies with certain conditions which A requires. The privileges are stated, the conditions on which they are to be granted are set forth, and the documents in which they are expressed are ratified by the mutual consent of the parties concerned. Now if we carry this general view of a covenant to that which God is said to have established with men, we shall find that it will assist us with a clear and practical apprehension of its meaning. The circumstance that all the benefits to be conferred are from God, and that all the obligations are on the part of man, does not alter the essentials of its significance, which is the mutual agreement to grant privileges on the one part, and to perform conditions on the other in order to possess them.

Now God has the happiness of His kingdom to bestow, and all persons who are instructed in spiritual things perceive that it would be a great privilege to obtain that happiness. But God, in His Word, has intimated that there are certain conditions which have to be complied with, and if the conditions are accepted the privileges will be conferred. Nothing can be more reasonable or just. The Lord, in a few words, has revealed the form of His covenant, which beautifully illustrates the point before us. "If," says He, "thou wilt enter into life keep the commandments." "Life" is the benefit which He has to confer; "keeping the commandments" is the condition which men have to obey in order to secure it. If the conditions are accepted, the covenant is ratified, and the privilege is secured. It is also to be observed, that, in the covenant thus contemplated, there is present the affection of mutual love. God reveals to man the blessings which belong to His kingdom, and indicates the conditions on which they are to be obtained, because He loves man; and if man accepts and obeys the conditions it must be because he loves God. A covenant then in which God is of one part and man of the other implies the existence of a mutual and reciprocal love.