Hebrews 13

The last chapter is exhortation, and takes up the visible ground, which is important for the Jew. We are visible, and we are now put into a visible place; we are put outside the camp. The camp is an orderly construction of religious arrangements; it is a settled state of things, with military precision, and sentinels to keep all from going outside it. And those who do have to pay the penalty of it which is our portion. Where is your address? " Outside the camp." Where are you to be found? " Outside the camp." And what are you doing there? I am praising God and serving man. We are a praising people; praising God. That is what people ought to find us doing. They cannot see us worshipping, but they ought to hear us praising. And is that all? We are serving man too. There must be nothing contrary to the altar about us. The altar is the figure for worship; " we have an altar; " we have gone inside there; we are invisible there; but here we, become visible; we are found. outside the camp-outside everything that has regulation. Then have you disorder? I hope not; the Lord keeps order. But the moment you make anything ordered and settled it is in the camp.
When a convert came out of Judaism, he had no place but the church to go to; but the difficulty that we have to contend. with is, that there are a dozen places. But, go where I may, I cannot leave Christendom; I cannot leave the house of God. It may be a very large house; but, as has been often said, let me get into some little clean corner of it; into some attic; some upper room. There may be a house in which dancing is going on in one of the rooms; but I can keep in another.
At the time the epistle was written " the camp " applied to Judaism; but there is the principle of it to this day. Ask people where they get the word. " priest;" they must go back to Judaism for it. Wherever I find Judaism, there I find. the camp, and wherever I find Judaism, I stand clear of it. I am de pendent on God's Spirit alone for arrangement. If I have a case to deal with to-day, I cannot deal with it by a case that has already been dealt with; I must have God's guidance for that special thing.
The camp and the house are not the same thing. The camp is peculiar arrangements that are going on in one part of the house. It is a thing that never ought to have been in the house; they brought it in, but it has no right there. However, we are in the house, and we cannot deny our family; we have to bear the shame of it. When the captives returned from Babylon, there was a nice handful of them; but where were all the others? Those who came back had to bear the weakness and the shame of the defection of the rest. And as it was then God's house, though in a state of dilapidation and ruin-" they break down the carved work with axes and hammers, they have cast fire into thy sanctuary " - so it is still His house. Well, and what are you doing? I am keeping things as straight as I can in the clean corner. (J. B. S.)
THE inward revelation of divine favor-makes the path of sorrow full of sweetness.
(J. N. D.)