visited by the hand of God, returned the Ark, and it was deposited at Kirjath-jearim. David conveyed it from thence to the house of Obed-edom, the Gittite, and from thence it was brought by Solomon into the temple at Jerusalem. While bringing the Ark to the house of Obed-edom, it is said, "when they came to Nachon's threshing-floor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the Ark of God, and took hold of it, for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error, and he died there by the Ark of God."
It is at once clear to all, that there was no wicked intention in the mind of Uzzah when he put forth his hand to the ark in order to steady it; indeed, it is said that he was smitten, not for his wickedness, but for his Error! O! what an impressive lesson does this teach to the children of men. The Ark of God, inasmuch as it contained the Divine Law, both of faith and life, was the outward representative of that which is most Holy and Divine. It is therefore an error, and a killing one too, because destructive of truth, to suppose that any human power can be put forth to steady or support the Ark, which is now and was then the emblem of Divine Power. Uzzah is a word signifying strength, and here as applied to created man, finite strength, which, compared with the Infinite, is weakness itself. The hand of Uzzah is therefore the emblem of human power and ability, and to put forth such power in order to steady and support the Divine, is to suppose that finite weakness can contribute something to aid and assist Infinite strength. This is an error of a deadly cast; for it deprives man of that clear perception of truth, which on the one
