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THE LAW DELIVERED.

[1635-1451 B.C.

The world's distaste, pride's heartless scorn,
A toilsome life, perchance a grave,
Are things as loveless and forlorn
As ever was thy bitterest wave.
But these endure'd for Jesus' sake,
Are render'd, through his love divine,
A cup 'tis pleasure to partake,

Change'd by his power like Cana's wine.
The tree which Marah's waters heal'd,
Which sweetness gave, or could restore,
Is of his cross a type reveal'd,

Which he who bears repines no more.
O may this love in us abound
Guide to our Elim's happy shore,
Where wells for every tribe are found,
By living palm-trees shadow'd o'er!

BARTON.

22. THE DELIVERY OF THE LAW.
Exodus xx. 1-21.

The people were sanctified and gathered around the mountain, and the third day there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud, so that all the people that were in the camp trembled. And God spake all these words, saying, "I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days

PERIOD III.]

THE COMMANDMENTS.

:

shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

5. Honour thy father and thy mother; that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 6. Thou shalt not kill.

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

8. Thou shalt not steal.

9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's."

When the people saw the Law delivered amidst thunders and lightnings, and the mountain smoking, and heard the noise of the trumpet, they feared exceedingly and stood afar off. The glory of God was on Mount Sinai six days, and on the seventh day God called Moses into the mount, and he remained there forty days. Then God gave him the two tables of stone, with the Ten Commandments written on them.

NOTES AND EXPLANATIONS.

sanctified externally purified. God spake the voice of the Lord God was heard speaking out of the fire; the commandments were spoken audibly, so loud as to be heard by the immense multitude gathered round the mount, but no similitude or form was seen whence that voice proceeded.

I am, &c.-God proposes himself as the sole object of religious worship. jealous-God will not allow halfheartedness in his service; people cannot give themselves partly to God and partly to the world.

upon the, &c.-that is if their character at of their fathers-haters of God.

ne-to dislike those habits and

practices which are pleasing to God is to dislike him; to prefer any pleasure to that of worshipping God in spirit and

in truth is to hate him. Luke x. 16.

in vain―unnecessarily; thoughtlessly. holy-separate; implying that it was not to be a day of labour.

nor, &c.-this blessed provision for the advantage of God's creatures extends to the domestic animals which labour for man, and to those persons who are strangers to religion, as well as to faithful servants of God.

hallowed-consecrated; set apart for religious service.

honour-respect; reverence; esteem;

obey.

THE MORAL AND SPIRITUAL LAW. [1635-1451 B.C.

that thy-filial piety, or the cultivation and practice of the domestic virtues, draw down God's blessing; undutiful children are generally godless, and as the condition upon which God promised to preserve Canaan to the Israelites was obedience to his commands, so any violation of them would render their possession of it less secure.

coret-10 long for; to desire nestly that which is another's.

the fourth commands scrupulous abstinence from manual labour on the sabbath, and the entire dedication of the day to the Lord's service; these four commandments teach our duties to God. The fifth enjoins on children the duty of obedience to parents, and adds the promise of a blessing to those who observe it: the sixth forbids anger, haear-tred, revenge, and such other feelings as lead to murder; the seventh torbids all uncleanness and pollution in thought word, or act, for these sins are included in adultery; the eighth forbids injustice, cheating, evading the payment of debts, and all extravagance under the term theft; the ninth forbids lying, deceit, equivocation slander, backbiting, talebearing; and the tenth forbids us to wish to possess the goods of another, including discontent, ambition, self-love, envy, which are all sources of covetousness. These six commandments show us our duties to our fellow-creatures.

glory-a brilliant and splendid display. Psalm xix. 1; Less. 23, 'glory, Ten Commandments-the first forbids idolatry in its worst form-worshipping any other being or thing than God; the second forbids the making of any supposable likeness of the Great Being for the purpose of worshipping God through a representation; the third inculcates the utmost reverence for the name of God, forbidding its use in a light, thoughtless, or unnecessary manner;

THE SPIRITUAL LAW.

"BUT THE WORD IS VERY NIGH THEE, IN THY MOUTH AND IN THY HEART, THAT THOU MAYST DO IT."

Say not the law divine

Is hidden from thee, or afar remov'd;

That law within would shine,

If there its glorious light were sought and lov'd.

Soar not on high,

Nor ask who thence shall bring it down to earth;
That vaulted sky

Hath no such star, didst thou but know its worth.

Nor launch thy bark

In search thereof upon a shoreless sea,
Which has no ark,

No dove to bring this olive-branch to thee.

Then do not roam

In search of that which wandering cannot win,

At home! At home!

That word is plac'd, thy mouth, thy heart within.

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BARTON.

PERIOD III.] THE CALF MADE AND WORSHIPPED.

23. THE GOLDEN CALF. THE TABERNACLE. Exodus xxxii.-xl.

While Moses was in the mount, the people became impatient; and Aaron, at their desire, made them a golden calf, which they worshipped. God told Moses of the heinous sin which the people had committed; and he said, " This is a stiffnecked people, now therefore let me alone that my wrath may wax hot against them; and I will make of thee a great nation." And Moses besought the Lord for the people; reminding him of his promises to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, that he would multiply their seed as the stars, and give them the land of Canaan. Then the Lord 'repented him of the evil which he said he would do unto them. Moses then came down with the two tables of stone in his hand; but when he saw the people dancing, and worshipping the golden calf, he was greatly grieved, and he threw down the two tables of stone, and broke them. He reproached Aaron: and according to God's command, he appointed the Levites to punish the Israelites for this sin. Three thousand of those who worshipped the calf were slain by the Levites.

Moses again besought the Lord to pardon the people; but God said, "Whosoever hath sinned, him will I blot out of my book." God then sent a plague among them. The Lord also refused to go with them up to Canaan. The people mourned for their sin, and prayed that God would forgive them. Moses also entreated the Lord to go with them. The Lord then consented to lead the people.

The Lord wrote again the Ten Commandments on two tables of stone, and gave them to Moses. God directed two wise-hearted men, Bezaleel and Aholiab, to construct the Tabernacle; the people brought gold and silver, brass, wood, and other free-offerings for the work, more than enough, and the tabernacle was made with its curtains and coverings according to all that the Lord commanded. Bezaleel and Aholiab also made the vessels and furniture for the tabernacle; the Ark was made of shittim-wood; the mercy-seat -which was the lid or covering of the ark, was of pure gold; and on it small winged figures, called cherubim, were placed.

THE TABERNACLE MADE AND ERECTED. [1635-1451 B.C.

The table was made of shittim-wood, and the dishes, spoons, and covers, which were kept on it, of pure gold. The candlestick, with six branches, was made of pure gold; the incense-altar was of shittim-wood, overlaid with gold; the altar of burnt-offering was of shittim-wood, overlaid with brass; and the vessels of the altar-the pots, shovels, basons, flesh-hooks, and fire-pans, were made of brass; the laver, which held water, in which the priests washed their hands and feet was also made of brass. Vestments were made for the priests; the chief of these were the ephod, with its breastplate of precious stones, the robe, the 'broidered coat, the girdle, and the mitre.

After all was finished the tabernacle was erected in the wilderness; the coverings were put on it, the furniture and vessels were anointed and placed within it, and the tabernacle was consecrated to the Lord. Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in their journeys; but if the cloud was not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.

God chose Aaron and his sons to be priests. They were to offer prayers and sacrifices to God for the people. Moses consecrated them with oil, and the blood of bulls and rams. They were required to live holy lives. God promised to sanctify Aaron and his sons, to serve him.

NOTES AND EXPLANATIONS.

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moved with compassion towards the miserable, or he is entreated by their prayers, and does not execute his threatenings. Ezekiel xviii. 21-32.

evil-harm; injury; destruction.

the Egyptians at their religious festidancing-according to the custom of vals. This custom was followed in ancient times not only by idolaters but by the worshippers of the True God. 2 Sam. vi. 14; Ps. xxx. 11. This sacred dancing was not for amusement.

threw down-from a sudden and powerful emotion of displeasure.

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