Commentary on the Holy Bible

11. The O.NVX, CDrW shoham. See the notes on Gen. Ji. 12. ExocL XXV. 7. There are a great number of different

I seniiments on the meaning of liie original; it has been trans- I lated beryl, emerald, prasius, sapphire, surdius, ruby, carnelian, onyx and sardonyx. It h hkely that the name may signify both the onyx, and sardonyx. This la''':' stone is a mixture of the chalcedony and c«rHe/ian,. ■sometimes in strata, at other times blended together, and is found striped with itA^Ve and red strat;;, or layers. It is generally allowed, thai there is no real difii.rence, except in the degree of hardness, betiveen (he onyx, carneliiin, chalcedony, sardonyx and agate. It is well known that the onyx is of a darkish horny colour, resembling the hoofov nail, from whicli circumstance, it has its name. It has often a jilate of a blueish white or red in it, and \\ hen on one or both sides of this white, diere appears a plate of a reddish colour, the jewellers, says Woodward, call the stone a sardonyx.

12..I.ASPEIi, r\t',y^ yas'ipeh. The similarity of the Hebrew name, has determined most critics and mineralogists to adopt t\wjafper, as intended by the original word. 'Vhe Ji:sper is usually defin d, A haid stone, of a bright beautiful green colour; sometimes clouded with vjhile, and spotted with red or yellow. Mineralogists reckon not less than fifteen varieties of this stone, \. green, 2. red, 3. yellow, 4. broun, 5. violet, 6. black; 1, blueish gray, S. milky white, D, variegated vthh green, red, and yellow clouds, lu. '^rern with red sjiecks, i i. tei'ied with various colours, apparently in the form of letters, 12. with variously coloured zones, 13. with various colours, mixed witiioul any order, 14. with many colours tojycther, 15. mixrd with particles of agate.

In examining what has been said on these difTereiit precious stones, by the best critics, I have adopted such explanations, as appeared to me, to be best justified by the meaning and use of the original words j but I caniiot say, that the stones which I have described, are preci.'cly those intended bv the terms in the Hebrew Text; nor can I take upon me to assert, that the tribes are arranged exactly in the manner mtended by INIoses; for as these tilings arc not laid down in the Text, in such a way as to preclude all mistake, some things must be left to conjecture. Of several of these stones many fabulous accounts are given by the ancients, and indeed by the modems also: these I have in general omitted, because they are fabulous; as also all spiritual meanings, which others have found so plentit'uUj' in each stone, because I consider some of them puerile, all futile, and not a few, dangerous.

Verse 30. Thou shalt put in the breast-plate — the URIM and TIIU.M.MIM] ^Vhat these were, has, I believe, never yet been discovered. 1. They are no where described. 2. There u no direction given to Moses, or any other, hm:,' to make them. 3. ^Vll:ltevcr tlicy were, they do not appear to have been made on this occasion. 4. Il' they were the work of man at all, they must have been articles in the ancient tabernacle, matters used by the patriarclts, and not here particularly described, because well kno\wi. 5. It is probable, that nothing material is designed. This is the opinion of some of the Jewish doctors. Kabbi Menachcm on this Chapter savs, " The Urim and Tlumiinim «cre not the work of the.irtificer; neither had the artificei's, nor the congregation of Israel in them any work, or any voluntary ottering: but they were a mystery delivered to Moses from the mouth of God; or they were the work of God himself; or a measure of the Holy Spirit." C. 'J hat God was often consulted by Vrim and Thummim, is sufliciently evident from sercra/ scriptures; but how, or in wbat manner lie was thus consulted, appears in none. 1. 1 his mode of consultation, whatever it was, does not appear to have been in use from the consecration ol' Solomon's temple, to the time of its destruction; and after il* destruction, it is never once mentioned. Hence the.lews say, that the five following things, which were iu the fir»f

goeth in before the Lord: ' and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart, before tlie Lord continually. 31 ^ And "thou shalt make the robe of the cphod all o/'blue.

32 And there shall be a hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of an "^ habergeon, that it be not rent.

33 And beneath, upon the '* hem of it, thou

temple, were wanting in tlie.^ecoml. " 1. The ark with tlie mercy seal, and cherubim, 2. Tlie fire whicli came down from heaven. 3. The Shechinah, or divine presence. 4. The Holy Spirit, i. e. the gift of propliecy. 5. And the Urim and T/tuiiniiim."

8. As the word rrjmx ttrim signifies LIGHTS, and the word D'On tummim PERFECTIONS; they were probably designed to point out the Ught, the abundant information in spiritual things, afforded by the wonderful revelation which God made of himself by, and under the LAW; and the perfection, entire holiness, and strict conformity to himself, which tliis dispensation required; and which are introduced and accomplished by that dispensation of lii^ht and truth, the GOSPEL, wliich was prefigured and pointed out by the law, and its sacrifices, &cc. and in this light, the subject has been viewed by the Vulgate, where the words are translated Doclrina et Veritas, doctrine and truth; a system of teaching, proceeding from t7-uth itself. The Septuaarint translate the original by '^riXacn; Ka\ aAnflfio:, the manifistiition and the truth; meaning probably the manifestation which God made of himself to Moses and tiie Israelites, and the truth whicli he had revealed to them; of which this breastplate should be a continual memorial.

All the other versions express nearly the same things, and all refer to intellectual and spiritual subjects such as //"/(.', truth, manifcstalion, doctrine, perfection, &c. &c. not one of them supposing that any thing material is intended. The Samaritan Text is however different; it adds here a whole clause not found in the Hebrew: amiSA^f AUX aflT^A-S AA- Am"^VX veusita et ha-urimveet ha-tummim. Thou shalt make the Urim and the Thumnnm.- If this reading be admitted, the Urim and Thnmmim were manufactured on this occasion, as well as the other articles. However it be, they are indescribable and unknown.

The manner in which the Jews suppose that the enquiry ■was made by Urim and Thummim, is the following: — *' When they enquired, the priest stood with his ihce before the ark; and he that enquired, stood behind him, with his face to the back of the priest. And the enquirer said, Shall I go tip? or. Shall I not go up? And forthwith the Holy Ghost came upon the jiriest, and he beheld the breastplate, and saw therein, by the vision of prophecy, Go up, or. Go not up, in the letters whiih shewed forth themselves upon the breastplate, before his face." Sec Numb, xxvii. 18,21. Judg. i. 1. xx. 18, 28. I.Sam. xxiii. 9 — 12. xxviii. 6. And see /linsieorth.

It was the letters that formed the names of the livelve tribes upon the breastplate, wliich the.lews suppose, were used in a miraculous way, to give answers to the eiK|uirers. Thus when Pavid consulted the Lord wliether be should go into a city of.ludea, three letters which constituted the word nSj? dlah GO, rose up, or became prominent in the names on the breastplate; J? a in from the name of Simeon, 7 lamed from the name of Levi, and n he from the name of Jtidah. But this supposition is without proof

Among the Egyptians, a breastplate, something like that of tlie.Icwish high-priest, was worn by the president of t!ie courts of justice. Diodorus Siculus has these words, E<po^tt., 5'ouTo; CTEpi rov Tfa;%>!Xov ex. xfVTn; dxuTEcc^ JifTtj/xEVOv (a^tw r'jiv TTo'KuTiXav M9av, 0 Tr^oanyo^iuov AAH0EIAN. " He bore about his neck a golden chain, at which hung an imaije sf t about or composed of precious stones, wliich was cahed TRUTH."; Bib. Hist. hb. 1. chap. Ixxv. p. 225. And he farther add-s' " that as soon as the president put this gold chain about his., neck, the legal proceedings commenced, but not before.^ And tliat when the case of the plaintilT and defendant had ' been fully and fairly heard, the president turned the image of. truth, which was hung to the golden chain round his neck,, toward the person, whose cause was found to be just," by ■ which he seemed to intimate, that truth was on his side.

Milan in his Hist. Var. lib. xxxiv. gives the same account,. " The chief justice or president," he says, " was always a priest, of a venerable age, and acknowledged probity. Ei^e

Aeito aya\ua AAH0EIA. Tliat he had an iuuge which was called I'RUTH, engraved on a sapphire, and huiTg about his neck with 9 gold chain."

Peter du Val mentions a mummy which he saw at Cairo, in Egypt, round the neck of which was a chain, at which a. golden plate was suspended, which lay on the breast of the.^ person, and on which was engraved the figure of a bird. y This person was supposed to have been one of the supreme judges; and in all likelihood, the bird, of what kind he does, not mention, was the emblem of truth, justice, or innocence. J'

I have now before me paintings taken on the spot, by ajt native Chinese, of the different courts in China, where cri-jf minal causes were tried. In these, the judg'e always appears.^ with a piece of embroidery on his breast, on which a tu/i(/* ' j bird of the ardea or heron kind is represented, wilh expanded wmgs. All these seem to have been derived ti-oni tlie saiu& source, both among the Hebrews, the Egyptians, and the Chi-^' nese. And it is certainly not impossible, that the two latter, might have borrowed the notion and use of the brca^tydate judgment from the Hebrews, as' it was in use among.''(f/;!, lori| before we have any account of its use among either liie Egi iians ov Chinese. The different mandarins have 0^ bn ■;•"

Vef.se 31. The robe of the ephod] See on ver. 4.,Erou^

34 A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about.

35 " And it siiall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place, before the Loud, and when he Cometh out, that he die not.

36 if And ^ thou shalt make a plate of pure

this description, and from uhat Josepliiis says, wlio must have been well acquainted with its form, «e find that tliis mci/, or robe, was one loiisj straight piece of bhie clulh, witli a hole or openmg in the centre, for the head to pass through; which hole, or opening, was boimd about, that it might not be rent in putting it on, or taking it off) ver. 'i2.

Ver.'e.'55. His sound shall be heard] The bells were doubtless intended to keep up tiie people's attention to the very solemn and important office which the priest was then pcii'onning; that they might all have their hearts engaged in the work; and at the same time to keep Aaron himself in remembrance ihat lie ministered before Jehovah, and should not come into his presence without due reverence.

Tlhit he die not.] This seems an allusion to certain cereinonies which still prevail in the Eastern countries. Jehovah appeared among liis people in the tabernacle, as an emperor in his tent among hi> troops. At the doors of the tents or palaces of iftandees, w as gener.dly placed some.sonorous body, either of metal or wood, which was struck, to advertise those within, that a person prayed.'or admittance to the presence of the king, &c. As the tabernacle had no door, but a vail, and conscquentiv nothing to prevent any person from going Aaron was commanded to put the bells on his robe, his sound might be heard, lehen he ii:ent into the holy pluce, v.j'' re the L'ird.

'which there was a blue lace, or filet, ver. 37. which was gold, and grave iii)on it, like the en<;ravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.

37 And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be.

38 And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may " bear the iniquity of the holy things, whicli the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gitts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be '' accepted

H01.INi:SS UNTO THE Lord.] This we may consider as the grand bad\^e of the sacerdotal office. 1. Tiie priest was to minister in Ao/y things. '2. He was the representative of a holy God. 3. He was to offer sacrifices to make an atonement for, and to/)!// fttiYiy SjN. 4. He was to /cacA the people the way if righteousness and true holiness. 5. As mediator, he was to obtain for them those divine influences by which they should be made holy, and he prepared to divell with holu spirits in the kingiiom of glory. 6. In tlie sacerdotal office,, he was the type of that holy and just One. who, in the fulness of time, was to come and put a\iuy sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

It is allowed on all hands, that this inscription was, in the primitive Ilebrciv character, such as appears upon- ancient shekels, and such as was used before the Babylonish captivity, and probably from the giving of the law on mount.Sinai. 1 he niri'V Unp k'odesh Layhoiuh, of the present Hebrew text, would ill thosr- ancient characters appear thus:

wliich, in the modern.Samaritan character, evidently derived from that above, is as follows:?{'7=jnt2i "»"^p And the word =t^3(;|f in this ancient and original character, i3 the tamoiis Te'rugrammaton, or word of four letters, which, to the present day, the Jews \y\\\ neither xsrite nor pronounce. The Jews teach, that these letters were embossed on the gold, and not engraven in it; and that the plate on which they were eIllbo^std, was about two fingers broad, and that it occupied a space on the foie'.icad, between the hair and the eyebrows. But it is most likely that it was attached to the lower part of till; mitre.

X'erse 38. May bear tie iniquity of the holy things] Ntt^3>- □'linpn py nS priN re nasa Aharon et dion hakkodashim. And Aaron shall bear, in a vicarious and typical manner, the sin of the holy or separated things — ojferings or sacrifices. Aaron was, as the high priest of the Jews, the type or representative of our bies>ed Redeemer; ami as he oftereJ the sacrifices prescribed by the Law, to make an atonement for sin, and was tkereby represented as bearing their sins.

■59 ^ And thou 'shalt embroider

the coat of fine linen, and thou shalt make the mitre of tine linen,; and tliou shalt make the girdle of needle-work.

40 *[ "■ And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for tliem girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for- beauty.

41 And thou siialt put them upon Aaron thy brotlier, and his sons with him; and shalt ^anohit them, and "^ consecrate'' them, and sanctity then), tliat they may mi-

because he was hound to make an atonement for them; so Christ is represented asbearhtg the sins, i.e. the pu»ishnicut clue to tlie sins of the world, in his becoming a sacrifice for the human race, see Isai. hii. 4, 12. where the same verb, am nasa, i* used: aud see 1 Pet. ii. 24. Bj' the in.scription on the plate on his forehead, Aaron was acknowledged as the holy minister of the holy God. To the people's services, and ■their offerings, much imperfection was attached; and therefore Aaron was represented, not only as making an atonement in general, for the sins of the people, by the sacrifices they brought; but also as nu'.king an atonement for the imperfection of die lUonement itself, ami the manner in which it was brought.

It hhall be ah:nt/'i upon his forehead.] The plate, inscribed %vilh Holiness unto the Lord, should be always on his forehead, to teach that the Law required holiness; that this was its aim, design and end; and the same is required by the gospel; for, under diis dispensation, it is expressly said, IVithout holiness no man shall see the Lord. Heb. xii. 14.

Verse 42. Linen breeches] Tliis command had in view the necessity of purity and decency in every part of the divine worship; in opposition to the shocking indecency of the pagan worship in general, in which the priests often nunistered 7iaked, as in the sacrifices to Bacchus, &c.

42 And thou shalt make them "linen breeches to cover '^ their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall ^ reach:

4.3 And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near '' unto the altar, to minister in the holy place; that they ' bear not iniqiuty, and die: ^ it shall be a statute for ever unto him, and his seed after

On the garments of the high-priest, some general reflections have already been made, see ver. 2. and to what is tli. re, said, it may be just necessary to add, that there can be no doubt of their being all emblematical of spiritual things; ' but of which, and in what way, no man can positively say. ■ Many con»mentcitors have entered largely into this subject,'] and have made many edifying and useful remarks; but i where no clue is given to guide us through a labyrinth, in which the possibility of mistake is every moment occurring, it is much better not to attempt to be wise above what is written: for, however edifying tbe reflections may be, which are made on these subjects; yet, as they are not clearly deducible from the text itself, they can give little satisfaction to a sincere enquirer after trutli. These garments were all made for glory and for beauty, and this is the general account that it has pleased God to give of their nature and design: in a general sen.se, they represented, 1. The necessity of purity in every part of the divine worship; 2. the necessity of an atonement for sin; 3. the purity and justice of the Divine Majesty; and, 4. the absolute necessity of that holiness, without which none can see the Lord. And these subjects should be diligently kept in view by all tho.se who wish to profit by the curious and interesting details given in this chapter. In the nptes, these lojiics are ftequently iotroduced.

Ceremonies to be med in consec7-ating Auron and his sons, 1 — 3. Thei/ are to be zcashed, 4. Aaron is to be clothed zdth the holy vestments, 5, 6; to be anointed, 7. His sons to be clothed and girded, 8, 9. T/tci/ are to off'er a huUock for a sin-otrering, 10 — 14,- and a ram for a burnt-otTtring, 15 — 13; and a second nun ' _/b;- a consecratioii-oflcring, 19 — 22. ^ loaf, a cake, and a wni'er, or thin cake, ybr rt wave-ofTeriiig, 23—26* The breast of the wave-offering, and the shoulder of the heave-offering to be sanctifed, 26 — 28. Aaroni vestments to descend to his son, zcho shall succeed him, 29, 30. Aaron and his sons to eat thefiesh of the ram of consecration, 31, 32. No Btranger to eat of it, 33. Nothing of it to be left till the morning, but to be burnt uith fire,.'U. Seven days to be employed in consecrating Aaron and his sons, 3j — 37.

N U tliis is the tiling that tliou J\_ shalt do unto them, to hallow 1. them, to minister unto me in the cir.n-mm^. priest's office: " Take one young iHillock,.and two rams without blemish,

2 And ^ unleavened bread, and cakes unka\^cned, tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened, anointed with oil: of ■wheaten flour shalt thou make them.

3 And thou slialt pat them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams.

'■ 4 And Aaron and his sons thou shalt briu"; I unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, "and shalt wash them with water.

.5 '' And thou.shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and tlie breastplate, and gird him with " the curious girdle of the ephod:

G ' And tiiou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the! mitre.

7 Tiien slialt thou take the anointing ^ oil, and pour // ii])on his head, and anoint him.

8 And "thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them.

9 And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and ' put the bonnets on them: and *" the priest's office shall be theirs for a pcr-

NOTES ON CHAP. XXL\. Verse 1. Take one yonn^ bullock] This consecr.ition did ■not take place till after the erection of the tabernacle. — See Lev. viii. 9, 10.

Verse 2. Unleavened brend] Three kinds of bread, as to i(.^ form, are mentioned here, but all unleavened. 1. niSO matsoth, unleavened bread, no matter in what sliiipe. — See chap. xii. 9. 2. nSn chaloth, cakes, pricked or perforated, as the root implies. 3. 'P'pt rekikiy, an exceeding thin cake, from pi rak, to be eiltmmtcd, properly enongli translated v^afer. The manner in which these were prepared, is siifTieicntly plain from the text; and probably these were the principal forms in which flour was jirepared for household" use, during their stay iii the wildeniC'^s. The.sc were all waved before the Lord, ver. 24. as an acknowledgment that the bread that sustains the body, as well as the mercy which saves the soul, comes from God alone.

Verse 4. Thou — shah urmh them] This was done emblematically, to signify that they were to put away all fillliiness of the flesh and spirit, and perfect holiness in the fear of God. 2 Cor. vii. I.

Verse 5. Thnu shalt take the ganiients.'] As most ofTiccs of spiritual and secular dignity had appropriate habits and w,«':,')H«, herce, when a person was appointed to an oflu.e, and habited P r the purpose, he was said to be invesltd with that office, from in, used intensively, and vestio, I clothe, liecause lie was then clothed vi\{\\ the vestments peculiar to that office.

Verse 1. Then shalt thou take the anointing oil] It appears ■from Isa. l\i. 1. that anointing tvith oil, in consecrating a person to any important office, whether civil or religious, was considered as an emblem of the communication of the gifts anil graces of the Holy Spirit. This ceremony was used on three occasions, ^ iz. the installation of prophets, priests, and kings.

into their respective offices. But why sliould such an anointing be deemed necessary? Because the conunon sense of men taught tiieiii, tiiat all good, whether spiritual or secular, must come from God, its origin and cause. Hence it was taken for granted, 1. That no man could foretell events, unle.^s inspired by the Spirit of God. And tiicrefore the prophet was anointed, to signify the communication of tlie Spirit of wisdom and knowledge. 2. That no person could offer an acceptable sacrifice to God for the sins of men, or profitably minister in holy things, unless enlightened, infliienced, and directed, by the Spirit of grace and holiness. Hence the priest was anointed, to signify his being divinely qualified for the due peitbrmance of his sacred functions. 3. "^Fhat no man could enact just and equitable laws, which should have the prosperity of the community and the welfare of the individual continually in view, or could use the power confided to him only for the suppression of vice and the encouragement of virtue, but that man who was ever under ihe inspiration of the Almighty. Hence kings were inaugurated by anointing with oil. Tv.'o of these offices only, exist in all civiliEed nations, ihc sacerdotal and regal; and in some countries the priest and Icing are still consecrated by anointing. tn the Hebrew language, nco tnashach signifies to anoint; and nil'O masliiaeh, the anointed person. But as no man was ever dignified by holding the three offices, so no person ever had the title viiishiarh, tile anointed one, but Jesus the Christ. He alone is King of kings, and Lord of lords: the king who governs the universe, and rules in the hearts of his tollowers; the prophet, to instruct men in the way wherein they should go; and the great high-pncst, to make atonement for their sins. Hence he is called the I\rcssitts, a corruption of the word fT'iyOit ha mashiach, THE anointed ONE, in Hebrew; which jjavc birth to o X^ia-rof, ho Christos, wliich has

10 And thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation: and " Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock.

1 1 And thou shalt kill the bullock before the Lord, bi^ the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

12 And thou "shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon " the horns of the altar with thy finger, and ])our all the blood beside the bottom of the altar.

1 3 And '^thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and ^ the caul that is above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fiit that is upon them, and burn tf/evi upon the altar.

14 But "the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering.

1 5 ' Thou shalt also take one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall ^ put their hands upon the head of the ram.

precisely the same siynilkalion in Greek: of him, Melchisedcch, Abraham, Aaron, David and otlieis, were illustrious types. But none of these had the title of THE Messiah, or thk Anointed of God. This does, and ever will, belona; exclusively, to.IksL'S the CHRIST. I

Verse 10. S/iiill put t/icir lumdsvpon tlic head of tlie bullock.] I By this rite, the animal was consecrated to God, and was tlitti I proper to be oiVered in sacrifice. Imposition of hands also j siy,nified, that ihey ofl'ercd the lite of this animal as an atone- i nitnt for their sins, and to redeem their lives from that death, \ which, through their sinfulness, they had deserved. In the | case of the sin oftlring and trespass-offering, the person who Irought the sacrifice, placed his hands on the head of the j animal, between t!ie horns, and confessed his sin over ihe sin- • iH'eriiig; an;l '..lis trespass over the tresjjass-olib'ing, saying, " I have sinned, I have done iniquity, I have trespassed, and have done thus and thus, and do return by repentance before thee, and with this, I make atonetnent." Then the animal was considered as vicariously bearing the sins of the person who brought it.

Ver.se 19. The oiher raj/i] There were two rams brought on this occasion; one was for a burnt-ojjcving, and was to be entirely consumed: the other was the ram of consecration,

16 And thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it round about upon the altar.

17 And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces, and wash the inwards of him, and his legs, and put thtm unto his pieces, and 'unto his head.

18 And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon tlie altar: it is a burnt oflfcring unto the Lord: it is a '"sweet savour, an ottering made by firej

19 " And thou shalt take the other ram; and| Aaron and his sons shall put their hands uponj the head of the ram:

20 Then.shalt thou kill the ram, and take ofi his blood, and put it upon the tip of the righti ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear; of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round

21 And thou shalt take of the blood that t> upon the altar, and of " the anointing oil, and

ver. 2l2. S'N^O 7'N uyal milhti)n, the ram of.^filling up, because when a person was dedicated or consecrated lo God, his hands were filled witli some particular olieriiig, proper for the occasion, which he presented to God. Htnce the word consecration signifies the filling up, or filling the liands, some part of the sacrifice being pjt into the hands of such persons, denoting thereby, thai they had now a right to ofier sacrifices and oblations to God. It seems, in reference to this ancient mode of consecration, that in the Church of England, when a person is ordained priest, a Bible is put into his hands widi these words, " Take thou authority to preach the word of j God," &c. The filling the hands refers also to the presents, | which, in the Eastern countries, every inferior was obliged to i bring, when brought into the presence of a superior. Thus the Sacrifice was considered not only as an atonement for sin, but also as a means of approach, and as a present to Jehovah.

Verse 20. Take of his blood] The putting the blood of the sacrifice on the lip of the right ear, the tliuinb of the right hand and the great toe of the right foot, was doubtless intended to signify, that they should dedicate all their faculties and poxvers to the service of God: their ears to the hearing and studj/ of his Ar.i;; their liunds, to diligence in the sacred ministry, aiwl to all acts of obedience; and their. /ec/, lo xualking in the way of God's precepts. And this sprinkling appears to have been u^ct\ to teach them, that they could neither hear,' work, nor ivalk profitably, uprightly, and well pleasing in the sight of God, without this application of the blood of the sacrifice.

B.C. 1491. (jarnK'nls, and upon hi.s sons, and 1. upon tlic garments or his sons witli

"'■'■'"'"•"."i him: and " he shall be hallowed, and his jrarmcnts, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him.

'I'i Also thou shalt take of the ram, the flit and the rump, and the tlit that covereth the inwards, and the caul above tlie liver, and the two kidnevs, and the Hit that is upon them, and the right shoulder; for it is a ram of consecration:

23 " And one loaf of bread, and one cake of oilctl bread, and one water out of the basket of the unleavened bread, that is befor^.- the Louu:

24 And thou shalt put all in the hands of Aaron, and in the hands of his soas; and shalt "wave'' lhem^>r

Aiul as the blood of rams, bull', and goat.'!, could never take away sin, does not lliis prove to us, that soinctliiiis; infinitely hclter is shadowed out? and that ivc can do iiothiiif; lioly and pure, in tlip sight of a just and holy God, but Uiroui^h the blood of atonement? — See on chap. xxx. ver. 20.

^'^erse 22. The fat and tlie rumji] 'I'he rump, or tail of some of the ICastcrn sheep, is the best part of the animal, and is counted a great delicacy. They are also very large, some of them weighins;- from txvelre lo forlj/ pounds weight; " so that the owners," says Mr. Ludolf, in his History of Elldopia, " are obliged to tie a little cart behind them, whereon they j)ul the tail of the sheep, as well for the convenience of carriage, and to ease the poor creature, as to preserve the wool from dirt, and the tail from being torn among the bushes and stones." An engraving of this kmd of sheep, his tail, cart, ^c. may be seen at p. 53. of the above work.

^ erse 2.3. And one loaf of bread] The bread of different kinds, (sec on ver. 2.) in this offering,.seems to have been intended as a minchah, or offering of grateful acknowledgetnent, for providential blessings. The essence of worship consisted in acknowledging God, 1. As the Creator, Governor, and Preserver of all things, and the Disi)enser of every good orid perfect gift. 2. As the Judge of men, the Piinisher of sin, and He who could alone paction it. The niinehahs, heave-off. rings, wave-olVerings, and thank-ollerings, referred to the first point. The burnt-offerings, sin-oflcrings, and sacrifices in general, referred to the second.

Verse 24. For a ivave-qlfering] See the notes on Levit. vii. where an amjile account of «// </if o/Zi'/iH;,'*, iucrijices, &c. i under the iMosaic di-pensalion, and the reiertnce they bore j to the great sacrifice oflered by Christ, is given in detail.

Verse 2,5. Thou shall receive them of their hands ] Aaron

25 ' And thou shalt receive them of their hands, and burn litem upon the altar tor a burntoticring, lor a sweet.sa\ our before the Lohd: it is an otleriug made by fire unto the Loim.

2G And thou.shalt take ' the brea.st of the ram of Aaron's consecration, and wave it/or a wave oifering before the Lord: and ^ it shall be thy part.

27 -Vnd thou shalt.sanctify '' the breast of the wave ortering, and the shoulder of the heave

the niini.-ter of God, he now consecrates tliem to the sacred office, and pre.sents their oirerings to Jehovah.

Verse 27. The breast of the -Lvuvc-offering, and the sliotilder of the heave-offering.] As the ■jLUve-offering was agitated to and fro, and the heave-offering up and donn, some have conceived that this twofold action represented ihe f:;ii re of the cross, on wliich the great I'eace-nffering between God and man was ofl'iied, in the personal sacrifice of our ble.-?<-d Redeemer. Had we autluMity lor tliis conjecture, it would certainly cast much light on Ihe meaning and intentioii of these offerings; and when the intelligent reader is informed, that one of the most judicious critics in the whole republic of letters, is the author of this conjecture, viz. llouhi'^unt, he w ill treat it with respect. I shall here produce his own words on this verse — " Hie distinguuntiir, ri2Jn & T'l^in, ut ejusdem oblationis caTimonia; diue. In ~;jr\ signiticatur, moveri oblatain victimam hue & iliac, ad dextram & ad sinistram. hi riwnn, siasum toUi, &.wblutam rursus deprimi; nam pluribus vicibus id fiebat. Hem sic interpretantur Judiei; & Christianos docent, quanquain id non agenles, sic uduinbrari eum cruceni, ill t/iiuni generis humaiu ziclima ilia pucifwu sublata est, quaiH veleres victinuc omn(s prajMunciabant."

" The heai-e-(ffcring and xvave-offering, as two ceremonies in the same oblation, are here distinguished, n^lie u'«;eoffering implies, that the victim wa8 moved hither and thither to the right-hand and to the left: the heave-qfflring was lifted up and doivn, and this was done several times, hi this way the Jews explain these things, and te.ich the Ch^i^tian.s that by these acts the cross was adumbrated, upon which that Peace-olVaing of the human race was litled up, which was prefigured by all the ancient victims."

Tlie breast and the shoulder, thus xvaved and heaved, were by this consecration appointed to be the priests' portion for ever; and tlijs, as Mr. Ainsworlh piously remarks, " taught the jiriesls how, with all their heart and all their.■itrengih, they should give themselves unto the service of the Lord in 1) his church." J\lose,s, ai priest, received on this octa»iow the

offering, which is waved, and which is heaved up, of the ram of the consecration, eve?i of that which is for Aaron, and of that which is for his sons:

28 And it shall be Aaron's and his sons' * by a statute for ever, fi-om the children of Israel: for it is an heave ofiering: and ^ it shall be an heave offering from the children of Israel, of the sacrifice of their peace offerings, even their heave offering unto the Lord.

29 And the holy garments of Aaron " shall be his sons' after him, " to be anointed therein, and to be consecrated in them.

30 And 'that*^ son that is priest in his stead shall put them on * seven days, when he cometh into the tabernacle of the congregation to minister in the holy place.

31 And thou shalt take the ram of the consecration, and " seethe his flesh in the holy place.

32 And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the ' bread that is in the basket,

breast and the shoulder, which became afterwards tlie portion of the priests, see ver. 28. ami Lev. vii. 34. It is worthy of remark, that although Moses himself had no consecration to the sacerdotal office, yet he acts here as high-priest, consecrates a high-priest, and receives the breast and the shoulder, which were the priests' portion! But Moses was an erlraordinaiy messenger, and derived his authority, without the medium of rites or ceremonies, immediately from God himself. It does not appear that Christ either baptized the twelve Apostles, or ordained them by imposition of hands; yet, from his own infinite sufficiency, he gave them authority lioili to baptize, and to lay on hands, in appointing others to the work of the sacred niiriistry.

Verse 29. The lioly garments — shalt he his sons' after him] These garments were to dt scend from father to son; and no new garments were to be made.

Verse 30. Seven days] The priest, in his consecration, was to abide seven days and nights at the door of the tabernacle, keeping the Lord's watch. See Lev. viii. 33, &c. The number seven is what is called, among the Hebrew.s, a number of perfection; and it is often used to denote the compielion, accomplishment, fidncss, or perfection of a thing, as this period contained the whole course of that time in which God created the world, and appointed the day of rest. As this act of consecration lasted seven days, it signified a perfect consecration; and intimated to the priest, that his whole

' 33 AikI '' they shall eat those things wherewith the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them: 'but a stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are holy.

34 And if ought of the flesh of the consecrations, or of the bread, remain unto the morning, then " thou shalt burn the remainder with fire: it shall not be eaten, because it /*' holy.

35 And thus shalt thou do unto Aaron, and to his sons, according to all things which I have

{! commanded thee: " seven days shalt thou consecrate them.

36 And thou shalt " offer every day a bullock for a sin offering, for atonem.ent: and thou shalt

cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, '' and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it.

37 Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; '' and it shall be an altar most holy: ' whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.

body and.soul, his time and talents, should be devoted to the service of God and his people.

Verse 33. But a stranger shall not eat thereof] That is, no person, who was not of the family of Aaron — no Israelite, and not even a Lcvite.

Verse 34. Burn the remainder with fre] Common, voluntary, and peace-ofl'erings, miglit be eaten even on the second day, see Lev. vii. 16. xix. 5, 6. But tliis being a peculiar consecration, in order to qualify a person to oiler sacrifices for sin, like that great sacrifice, the Paschal Lamb, that ty])ified the atonement made by Christ, none of it was to be left till the morning, lest putrefaction should commence, which would be utterly improper in a sacrifice that was to make expiation for sin, and bring the soul into a state of holiness and perfection with God. — See the note on Exod. xii. 10.

Verse 36. TItou shalt cleanse the altar] The altar was to be sanctified for seven days; and it is likely that, on each day, previously to the consecration service, the altar was wiped clean, and the former day's ashes, &c. removed.

Verse 37. Whatsoeier touclieth t/tc altar shall be lioly] Jo this our Lord refers. Matt, xxiii. 19. where he says, the altar sanctifies the gift; and this may be understood a> implying, that whatever was laid on the altar, became tlie Lord's property, and must be wholly devoted to.sacred uses; for in no other sense could such things be sanctifed by touching the altar.

38 ^ Now this is that which thou j; tliroughout vour generations, at the

shalt offer upon the altar; ' two!l door of the tabernacle of the congrc lambs of the tii'st year, "day by day, jigation, before the Lord: Svhere 1 will continually. | meet you, to speak there unto thee.

39 Tlie one lamb thou shalt offer " in the y^ 43 •([ And there I will meet with the children morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at of Israel, and ^the talK'rmcle " shall be sanctified e\ en;, by my gk)ry.

40 And with the one lamb, a tenth deal of flour, 44 And 1 will sanctify the tabernacle of the niinglcd witli the fourth ]iart of a hin of beaten I congregation, and tlie altar: I will ' sanctity

oil; and the fourth part of a hin of wine Jor a dj'ink offering.

41 And the other lamb thou sl)alt " offer at oven, and shalt do thereto according to the meat ofternig of the norning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

42 This shall be ' a continual burnt offerino-

Verse 39. One lamb thou shall offer in the morning] These two lainb.-i, one in the morning, and tlie other in the eveningf, were jjencrylly termed the morni/ii^ and evening daily iocrifice; and were offered, from the time of their settlement in the promised land, to the destruction of Jerusulem by the llonians. The use of these sacrifices, according to tlie Jews, was this: " The morning sacrifice made atonement for the sins committed in the niuht; and the evening sacrifice e.\- piatcd the sins committed during the dny "

V^erse 40. A tenth deal of Jhnir] Deal signifies a part, from the Anglo-Saxon, b.x'lan, to divide; hence ba.'l, Apart, ^.portion taken from the whole. From Numh. xxviii. 5. we learn, tiiat tliis tenth deal was the tenth part of an ephuh, which constituted what is called an omer. See chap. xvi. 36. and see the note on ver. 16. of the same chapter, where an account is given of different measures of capacity among the Hebrews. The omer contained about tlirec quarts English.

The fourth part of a liin] The Itin contained one gallon and tXBo pints. The fourth part of this was about one tjitart and a quarter of a pint.

Verse -1!5. 'J'here will I meet with the children of Israel] See the note on chap. xxv. 22.

Verse 44. / '•.vill ^anctfi/ — both Aaron and his.son.?] So we find the sanetification by Moses, according to the divine institution, was only fi/mbolical; and that Aaron and his sons must be sanctified, i. e. made holy, by God himself, before ihey could officiate in holy things. From this, as well as from many other things mentioned in the Sacred Writings, we may salely infer, that no designation by '""« only, is.suilicient to qualify any person to fill the office of a niimstrr of the sanctuary. The approbation and consecration of man have

also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me

in tiie priest's office. I 45 And " 1 will dwell among the children of

46 And tliey shall know that ' I am the Lord I their God, that brought them forth out of the I land of Egypt, tliat I may dwell among them: i I am the Lord their God.

Verse 45. I will diixll tmong the children of /.-.-oc/] Thus is the great charier of the people of God, both under the OIJ and New Testaments, see chap. xxv. 8. Levit. xxvi. 1 1, in. 2 Cor. vi. IG. Kev. xxi. 3. God dwells AMONG them — he isever to be found in his church, to enlighten, quicken, ccrafbrt, and support it — to dispense the light of life by the preaching of his word, and the infiuences of his Spirit, for the conviction and conversion of sinners. And he dwells IN those who believe; and this is the very, tenor of' the New Covenant, which God promised to make with the house of L-nu.1^ see Jercin. xxxi. 3 1 —:>4. Ezck. xxxvii. 24 — 28. IJeb. viii. 1 — 12. and 2 Cor. vi. 16. And because God had promised to dwell in all his genuine followers, hence the frcoaent reference to this Covenant and its privileges in the New Testament. And hence it is so li-equentiy and strongly asserted, that evety believer is a habitation of God through the.Spirit, I''.phcs. ii. 22. Tliat the Spirit of God witnes.ses with their spirits that they are the children of God, Rom. viii. 16. That the Spirit of Christ in their liearts, enables them to call God their Fatlier, Gal. iv. 6. And that, if any man have not this S|)irit, he is none of hi.s, Rom. viii. y, &.c. And hence St. Raul slates this to be the sum and substance of apostolical jireaching, and (lie riches of the gtorjf of the niysteiy. of the gospel, among the Gentiles, viz. Christ IN t/ou the hope of glory. Whom, says he, we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom, thai we may present cieru - man perfect IS Christ Jesus, Coloss. i. 27, 28.

Verse 46. And they shall know that I am tlie l.nd their \ God] That is, they sliall achiowledi^e God, and their in- finite obligations to him. In a multitude of places in Scrijitiire, the word lowvj should he thus undtrstood.

'I'/idl I mai/ (liccll among tliciii] For witliout this ackiioiv- Icd'^iiient, and consequent dt))endance on, and giatilude and ■obedience to God, they could not expect him to divell among

By dwelling among the peoj)lc, God kIicvvs that he would be a continual resident in their hoiisrs and in their liearts — thai he xvoidd he their f.-od — tlie sole object of their religious worship, to wliom they should turn, and on whom they should trust in all difficulties and distresses; and that he would be 4o them all that the Creator could be to his creatures. That, an consequence, they should have s. full conviction of his presence and blessing, and a consciousness that HE was their God, and that they were his people. Tlius, then, God.dwells among men, that they may know him; and they must know him, that he may continue to dwell among them. He who does not experimentally know God, cannot have him as an indwelling Saviour; and he who does not continue to know, to acknowledge, love, and obey him, cannot retain him as his Presener and Sunct/fier. From the beginning of the world, the salvation of the souls of men, necessarily, implied die indivellina influences of God. — Reader, hast lliou this j salvation.'' This alone will support llue in all thy travels in; this wilderness, comfort thee in death, and give thee boldness in the day of judgment. " He," says an old writer, "who has pardon, may look his judge in the face."

4 And two golden rings shalt thou make to it, under the crown of it, by the two ' corners thereof, upon tlie two sides of it, siialt thou make if; and they shall be for places for the staves, to bear it withal.

5 And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and o\erlay them with gold.

6 And thou shalt put it before the vail, that is by th6 ark of the testimony, before the ' mercy

N D thou shalt make ' an altar '' to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it. 2 A cubit sfiall he the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; toursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height tliereof: the horns tliereof 67/«// be of the same.

3 And thovi shalt overlay it with pure gold, the "top thereof], imd the '' sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about.

Verse 1. AUar to burn incense'] The Samaritan omits the ten first verses of this chajiler, because it inserts thcni after the 3'2d verse of chapter xxvi. — See the note there.

Shittim wood] The same of which the preceding articles were made, because it \\as tdmndunt in those jiarls, and hecause it was very durable: hence, every where the Scptuagnit translation, which was made in Fgvpt, renders the original by ^uXov a<!-v7rTov, incorruptible wood.

Verse '2. Vour-square] That is, on the upjier or under surface, as it shewed four equal sides; but it was twice as iiigh as it was broad, being twenty-one inches broad, and three feci six inches hinli. It was called not only the attar of in-

Verse 6. Before the viercy-seat that is over the testimony] These words, in the original, are.supposed to be a repetition, by nnstake, of the iireceding clause; the uord rOlBrJiapercceth, the -.ail, being corrupted, by interchanging two letters, into nijan hacepereth, the mercij-scat: and this, as Ur. Kennicott observes, places the altar of incense befyre tlie mercy-seat, and consequently).n the Holi/ of Holies.' Now this could not be, as the altar of ineense was attended ever^ day, and the Holy of Holies entered only once in the year. The five words which appear to be a repetition, are wanting in twenty-

.A.M.:,'! ■• 7 And Aaron shall burn thereon * sweet '' incense, every morning: when "^ he dressctli tiio lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.

8 And when Aaron " lighteth " the lamps ' at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perjietual incense bel()re the Loud throuiihout vour mMierations.

9 Ye shall offer no ^ strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrih'ce, nor meat oflering; neitlier shall ye pour drink offering thereon.

10 And '■ Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it, once in a year, with the blood ol'thc sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it, throughout vour generations: it /,$ most holy luito tlie

12 ' When thou takest the sum of the children oi" Israel after ''their number, then shall they gi\e every man, ' a ransom for his soul unto the LoKD, when thou numbercst them; that there

tix of KennicoU's and De Rossi's MS.S. and in the Samarium. The verse reads better without tlieui, and is more consistent with the rest of the account.

VtTse 7. fl'lien lie dresselh the lamps] Prepares tiie icicles, anil puts m fresh oil for tlie evening.

Shall burn incense upon it.] Where so many Sacrifices were oflircd, it was essentially necessary to have some pleasing perfume to counteract the disagreeable smells that must have arisen from the slaughter of so many animals, the sprinkling of so much blood, and the burning of so iriueh flesh, &c. The perfitjiie that was to be burnt on this altar is described ver..34. No blood was ever sprinkled on this altar, except on the day of gentrral expiation, which happened onlyonce~ in the year, ver. 10. But the perfume was necessary in every part of the tabernacle and its environs.

Vcr.sc 10. An atonement — once in a year] On the tenth day of the seventh month. — See Lev. >;vi. 18, &c. and tile notes there.

Verse 1 2. Then shall tliey give, every man a ranso7n for his tout] "^1 his was a very important ordinance, and should he seriously eonsidere<l. — See the following verse.

13 liiis tliev shall give, every one ithat passetli among them that arc numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (" a shekel is twenty gerahs:) •* a half shekel shall he the oHering of the Loud.

14 Every one that passeth among them that are mnnbered, Horn twenty years old and above, shall give an ollering unto the Loud.

15 The ''rich shall not 'give more, and the poor shall not ' give less than half a,shekel, when thcij give an ollering unto the Loud, to make an ' atonement ft)r your souls.

16 And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and " shalt appoint it tor the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be " a memorial unto the children of Israel belbre the Loud, to make aii atonement for your souls.

according to the shekel of the sanctuary. From this we may learn, I. That the lite of every man was considered as being tbrfeittcl to l)i\ine Justice. 2. That the redemption-money given, which was doubtless used in the -service of the sanctuary, was ultimately devoted to the use and profit of those who gave it. j. That the standard by which the value of coin was ascertained, was kept in the sanctuary; for this appears to be the meaning of the words, after the shekel of the suncttiary. 4. The shelisl is- lure said to be liuenly gerahs. A gerah, according to Maimonides, weighed sirteen barleycorns; a shekel, three hundred and twenty of pure silver. Hie shekel is generally considered to be equal in value to three shillings l'M0\sh; the redenption-money, therefore, must be about one shilling a7id sixpence. 5. The rich were not to^ give more; the poor not to give less. To signify that all souls were equally precious in the sight of God; and that nodilference of ouneard ciicumslances could aflect the state of the soul: all had sinned; and all must be redeemed, by the same price. 6. This atonement must be made, that there mi'^ht be no plague among them; intniiating, that a plagu^ or curse from God, must light on those souls lor whom the atoncm<-ut was 110/ made. 1. This was to be a memorial unto the children of Israel, ver. lo. to bring to ibeir remembrance,, their past deliverance, and to keep, in view, their future rcilemplion. 8. ^'t. Peter seems to allude to Ibi.s, and to intimate, that this ino<le of atonement was inefltclual in itself,, and only pointed cut the great sacrifice, which, in the futncwc-

18 ' Tliou slialt also make a laver o/brass, and his foot also o/'brass, to wasli mthal: and tliou shalt '' put it between the tabernacle of tlie congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.

19 For Aaron and his sons "^ shall wash their hands and their feet thereat:

20 When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, tliat •they die not; or when they come near to the •altar to minister, to burn otfcring, made by fire unto the Lord:

21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and ■^ it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.

22 ^ Moreover the Lord spake unto Moses,

of time, should be maJe for the sin of tlie world. Ye know, ■says he, t)tat Jje were not redeemed wiili corruptible l/ihigs, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; hut luith the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb ivitliout blemish and uithvut spot: iiho I'erili/ xvas fore-ordained before the foundation of the ivorld, 6ic. 1 Pet. i. -18, 19, '2Q. 0. Therefore all these things seem to refer to Chri.st dlone^ and to the atonement made by his blood; and upon him who is not interested in this atonement, God's plagues must he -expected to fall. — Reader, acquaint now thyself with God, and,be at peace; and thereby good shall come unto thee.

Verse 1 8. A laver of brass] tV3 c/yor, sometimes signifies -a.aiuldron, 1 Sam. ii. 16. but it seems to signify any large.rourid vessel or bason used for washing the hands and feet. There were doubtless cochs or spif^gots in it, to draw off the ivater, as it is not likely the feet were put into it in order to be washed. The fool of the laver must mean the pedestal on which it stood.

Verse 20..They shall wash with water, that they die not] This was certaiiil.y an emblematical washing; and as the hands and the feet are particularly mentioned, it must refer to the purity of their v.hole conduct. Their hands, all their works; their feet, all their goings, must be washed, must b<; holiness unto the Lord. And this washing must be repeated every time they entered into the tabernacle, or when they xame jtear to the altar to minister. This washing was needful,.because the (iriests all ministered barefoot; but it was etiually so, because of the guilt they might have contracted, for the washing was emblematical of the putting away of sin, or what St. Paul c^lls the laver of regeneration, and the renewimr of the^IIoly Ghost, Tit. iii. 5. as the influences of the Spirit must be repeated for the purification of the soul, as irequendy as any moral defilement has been contracted.

Verse 2 1. And it shalt be a statute for euer] To continue, in i4.K literal meaning, as long as the Jewi.-li irconomy lasted; and, iii its spiritual meanino;, to the end of time. \Vhal an important lesson does this teach the ministers of the gcspel of Christ! Each time they niinisler in public, whe- JJier in dispensint^ the WOltU or the SACRAMENTS, tliey should

23 Take thou also unto thee = principal spices, of pure ' myrrh five hundred sJiekels, and of sweet cinnamon lialf so much, ex'cn two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet ^calamus two hundred and fifty sJielreb.

24 And of " cassia five hundred shekels, after

take heed that they have a fresh application of the grace and spirit of Christ, to do away past transgressions or unfaithfulness, and to enable them to minister with the greater, effect, as being in the divine favour, and consequendy en- ' titled to expect all the necessary a!>sistances of the divine unction, to make their ministrations spirit and life to the people. — See on chap. xxix. ver. 20.

Verse 23. Take — unto thee principal spices] From this and the following verse we learn, that the holy anointing oil was compounded of the following ingredients:

500 shekels.— Myrrh is the produce of an oriental tree not well known, and is collected by making an incision in the tree. What is now called by this name, is precisely the same with that of the ancients.

500 shekels of the first and last, make 48 4 250 of the cinnamon and cassia,... 24 2

Olive oil is supposed to be the best preservative of odours. As the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit are termed the anointing of the Holy Ghost, llitrclbrc this holy ointment apjjears to have been designed as emblematical of those gifts and graces. — See Acts i. 5. x. 33. 2 Cor. i. 21. 1 John ii. 20, 21,

A.M.r>)3. the shekel of the sanctuary, and of '^'Ld'br "''oHvea Miin: "■ '^" ■ ''■ 25 AxiOi thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointmtMit, an ointment compound after the art of tiie '' apothecary: it shall be " a holy anointing oil.

26 " And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony,

27 And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and tlie altar of incense,

28 And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and tlie laver and his foot.

29 And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: " whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy.

30 '^ And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that thej/ may mi-

'. 31 And thou shalt speak unto the children of

Verse 25. Jftcr the art of the apothccan/] The original Mrn roketich signifies a compounder or confeciiona- — any person who compounds dnqs, aromalics, &c.

\ and ye need not that any man teach you, hut as the same

lie; and even as it hath taught you, yc shall abide in.HiM,

I Verse 34. Take unto thee sweet spices] The holy PERFUME jwas compounded of the following ingredients: I StacTE, f|t2J nataph, supposed to be the same with what 'was aflerwards called the balm of Jericho, Stacte is the 'gum which spontaneously flows from the tree which produces myrrh. — See the note on vcr. 23.

Onycha, isyrw shecheleth, allowed by the best critics to 'be the unguis odoriferans, described by Kumph, which is the;exlernal crust of the shellfish purjmra, or murex; and is the ibasis of the principal perfumes uiade in the East Indies.

33 " Whosoever compoimdcth any

it upon a stranger, ' shall even be cut ofi' fi-om his people.

34 % And the Lord said unto Moses, "^ Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; tJiese sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a hke Xi'cight:

S5 And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection ' after the art of the apothecary, "tempered together, pure ajul hoi}-:

36 And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, " where I will meet with thee: " it shall be unto you most holy.

37 And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, " ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the Lohd.

38 "Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut oft' from his

GalraNUM, ruaVn chelbenah, the bubon gummiferum, or African /tT«/a: it rises with a ligneous stalk from eight to ten feet, and is garnished with leaves at each joint. The top of the stalk is terminated by an umbel of yellow flowers, which are succeeded by oblong channelled seeds, which have a thin membrane or wing on their border. When any part ot the plant is broken, there issues out a little thin milk of a cream colour. The gummy resinous juice which proceeds fi'om this plant, is what is commonly called galbanum, from the chelbenah of the Hebrews.

Frankincense pure, npt njaS lehonah zak-ah. Frankin. ce^isc; is supposed to derive Us name from /ra«r, /;ee, bccau.'^c of its liberal or ready distribution of its odours. It is a dry, resinous substance, in pieces or drops of a pale yellowish white colour, a strong smell, and bitter acrid taste. The tree which produces it is not well known. Dioscorides mentions it as gotten in India. What is called here, pure frankincense, is no doubt the same with the mascula thura of Virgil, and signifies what is first obtained from the tree— (hat which is strongest, and most free fi-om all adventitious mixtures. For the necessity of such a perfume as that here described, see the note on vcr. 7.

The Israelites were most strictly prohibited, on the most awful penalties, from making any anointing oil, or perfume,.similar to those described in this chapter. He that should compound such, or apply any of this to any common purpose, even to iindl to, ver. 3S. should be cut off, tiiat is, excommunicated from his people, and so lose all ri^ht, title, and interest in the promises of God, and the redemption of Israel. From all this, we may learn, how careful the Divine Being is to preserve his. own worship, and his own truth, so as to prevent them from being adulterated by human inventions: for he Will save men in his oii-n iV'iy, and upon liis oivn tcnns. What are called hunutn imcn'ions in matters of relijjion, are not only of no worth, but are, in general, deceptive and ruinous. Arts and sciences, in a certain way, may be called inventions of men: for the spirit of a man knoweth t/ie things <»/■ a jnan; can comprehend, plan, and execute, under the general iiinuence of God, every thing in which human life is immediately concerned; but n'li^ion, as it is the ^^'{/'f, so it is the invention of God: its doctrines and its ceremonies proceed from his wisdom and goodness — for He alone could devise the plan by which the human race may be restored to his favour- and image, and taught to woiship him in spirit and in truth. And that worship which himself has prescribed, we may rest assured, will be most pleasing in his sight. — Nadab and Abihu ollered strangt: fire before the Lord; and their destruction by the fire of.leimvah, is recorded as a lasting warning to all presumptuous worshippers, and to all who attempt to model his religion according to their own caprice, and to minister in sacred things, without that authority which proceeds from himself alone.

^eza[ee\ appointed for the Tiork of the tabernacle, 1—5. AhoVnxh appoiiiled fur the same, 6. The particular things on which they zt'ere to be emphu/ed, the ark and mcrc\'-scat, 7- Table, cancUestick, and altar of incense, S. Altar of burnt-offerins; and the laver, 9. Priests' garments, 10. Anointing oil and sweet inceiise, 1 1. God renezis the command relative to the sanctif cation of the sabbath, IG — 17. Deliiers to Moses the tzro tables of stone, 18.

2 ' See, 1 have called by name Bezaleel the " son of Uri, the son of Hiir, of the tribe of Judah:

3 And I have " filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,

4 To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass.

Verse 2. I have called bj/ name Bezaleel] That is, 1 have particularly appointed this person to be the chief superintendant of the whole work. His name is significant, 'jxVsa, iftsal-el, in or under the shadow of God, meaning, under the especial protection of the Most High. He was the son of Uri, the «on of Hur, the son of Caleb or Caluhi, tiie son of Esron, the son of Pharez, the son of Judah. See 1 Chron. ii. 5, 9, 1 8, 19, 20, and the note on chap. xvii. 10.

Verse 3. I have filled him with the spirit of God] See the note on chap, xxviii. 3.

In ivisdom] nOifl, chocmah, from asT!, chacam, to be %vlse, skilful ox prudent, denoting the compass of rnind and strength of capacity, necessary to form a ii:ise man: hence our word wisdom, the power of judging what is wise or best to be done. From the Saxon, pij-an, to teach, to adiise, ai\d beman, to judge; hence f;j-ebom, the doom or judgment of the well taught, wise or prudent man.

set t/iem, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.

6 And I, behold, I have given with him " Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are' wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they make all that I have commanded thee;

Understanding'] rUIDn, tehmmh, from p, ban or bun, to separate, distinguish, discern, capacity to comprehend the different parts of a work, how to connect, arrange, &:c. in order to make a complete whole.

Knowledge] njTI, ddaf, denoting particular atquainlance with a person or thing, practical, experimental knowledge.

Verse 4. Cunning work] naiZTtD, mechashabot, works of invention or genius, in the gold and silversmith line.

Verse 5. In cutting of stones, &c.] Every thing that concerned the lapidarfs, jeweller's onAcarixTS art.

Verse 6. In the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put zi:isdom] So every man that had a natural genius, as we terra i(, had an increase of wisdom by immediate inspiration from God, so that he knew how to execute the different works which divine wisdom designed for the tabernacle and its furniture. Dark as were the lieathens, yet they acknowledged that all talents, and the seeds of all arts came from God. Henc»

7 * The tabernacle of the congTcgation, and ''the ark of the testimony, and ■■' the mercy sent that is thcrcnpon, and all tlie " furniture of the tabernacle,

8 And ' the tabic and his furniture, and '' the pure candlestick witii all his furniture, and the altar of incense;

9 And ^ the altar of burnt offering with all his fiirniture, and " the laver and his foot,

10 And ' the cloths of service, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments o'l his sons, to minister in the priest's oiiice;

1 1 " And the anointing oil, and ' sweet incense for the holy pLce.• according to all that I have commanded thee, shall they do.

12 ^ And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, " \'erily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for

fore; for it is holv unto you: every ^C-^wi. Ij one that defileth it shall surely be pu't *"' ^i""*-^''' I to death: for " wliosoevcr doeth any ^'•"- ^'""'■"'—• I'work therein, that soul shall be cut off from

15 "Six days may work be done; but in the " seventh is the sabbath of rest, ' holy to the Loud: whosoever doeth any work iu the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.

16 AA'hercforc the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their m'ncratious,./o?- a perpetual covenant.

17 It is \a. sign betwctn me and the children of Israel for ever: for " in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the" seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

1 8 ^ And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing witJi him upon mount Sinai, " two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

In Ihe same way Homer attributes such curious arts to Minerva the goili/ess of v.-i.'ulom, and Vitkan the god of handicrafts. i

His skill divine, a breatliing staluc lives; liy Pallas lauiylit, he frames the wondrous mould, And o'er tho silver ])ours the fusiie gold. POPE.

And all this the wistsi of men long- before them declared; when.'peaking of the visdoni of God he says, /, Wisdom, d-uel I Kith Prudence, fliirf find oiU knowledge of xvillj/ intentions, Prov. viii. 12. Seethe note on chap, xxviii. 3. to which the reader is particularly dt.<i red to refer. There is something remarkable in the name of this second superintendant, ^N'Vhn, Moiiub,ihetuhernacleofthefatlieT; or the father is mi/ tabernacle; a name nearly similar in its meaning to that of Bezaleel, see the note on ver. J.

Verse 10. Clothci of service] Vestments for the ordinary work of their ministry; the holy garmeiUs, those which Mere peculiar to the high-priest.

Verse 14. Every one that defileth it] By any kind of idolatrous or profane wor-ship.

Shall surely be put to death] The magistrates shall exaoiine into the business, and if the accused be found guilty, he shall be stoned to death.

Shall be cut off] Because that person who could so far contemn the sabbath, which was a sign to thcni of the rest which remained for the ]icople ol' God, was of course an I'nfidcl, and should be cut off from all the piivileges and expectations of an Israelite.

Verse 16. A perpetual covenant] Because it is a sign of lhis/«/H/'e rest uml blessedness, therefore the religious observance of it must be perpetuully kept up. 'I'lie type must continue in force till the antitype come.

Verse 17. Rested, and u-as refreshed.] God, in condescension to human weakness, applies to himself here, what belong? to man. If a man religiously rest on the sabbath, both his body and soul shall be refreshed: he shall acquire new lioht and life.

Verse IS. When he had made an end of communin'^] When the forty days and forty nights were ended. 3 I 2

Tables of stone'] That the recorJ mi£;ht be /as//«^, becausf it was a testimony that referred to future generations, and therefore the materials should be duYable.

Written with the finger of God.] All the letters cut by God himself. Dr. Winder, in bis History of Knowledge, thinks it probable that this vvas the first writing in alphabetical characters ever exhibited to the world, though there might have been marks or hieroglyphics cut on wood, stone, &c. before this time, see chap. xvii. 14. That these tables were written, not by the commandment but by the power of God himself, the following passages seem to prove: " And the Lord said unto Moses, come up to me into the mountain, and be thou there; and I will give thee tables of stone WHICH I HAVE WRITTEN, that thou mayest teach them." Exod. xxiv. 12. " And he gave unto Moses, upon Mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone WRITTEN WITH THE FINGER OF GOD,"

and the two tables of testimony were in his hand; and the tallies were written on both tiieir sides. And the tables were THE WORK OF GOD, and the WRITING WAS THE WRi IING OF Gon, graven upon the tables," ch. xxxii. 15, 16. " These words, (the ten commandments) the Lord spake in the m Mint, out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more, BUT HE WROTE THEM on two tables of stone," Deut. v, 22. It is evident therefore that this writing was properly and literally the writing of God himself. He wrote now on tables of stone, what he had originally written on the heart of man • and in mercy he placed that before his eyes, which by sin had been obliterated from his soul, and by this he shews us what, by the spirit of Christ, must be re-written in the mind, 2 Cor. iii. 3. and this is according to the covenant, which God long before promised to make with manknd, Jer. xxxi. 33. See also what is said on tliis subject, chap. xx. 1. and see chap, xxxiv. 1.

T/te Israelites, finding that Mosa delayed his return, desire Aaron to tnake them gods to go before them, 1. Aaron consents, and requires their ornaments, 2. Thei/ deliver them to him, and he makes a molten calf, 3. He builds an altar before it, 5, and the people offer burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, 6. The Lord commands Moses to go dozen, telling him that the people had corrupted themselves, 1, 8. 'The Lord is angri/,aiid threatens to destroy them, 9, 10. Moses intercedes for them, 11 — 13. And the Lord promises to spare them, 14. Moses goes douii ivith the tables in his hands, 15, iG. Joshua hearing the noise they made in their festival, makes some remarks on it, 17, 18. Moses coming to the camp, and seeing their idolatrous worship, is greatly distressed, throzis dozen and breaks the iito tables, IQ. Takes the calf, reduces it to pozcder, streics it upon zcater, and causes them to drink it, 20. Moses expostulates zcith Aaron, 'i I. Aaron vindicates himself, C'2 — 24. Moses orders the Levites to slay the transgressors, 25 — 27. They do so, and 3000 fall, 28, 29. Moses returns to the Lord on the mount, and makes siipplicationfor the people, 30 — 32. God threatens and yet spares, 33. Commands Moses to lead the people, and promises him the direction of an angel, 34. The people are plagued because of their sin, 33.

J^\ Moses ' delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto liim, '' Up, make

Ver.se 1. JVhen the people saxu that Moses delayed] How long this was, before the expiration of ihe forty days, we cannot tell; but it certainly must have been some considerable time, as the ornaments must be collected, and the calf or ox, after having been founded, must require a considerable time to fashion it with the graving tool; and certainly not more than two or three persons could work on it at once. This work, tlkerefore, must have required several days.

for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

tuous and seditious manner, insisting on having an object of religious worship made tor them, as they intended, under its direction, to return to Egypt, see Acts vii. 39, 40.

As for this Moses, the man that brought us up] This seems to be the language of great contempt, and by it we may see the truth of the character given them by Aaron, verse 22. they were set on mischief. It is likely they might have supposed that Moses had perished in the fire, which they saw had invested the top of the mountain, into which he went.

in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.

3 And all the people brake off the golden ear-rings which rcwe in their ears, and brought litem unto Aaron.

4 '' And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after lie had made it a molten calf: and they said. These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar

Verse 2. Your ea'r-ringy'\ Both men ami women wore tlie«e ornaments; and we may suppo.se llial these were a part of the spoils which they brought out of Egypt. How strange, that the very things which were granted them by an especial influence and providence of God, should be now abused to the basest idolatrous purposes; but it is frequently the case, that the gifts of God become desecrated by being (uiployed in the.service of sin. I will curse your blessings saiti) tiie Lord, Mai. ii. 2.

Verse 3. And all the people brake off the golden ear-rings] The human being is naturally /o«c( of dress, though this has been improperly attributed to the female sex alone.and those are most fond of it, who have the shallowest capacities; but, on this occasion, the bent of the people to idolatry, was greater than even their love of dress, soihat rluy rtadiiy stripped tliemfclves of their ornaments, in order to get a mullen god. Tliey made some compensation for this afterward.s, see chap, x.v.vv. and the note, chap, xxxviii. 9.

Verse 4. Fas/iioned it with a graving looQ There has been mucii controversy about the meaning of the word lain, cheret, in the text: some make it a mould, others a garment, cloth, or apron, some a purse or bag, and others agraver. It is likely that some mould was made on this occasion; that the gold, when fused, was cast into it, and that afterwards it was brought into form and symmetry, by the action of the chissel and graver.

Tliese be thy gnds, 0 Israel] The whole of this is a most strange and unaccountable transaction. Was it possible, that the people cr;dd have so soon lost sight of the wonderful manifestations of God upon the mount.'' Was it possible, that Aaron could have imagined that he could make any god that could help them } And yet, it does not appear that he ever remonstrated with the people! Possibly he only intended to make them some symbolical representation of the divine power and energy, thai might be as evident to them as the pillar of cloud and fire had been; and to which God might attach an always present energy and influence: or, in requiring them to sacrifice their ornaments, he miglil have supposed they

6 And they rose up early on the morrt)w, and ottered burnt olieriugs, and l^rought peace offerings; and the " people sat down" to eat tind to drink, and rose up to play.

7 ^ And the Lord said unto Closes, 'Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Kgypt, ^ have corrupted tliemselves:

8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which ^ I conunanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped

would have desi.sted from urging their request; hut all this is mere conjecture, with very little probability to support it. It must, however, be granted, that Aaron does not afipear to- have even designed a worship that should supersede the woi-ship of the Most High; hence wc find him making proclamatiun, Tomonoa- is a feast to the Lo.lD, nin»; and we find flirlhcr, that some of the proper rites of the true worship were observed on this occasion, for they brought burnt offerings and peace offerings, ver. 6, 1, hence it is evident he intended that the true God should be the object of their worship, though he permitted and even encouraged them to oiler this worship through an idolatrous medium, the molten calf. It has been suppo-sed that this was an exact resicmblance of the famous Egyptian god Apis, who was worshipped under the form of an ox; w hich worship the Israelites, no doubt, saw often practised in Egypt. Some, however, tliiiik that this worship of.4/ii« was not then established; but we have already had sufficient proof that different animals were sacred among the Egyptians; nor have we any account of any worship in Egypt, earlier than that offered to Apis, under the figure of an OX.

Verse 6. The people.tat down to cat and to drinJ:] The burnt ollerings were wholly consumed; the peace ofierings, when the blood had been poureil out, became the Ibod of the priests, &c. When, therefore, the strictly religious part of these ceremonies was finished, the people sat dozen to eat of the peace offerings, and this they did merely as the. idolaters, eating and drinking to excess. And it ap[X'ars they went much farther, for it is said they ro-ie up to play, ^TirVjh, leisacliek, a word of ominous import, and seems to imply here fornicating and adulterous intercourse; and in some countries the verb to piuy is still used precisely in this sense. In this sense the original is evidently u.sed. Gen. xxxix. 14.

Verse 7. Thy people — /i«r<; corrw/iffrf themselves] They had not only got into the spirit of idolatry, but tbey had become abominable in their conduct, so that God disoiens them to be his; THY people, they have broken the covenant, and are iit» longer intitled to my protection and love.

it, and ha%'e sacrificed thereunto, and | said, " Tlie.sc be thy gods, O Israel, i which have brought thee up. out of the laud of Egypt.

10 Now therefore " let me alone, that '^ my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and ^ I will make of thee a great nation.

1 1 ^ '^ And Moses besought ^ the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth tliy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of P>gyptwith great power, and with a mighty hand?

12 ''Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, for mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and ' repent of this evil against thy people.

Verse -9. A stiff-necked people] Probably an allusion to the stifl'rierked ox, the object of their worship.

Verse 10. Now therefore let me alone] I\Io,>cs had alreadv begun to plead with God in the behalf of tins rebellious and iingratcrui pt.ople; and so powerful was his intercession, tliat ti'en llie Omnipotent represents himself as incapable of doing any liiinij in the way of judi^ment, unless his creature desisted from ])rayins- for mercy! See an instance of the ])revalence of fervent intercession in the case of Abraham, Gen.,\viii. 23 — 33. from the model of which, the intercession of Moses seems to have been formed.

Verse 1 k And the Lord repented of the evii] Tliis is spoken merely after the manner of men, who having formed a purpose, permit themselves to be diverted from it by stronj^ and forcible reasons, and so change their minds relative to their former intentions.

Verse 1 5. Tlieluhles wcr-e tvrit'.en on both their sulesl If we take this literally, it was certainly a very unusual thing; for in ancient limes the two sides of the same substance were never written over. However some Rabbins suppose that by the writin;; on both sides is meant, the letters were cut ilirough the tables, s'l that they might be read on both sides, though on one side they would appear reversed. Supposing this to be correct, if the letters were the.same with those called Hebrew now in common u.se, the samech, D, which occurs twice, and the thial luen^, zz, which occurs l:uenfj/-thrce titnes in the ten cominandnjents, both of these being clnee letters could not be cut lUrougli on both sides, without (ailing out, unless, as some of the Jews have imagined, they were held in by miracle; but if

13 Remember and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou " swarest by thine own self, and

tiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of, will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.

14 And the Lord " repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

15 ^ And " Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony uere in his hand: the tables awe written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other tcere they written.

16 And the "tables tvet^e the work of God, and the writing tca5 the writing of God, graven u{)on the tables.

17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.

this ancient character were the same with the Samaritan, this thorouf^li cutting might have been quite practicable, as there is not one cfoic letter in the whole Samaritiin alphabet. On llys, transaction there are the three I'ollowing opinions. J. We may conceive the tables of stone to ha\e been thin slabs, or a. kind o( slate, and the writing on the backside to have been a continuation of that on the front, the first not being sufficient to contain the whole: 2. or the writing on the backside was probably the precepts llmt accompanied the ten commandments: the latter were written by the Lord, the former by Moses, see the note on chap, x.xxiv. 1. and 2T. 3. Or the same words were written on both sides, so that when held up, two parties might read at die same lime.

Verse 16. The tables were the viork of God] Because such a law could proceed from none but himself; God alone is the fountain and author of L.\w, of what is right, just, holi/ and good; see the meaning of Ihe word LAW, Exod. xii. 49.

T/ie loriling was the ivriting of God] For as he is the sole author of law and justice, so he alone can write them on the heart of man. This is agreeable to the spirit of the nciu covenant, which God had promised to make with men, in the latter days. / u-ili make a new covenant Kith the house of Israel — I will PUT MY LAWS IN THEIR MINDS, AND WRITE TIIEM IN THEIR HEARTS, Jerem. xxxi. 33. Heb. viii. 10. 2 Cor. iii. 3. That the writing of these tables was the writing of God, see proved at the conclusion of the last chapter.

Verse 17. Joshua — said — there 'is a noise of war in the camp.] How naiiiral was this thought to the mind of a military man! hearing a confused noise, he supposed that the

K.C. 1-101. yoic^. of tfl^-fll tiiQi shout for mastery, 1. neither is it the voice or them that cry

19 1[ And it came to pass, as soon as Jie came nigh unto the camp, that "■ he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed liot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneatli the mount.

'_'0 IT ' And he took the calf wliich thev had made, antl burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawcd it \\\wn the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.

2\ ^[ And Moses said unto Aaron, '' What did tliis people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?

22 And Aaron said, let not the anger of my

and destroys the golden calf'. lord wax hot: Mhou knowest the a.m.usis. people, that they are set on mi.schief. "^ "''•

23 I'or they said unto me, Make i.

us gods, which shall go before us:. ^'''' __ for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Kgypt, we wot not what is become of him.

24 And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them l)reak it off. So thev gave it me: tlicn I cast it into the fire, and there '■' came out this calK

25 ^ And when Moses saw tlua the peojiic, "ivere " naked; (for Aaron ' had made them naked, unto their sliame, among " their enemies:)

2() Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp., and said. Who is on the Louo'.s side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him..

\'(-rse 18. And lie saidl That is, Mosts relumed this answer to the obi^ervations of Joslma.

\'crse 1 9. He cast the tables out of his /lands and brake t/iciiil He might have done this througli distress and anguish of spirit, on beholding their aV)orninable idolatry and dissolute conduct: or he probably did it emblematicalti/, intimating thereby, that, as by this act of his, the tables were broken in pieces on which the law of God was written; so they, by their present conduct, h.id made a breach in the covenant, and broken the laws of their Maker..

Verse 20. He took the calf — and burnt — and gi-ound it to puivder, &c.] How truly contemptible must the object oi' their idolatry appear, when they were obliged to drink their god, reduced to powder and strewed on the water! " But," says an objector, " Imw could qold, the most ductile of all metals, and the most ponderous, be stamped into dust, and strev:cd on water?" In Dcut. i.v. 21. this matter is fully explained. / took, says Moses, your sin, the calf vihich j/e had made, and burnt it with fire, that is, melted it down, probably into ingots or gross plates, and stamped it, that is, beat it into.thin lamime, something like our gold leaf, and ground it very smalt, c\cn until it ivas as small as dust, v^hich might be very *asilv done, by the action of the hands, when beat into thin plates or leaivs, as the original words r\;x, eco'h, and pi, dak, implv. And I cast the dust thereof into the brook, and being thus lighter than the water, it would readily^oa<, so that they could easily see, in this reduced and useless state, the idol to which they had been lately oftcring divine honours, and from which they were va nly vXpecting protection and defence. No mode of ar^wnentatioii could have served so forcibly, to demniisirate the iolly oi their conduct, as tiiis inelbod pursued by Mosc*.

Verse 21. What did this people unto thee?] It seems, if Aaron had been. wVm, this evil might have been prevented.

Verse 22. Tliou knoxi-est the people] He excuses himself by the v.-ickcd and seditious >i)iru of the people, intimating that he was obliged to accede to their desires.

Verse 24. I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf] What a silly and ridiculous subtcrfnge! He seems to insinuate that he oidy throw the metal into the fire, and that the calt' came unexpectedly out, by mere accident! The Targuni of.lonathan ben Uzziel makes a similar excuse for him: " And

1 said unto them, whosoever hath gold let him break it otrand give it to me; and I cast it into the Rrc, and Satan entered into it, and it came out in the form of this calf!"

Verse 25. Closes saw t/uit the people were naked] They were stripped, saj-s the Targum, of the holy crown that was upon their heads, on which the great and precious name, ^'if^nT JE- HOVAH, was engraved. But it is more likely that the word jnfi, phara, implies that they were reduced to the most helpless and luretched st&te, being abandoned by God in the midst of their enemies. This is exactly similar to that expression,

2 Chron. xxviii. 19. For the Lord brought Juduh loxv, because of.-Ihaz king of Israel: for he nmde Judah N.VKFD, l*'"iCr!. hipprid, and transgrrsscd sore against the Lord. Their (<Yj<fi/- ness, therefore, though in Ihc first.sense, it may imply that.several of them were despoiled of Iheir ornaments, yet it mav also express, their delLnceless and abandoned stale, in consequence of their sin — That they could not lileralii/, have all been despoiled of their ornaments, appears evident from their offerings, chap. xxxv. 21, &c.

Verse 26. ll'ho is on tite Lord's (Jehovah's) side r] That is, who among you is free from this transgression?

And all the sons of L:vi, &c.] It seems tliey h»d no part In this idolatrous business.

27 And he said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and ^ slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour,

28 And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day, about three thousand men.

29 " For " Moses had said, " Consecrate yourselves to day to the Lord, even every man upon his son,, and upon his brother; that

Alose5 said, Ccnst:cf(iU ynursclvcs titday to tin- LORD,bec<tnse cvcni mtai liath been against his son, and againsl ftis brother, t^-c. ^ Heb. Fill your hands,

Verse 27. From gate to gale] Tliei'e was probably an inclosed or intrtnclied camp, in which the chief rulers and heads of the people were; and that this camp iiad iico gales or outlels; and the Levites were commanded to pass from one to the other, slaying as many of the transgressors as they could find.

Ver.se 28. There fell — about three thousand men.'\ These were, no doubt, the chief transgressors, having- broken the covenant, by having other gods besides Jehovah, they lost the divine protection, and then thejustice of God laid hold on and slew them. Woses, doubtless, had positive orders from God for this act of justice, see ver. 27. for though, through his intercession, the people were spared, so as not to be exterminated as a nation, yet the principal transgressors, those who were set on mischief, ver. 22. were to be put to death.

Verse 29. For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves'] Fill your hands to the Lord. See the reason of this form of speech in tiie note on chap, x.xix. 19.

Verse 3 1. Moses returned unto the Lord] Before h.° went down from the mountain, God had acquainted him wirh the general defection of the people, whereupon he immediately, ■without knowing the extent of their crime, began to make hite -cession for them, and God having given him a general assurance, that they should not be cut off, hastened iiim to go down, and bring them off from their idolatry. Having descended, lie fin<ls matturs much worse than he expected, and ordered three thousand of the principal delinquents to be slain; but knowing that an evil so extensive, must be highly provoking in the.>ight of the just and holy God, he fmds it highly expedit nt that an atonement be made for the sin; for although he had the promise of God, that as a nation, they should not be extermiruited, yet he had reason to believe, that divine justice must continue to contend with them, and prevent them from ever entering the promised land; that he W.1S upprchcnsive that this would be the case, we may see plainly from the following verse.

Verse 32. Forgive their sin — if not, blot me — out of thy lH>.ok] It is probable that one part of Moscn's work during the

30 ^ And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, ° Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the Lord; ^ peradventure I shall ^ make an atonement tor your sin.

31 And Moses '' returned unto the Lord, and said. Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have ' made them gods of gold.

32 Yet now, if thou wilt, tbrg-ive their sin —; ' and if not, " blot me, I pray thee, ' out of thy

forty days of his residence on the mount with God, was his regulatint; the muster-roll of all the tribes and families of Israel, in lefere.ice to the parts thsy were respectively to act, in the different transactions in the wilderness, promised land, &c. and this being done under the immediate direction of God, is termed God's bonk, ivhich he had written; such muster-rolls or re-: gisters, called also genealogies, the Jews have had from the remotest period of their history; and it is probable, that God had told hiin, that those who should break the covenant which he had then made with thein, should be blotted out of that list, and never enter into the promised land. All this Moses appears to have particularly in view, and without entering into any detail, immediately comes to the point which he knew was fixed, when this list or muster-roll was made, namely, that those who should break the covenant should be blotted o«^ and never have any inheritance in the promised land; therefore he says, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold; thus they had broken the covenant, see the first and second commandments; and by this, had forfeited their right to Canaan. Yet now, he adds, if thou wilt forgive their sin, that they maj"^ yet attain the promised inheritance, and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy hook which thou hast xuritten. If thou wilt blot out their names from this regi.'ter, and never suffer them to enter Canaan, blot me out also, for I cannot bear the thought of enjoying that bles.?edness, wliile my people and their posterity shall be for ever excluded. And God, in kindness to IMoses, spared him the mortification of going into Canaan, without taking the people with him. They had forfeited their lives, and were sentenced to die in the wilderness; and Moses's prayer was answered in mercy to him, while the people suffered under the hand of justice. But the promise of God did not fail; for although those who sinned were blotted out of the book, yet their posterity enjoyed the inheritance.

This.seems to be the simple and pure light, in which this place should be viewed; and in tWs sense, St. Paul is to be understood, Roin. ix. 3. where he says. For I could wish that myself ivere ACCUUSED J'roin Christ, for my brethren my kiitt-

These tt'7«o sin to be blotted out of CHAP. XXXII. Cod's book. The people are plagued.

A.M.'M.i 33 ^ And the Lord said unto | *" behold, mine Angel shall go be

34 Theret()re, now go, lead the people unto tlie place of which I have spoken unto thee:

mm according to the flesh; who nre ISRAELITES, to whom pertiiiiicth the- ADOPTION, ayut ihc GI.OUY, and the COVENANTS. Mose.s could not survive the dostruction of liis people, by the neigihljouiinn' nations, nor their exckision from the promised land; and St. Paul, seem"; the Jews about to he cut ofV by the Koman sword, fur their rejection of the gospel, was willinu; ♦o he deprived of every earthly blessinu:, and even to become a sacriUce for them, if this might contribute to the preservation and salvation of the Jewish state. Hotli those eminent men, engaged in the same work, mflneneeil by a s]jirit of unparaileled patriotism, were willint; to forfeit every bltssinij; of a secular kmd, and even die for the welfare of the people. But certainly, neither of them could wish to go to eternal perdition, to save their countrymen from bein^ cut olY, the one by the sword of the Philistines, the other by that of the Romans. Even the supposition is monstrous.

On this mode of interpretation, we may at once see what is implied in the Look of life, and being- wrillen in, or blotted out of surh a book. In the jmblic registers, all that were born «f a particular tribe, were entered in the list of their respective faniilies, under that tribe. This was the iooA- o/' ///l-: but when any of those died, his name might be considered as blotted out frnin this list. Our bajitismahx'^isters, which record the births of all the inhabitants of a particular parish, or district, and which are properly our books of life; and our bills of moriality, w Inch are ])roperly our books of death, or the lists of those who are thus blotted out from our baptismitl registers, or books of life, are very significant and illustrative remains of the ancient re:;isters, or books of life and death, among the Jews, the Greeks, the Romans, and most ancient nations. It is worthy of remark, that in Chma, the names of the persons who have been tried on criminal processes are written in two distinct books, wliitli are called the book of life, and tlie book of death; those who have been acquitted, or who have not been ciipiiitlbi convicted, are written in the,/bn«er; those who have been found gu'ltj/, in the lateer. These two books are presented to the emperor by his ministers, who, as sovereign, has a right to trase any name from either: to place the livini^ among the dead, that he may die; or the dead, that is, the person condemned to death, among the tiling, that he may be pre.served. Thus he blots out of tiie book of life, or the book of death, according to his,sovereig« pleasme, on the representation of his niiiustcrs, or the intercession of friends, &c. An ancient, extremely rich picture, in my own possession, representing this circumstance, painted in China, was thus interpreted to me, by a native Chinese.

Verse 33. U'hoei-er hath sinned against me, 1dm will I blot «('.] As if the Divine Being had said, " All my conduct is regulated hy infinite justice and righteousness: in no case, shall the innocent ever suiler for the guilty: that no man may transgress through ignorance, I have given you my law, and thus published my (ovenarit; the people themselves have acknowledged its justice and equity, and have voluntarily ratified it. He then, that sins against me, for sin is the transgression of the law, (1 John iii. 4.) and the law must be published and known, that it may be binding, him will 1 blot out of my book." And is it not remarkable, that to these conditions of the covenant, God strictly adhered, so that not one soul of these transgressors ever entered into the promised rest! Here Wdis justice: and yet, though they deserved death, they were spared! Here was mercy. Thu.s, as far as justice would permit, tnercy extended: and a.» far as w/ercy would permit, justice proceeded. Behold, O Reader, the CiOODNI-.SS and SEVKKITV of GOD! Mehcy saves all, that JUSTlCt: can spare; and JUSTICE destroys all, that MERCY.<:hould not sate.

\'erse 'i i. Lead the people un'o the [ilace] The word place, is not in the text, and is with great propriety omitted, tor Moses never led this people into that place — they all died in the wilderness, except Joshua and Caleb — but Moses led them towards the place, and thus the particle Sn el here, should be understood: unjess we.suppose, that God designed to lead them to the borders of the land, but not to take them into it.

/ wilt visit their sin^ I will nut destroy them, liiit tliev shall not enter into the jironiised land. They shall wander in the wilderness, till the present generation become extinct.

Verse 35. The Lord plagued the people'^ Every time they transgressed afterwards. Divine Justice seems to have remembered this trans'^re.ssion against them. The Jews have a meta]ihorieal saying, apparently founded on this text: " No aftliction has ever happened to Israel, in which there was not Some particle of the dust of the golden calf."

1. The attentive reailer has seen enough in this chapter, to induce him to exclaim, how soon a clear sky may be overcast! How soon may the brightest prospects be obscured! Israel had just ratified its covenant with Jehovah, and had reeeiveil the mo>t encouraging and unequivocal ])Udges of his protection and love. But they sinned, and provoked the [.Old to dejiarl from tlKin, and to destroy the wurk of bis hands. A little more faith, patience, and perseverance, and they should have been safely brought into the promised land. For want of a little more dcpendancc upon God, ho« often does an excellent beginning come to an unhappy conclusion. Many, who were just on the borders of the promised land, and about to cross Jordan, have, througli an act of unfaitlifulness, been turned back lo wander many a dreary year in the wilderness. Reader, be on thy guard! Trust in Christ, and watch unto prayer.

2. Many people have been greatly distressed on losing their baptismal register, and liave been reduced in consequence, to great political inconvenience. But still, they had their lives, and should a living man complain? But a man may so sin, as to provoke God to cut him off; or like a fruitless tree, be cut down, because he encumbers the ground. Of he may have sinned a sin unto death, 1 John v. 16, IT.

that is, a sin, which God will punish with temporal death, while he extends mercy to the soul.

3. With respect to the blotting out of God's book, on which there has been so much controversy, is it not evident, that a soul could not be blotted out of a book, in which it had never been written? And is it not farther evident, from ver. 32, 33. that although a man be written in God's book, if he sins, he may be blotted out? Let him that readeth, understand; and let him that standeth, take heed lest he fall! Reader, be not high-minded, but fear. See the note on ver. 32 and 33.