to thy sons, and when thy daughters go astray after their gods, they might make thy sons go astray after their gods.-Thou shalt make to thyself no molten gods.-The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib, for in the month Abib thou camest out of Egypt.-All that opens the womb is Mine, and all thy male cattle which is born, the firstling of ox or of sheep. But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou dost not redeem it, then shalt thou break its neck. All the first born of thy sons thou shalt redeem.-And none shall appear before Me empty.-Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest; in the time of ploughing and of reaping thou shalt rest.-And thou shalt observe the Feast of Weeks, of the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year's circuit. Thrice in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel. For I shall expel the nations before thee, and enlarge thy boundaries: nor shall any man desire thy land, when thou goest up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the year. Thou shalt not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leaven; nor shall the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover be left to the morning.The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring to the House of the Lord thy God.-Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother's milk.'

Moses stayed forty days and forty nights on Mount Sinai, during which time 'he neither ate bread nor drank water'; and the Lord wrote again the Ten Commandments on the tablets of stone.

And now Moses descended the rocky sides of the mountain, and this time he was awaited by Aaron and the Israelites with reverential awe. As he came from the presence of the Lord, his face shone with a heavenly light. The

people could not look upon him; they were afraid of the wonderful radiance that played round him. But he called Aaron and the elders of the congregation and the whole people, and communicated to them all the words of the Lord which he had heard on Mount Sinai. And when he had finished speaking, he covered the glory of his face with a veil, a symbol of deep and earnest reflection, which should not be disturbed by outward objects; but when he communed with the Lord or with the people, he lifted the veil from his face.

45. ERECTION OF THE TABERNACLE.

[Exod. XXXV.-—XXXVIII. XL.]

When Moses proclaimed to the Israelites how they should build a Tabernacle for the Lord, they were full of gladness and of alacrity to construct the sacred edifice as a fit and permanent dwelling-place for the glory of God.. All, both men and women, brought their share, their free-will gift, according to their ability. All offered cheerfully their wealth, their labour, and their skill to promote the holy undertaking. The camp soon presented a most lively appearance. But in order to avoid confusion or dispute, one master-mind was to have the entire supervision of the work.

Bezaleel, of the tribe of Judah, was selected for that purpose. He was endowed with the spirit of wisdom and of understanding. He was a a man experienced in all workmanship, able to invent designs in gold and silver or brass, to carve in wood, and to cut and set precious stones. With him was associated Aholiab, of the tribe of Dan, who was a skilful weaver, and who, under the directions of Bezaleel, wove and embroidered the curtains, the hangings, and the priestly vestments.

The work was carried on with zeal and eagerness. The women came laden with ornaments, with their necklaces, rings, and bracelets of gold, while the men gave the skins, the fine wool, and the various other materials, such as brass and acacia wood. All who were able worked busily, and brought their textures of fine linen, spun goats' hair, and cloths of blue and crimson. Then the chiefs of Israel came forward with their treasures, their onyx-stones and their sparkling jewels, for the ephod and breast-plate of the High-priest. Nor were wanting the oil for the lamps, and the spices for the ointment and the incense. All these gifts were contributed in such large supplies that at last the workmen could find no further use for them, and Moses was compelled to restrain the ardour of the people by proclaiming throughout the camp that both men and women were to cease bringing their offerings.

At last all was finished; and Moses looked upon the work, and, behold, they had done it as the Lord had commanded; and Moses blessed them.'

On the first day of the first month, nearly a year after the departure from Egypt, the Tabernacle of the Lord was erected by Moses, and all the sacred implements were put in their due places in the Holy of Holies, the Sanctuary, and the Court. The tablets of the Law were deposited in the Ark, the shew-bread was placed on the golden Table, the Candlestick lighted with the holy oil, and incense burnt on the golden Altar; while the Laver in the Court was filled with water, that Moses and Aaron and his sons might wash their hands and their feet when they went into the Tabernacle, and when they approached the Altar.' Then Moses was enjoined to anoint and thereby to consecrate the holy edifice with all its vessels, and to clothe and anoint Aaron and his sons for their appointed ministrations. Yet before these commands

were carried out, some other laws were proclaimed that were indispensable for the proper performance of the task.

So then the Tabernacle, brilliant with colour, sparkling with gold and silver, and enclosing the word of God in its innermost Sanctuary, rose before the enchanted gaze of the Israelites. But this was not all; the Tabernacle was visibly to be marked as the seat of the glory of the Lord. The people saw a cloud cover the Tent, and the heavenly radiance filled the habitation so completely that even Moses was unable to enter. And when the cloud arose from the Tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys; but if the cloud did not arise, then they did not journey till the day that it arose. For the cloud of the Lord was upon the Tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.'

46. THE HEBREW SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS. [LEVIT. I. VII. XXII. 13-33; NUM. V. 5-10. XV. XXVIII. XXIX.; DEUT. XII. 11-18, 26, 27. XXVI. 1—11.]

The place of worship had been duly appointed by God, the priests had been chosen, their garments prescribed, their consecration ordained. The Israelites were now not only a free, but destined to be a holy people, the people of God. The purity of their faith was to be their mark of distinction among the nations of the earth. All others worshipped a multitude of idols; the Israelites were to do homage to the One God. All others bowed down before representations of created things, or before vain productions of their own imagination; the Hebrews prostrated their hearts before the glory of the Lord, whom they pictured by no figure or image. Their faith

was indeed totally different from that of the nations around them: does the same hold true with respect to their worship? Far from it: their faith was Divine, but the form of their worship was necessarily human; and adapted as it was to the requirements of an imperfectly educated people, it inevitably consisted of ceremonies and varied rituals.

Worship is generally expressive of one of three feelings -of thanksgiving, supplication, or contrition. We either praise the Lord for the benefits He has bestowed upon us; or we implore His help; or we confess our failings and sins. These religious impulses were naturally the same in the Hebrew and the heathen worshipper, however different their creeds may have been. The priest of the Lord and the priest of Dagon solicited blessings through their sacrifices, although the one addressed his prayers to the Eternal and Merciful King, whilst the other bowed down before an impotent idol. The earliest stage of worship was that of sacrifices and offerings. These are found among nearly every nation of antiquity, and seem, therefore, to be prompted by a common human feeling. Yet with respect to them a clear progress is discernible.

In the remotest times and among the least cultivated nations, sacrifices were offered from motives of awe and fear. The worshippers wished to propitiate their gods, and to avert their wrath. Gradually a feeling of gratitude pervaded their hearts; successful men were proud of their flocks and herds, of their vineyards and olivegroves, and they conveyed their thanks to the deities by appropriate sacrifices. Still later, when beauty, ease, and comfort found their way into man's life, he was induced, by a sentiment of joy, to share with the gods the best parts of his property; sacrificial repasts were held, in which the worshipper appeared as a friend of his god