under the earth; thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands* of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

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

IV. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.‡

V. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

That is, unto thousands of generations, Deut. vii. 9.

+ This refers to the seventh day expressly: but there were other sabbaths, see Lev. xxiii. 7, 8. where two sabbaths occur in seven days ; v. 24—32, where the first and tenth days of the seventh month are ordained perpetual sabbaths; and v. 34-41, where the fifteenth and twenty-second of the same month, or first and eighth days of the feast of tabernacles are ordained sabbaths, “besides the sabbaths of the Lord.” v.38.

Another reason is assigned in Deut. v. 15.-their deliverance from Egyptian bondage.

VI. Thou shalt not kill.*

VII. Thou shalt not commit adultery.*

VIII. Thou shalt not steal.

IX. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

X. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house; thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

Q. What was the design of the ceremonial law?

A. To separate the Israelites from other nations,t and to shadow forth the Redeemer.‡

Q. What does the moral law require?

A. The moral law, which is holy, just, good, and spiritual, requires perfect obedience.§

* For the Saviour's comment on these commands, see Matt. v. 21—26, 27-32.

+ Deut. vii. 6. Ephes. ii. 14, 15. The Jewish church is frequently represented under the beautiful simile of a vine, brought from Egypt to Canaan, where it was planted in the mountain of God's inheritance, Exod. xv. 17. and fenced around, and walled, to preserve it from "the boar out of the wood," and from "the wild beast of the field."-See Psalm lxxx. 8-16. Isaiah v. 1-7. to which there appears an evident allusion in the parable of our Lord, Matt. xxi. 33—41.

Heb. x. 1. Coloss. ii. 16, 17.

¶ Rom. vii. 12, 14. God's law being a transcript of himself, could not be otherwise. But of man's inability to keep it, in his natural state, we are assured by the scriptures, Psalm xiv. 2, 3.—cxliii. 2.-cxxx. 3. Rom. iii. 9-23. To multiply texts on this head would be endless: for the economy of grace is based on the fact, that "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."

§ Deut. vi. 24, 25.5.-xxx. 9-14. Lev. xviii. 5. Ezek. iii. 21. Nehem. ix. 29. Rom, x. 5,

Q. What penalty was annexed to a breach of the Mosaic law?

A. Death, under two or three witnesses.*

Q. What followed the dedication of the covenant? A. Moses, by Divine command, took Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders with him up the mountain, where they saw the God of Israel, and did eat and drink.t

Q. What particular honour was conferred upon Moses?

A. He was called up to the top of the mountain, into the midst of the cloud which hovered over it: there he remained forty days and forty nights, and was instructed concerning the erection of the tabernacle, the various ceremonies connected with its service, the garments of the priests, &c. the men qualified for the work of the tabernacle were pointed out, and the observation of the sabbath again specially enjoined: after this the Lord delivered to him the ten commandments, written on two tables of stone. During the whole of this period he neither ate nor drank.

Q. Who administered justice during the absence of Moses?

A. Aaron and Hur.¶

Q. Did the Israelites observe the covenant?

A. No forgetful of the Rock of their salvation, they prevailed on Aaron to make a molten calf; thus "changing

* Deut. xvii. 6. Heb. x. 28.

Exod. xxiv. 12, 18.-xxxii. 15, 16.

+ See Note p. 50.

¶ It is not known who Hur was: but conjecture has marked him out as the husband of Miriam.-See STACKHOUSE'S Hist, of the Bib. vol. iii. b. 4.

their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass."* Then, having reared an altar, and proclaiming a feast, they sacrificed to the idol,† and "sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play."

Q. What was the consequence ?

A. "The LORD said unto Moses, Get thee down; for thy people have corrupted themselves: behold it is' a stiff-necked people: now therefore let me alone, that I may consume them and I will make of thee a great nation." But Moses stood in the breach, and turned away his wrath.‡

Q. How did the idolatrous festival terminate ? A. Moses descending from the mountain, no sooner came in sight of the calf, and saw the people dancing,¶ than filled with indignation, he dashed in pieces the tables of the testimony. After reproving Aaron, he called on all that were zealous for God to join him; and

* Psalm cvi. 19, 20.

+ There can be little doubt that this calf was an imitation of the Egyptian Apis, so famous in their mythology: though Dr. Watts supposes it was a winged ox, designed to represent a cherub. The second commandment warrants the inference that they had already proceeded very extensively in the worship of animal forms, in which the Israelites had joined when in Egypt, Josh. xxiv. 14. Ezek. xx. 7, 8.

See Exod. xxxii. 7—14. Psalm cvi 23. The disinterestedness of Moses on this occasion is without any parallel.

¶ Dancing had its origin in remote antiquity; and appears to have been used in the worship of the true God by the Jews, as it was in the worship of false gods by the pagans. It was a mere demonstration of joy, which frequent repetition brought to a measured step.

the sons of Levi drawing near, he commanded them to pass armed through the camp, and to slay, without distinction, every one concerned in this apostacy. consequence of this, three thousand of the people were slain.

Q. What became of the calf?

In

A. It was pulverized, and strewed in water which the Israelites were made to drink.

Q. Were the Israelites then restored to the Divine favour?

A. No: the Lord plagued them because of the calf, and refused to dwell among them. Wherefore a temporary tent was pitched at a distance from the camp, and there the Lord conversed with Moses "face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend."*

Q. What were the objects for which Moses visited this tabernacle ?

A. To obtain for the Israelites, and for Aaron,† forgiveness of their iniquity; and for himself, a manifestation of the Divine glory: both of which were granted, and also a promised renewal of the tables of the testimony. Q. Where was this promise fulfilled?

A. On the top of Sinai, which Moses ascended alone, carrying with him two stone tables. While neither

Deut. ix. 20.

Exod. xxxiii. 11. Letters appear to have been invented in very remote antiquity. The honour of the discovery is claimed, however, by three distinguished nations-the Assyrians, the Phœnicians, and the Egyptians, to one of whom it most probably belongs. The existence of Kirjath-Sepher, the city of the book, or city