an earthly king reigns over his people. Israel is appointed to be a holy nation, that is, separated from all that is common, and destined for divine purposes; Israel is the Lord's first-born (4:22), chosen before all other nations, and is, therefore, a priestly nation, the guardian, preserver and mediator of the divine revelations for all nations.

2. Exod. ch. 19, 20.-The people accept of these terms, and prepare to receive the new Law on the third day; the announcement is made that whosoever toucheth the border of the holy mount, whether it be man or beast, shall be put to death. On the third day there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud. Moses brought forth the trembling people out of the camp, to meet with God at the lower part of the mount. "Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire; the whole mount quaked greatly," and the voice of the trumpet waxed louder and louder. And the Lord spake the Ten Words or Commandments (see § 52, B); "and all the people saw the thunderings and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking."

OBS. 1.-The Decalogue (that is, the Ten Commandments) is a brief summary of the whole Law. The first commandment indicates the source of all obedience to the Law, namely, love to God; the last indicates the source of all transgressions of the Law, namely, evil lust. The Decalogue was written on two tables of stone, with the finger of God (31: 18). The first table requires love to God in its various modes of expression; the second, requires that love to our neighbor which proceeds from love to God; the duty of loving parents as the representatives of God, occupies, in some aspects, an intermediate position, but, nevertheless, belongs essentially to the first table (Matt. 22: 37-40; 1 Tim. 1: 5). The negative form (“thou shalt not”—) of nearly all the ten commandments, presenting them as prohibitions, indicates that a propensity and an inclination to sin already exists in man.

OBS. 2. The law contains a blessing: "Ye shall keep my statutes and my judgments: which, if a man do, he shall live in them" (Lev. 18: 5); it also contains a curse: "Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them." (Deut. 27: 26.) It is introduced between the promise (Abraham) and the fulfilment (Christ), in order that it might be "a schoolmaster (raidaywyós) to

bring us unto Christ." (Gal. 3: 24.) It was designed to give the knowledge of sin, and of the curse which sin deserved, as well as of man's need of redemption, and awaken a desire to obtain it; by such services the law was designed to prepare man for redemption. The ceremonial law, which impressively sets forth the sinfulness of man, served, besides, as a shadow, or type, to indicate a future salvation, and to prepare the way for it. The law had "a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things." (Heb. 10: 1.) "Let no man judge you," says the apostle to Christians, "in meat or in drink, or in respect of a holy-day, or of the new-moon, or of the sabbath-days: which are a shadow of good things to come, but the body is of Christ." (Col. 2 : 16, 17.) (The Law is the shadow thrown backward on the Old Testament by the salvation offered in Christ, which God's counsel determined before to grant (Acts 4: 28), and which was, consequently, already present to the view of God.)

3. Exod. ch. 24. -The people stood afar off, and said to Moses: "Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die." (20: 19.) Moses builded an altar and twelve pillars, sacrificed upon it, and sprinkled half of the blood on the altar. And he read in the audience of the people the book of the covenant in which he had written all the words and commandments of Jehovah hitherto spoken. The people answered: "All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient." Then Moses took the other half of the blood, and sprinkled it both on the book (Heb. 9 : 19) and on the people. Afterwards, Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu (§ 37. OBS. 2), and seventy of the elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. They saw God, and did eat and drink (24 : 11), namely, at the sacrificial repast of the covenant-offering and offering of consecrations. (See § 48. OBS. 1.)

OBS.-The people did not obtain, in the Old Testament, the full possession of the priestly dignity and privileges, because they did not yet venture to approach God, but still needed a human mediator; hence arose the necessity of a particular priesthood, notwithstanding the priestly vocation of the whole people.

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§ 44. The Golden Calf-The Renewed Tables of the Law. 1. Exod. ch. 32, 33. - While Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people grew weary of waiting, and said to Aaron: "Up, make us gods which shall before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him." Aaron made a molten calf of the golden ornaments of their wives and children, which were willingly contributed, built an altar, and made proclamation: "To-morrow is a feast to Jehovah." While the people below eat, drink, dance, and play before the new idol, the Lord says to Moses: "Go, get thee down: for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves - now, therefore, let me alone that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation." Thus the Lord places the case in the hands of Moses; but Moses understands the duty which the office of a mediator imposes on him, and does not let the Lord alone; with great boldness and confidence he gives back to the Lord, to whom they belong, the words: "thy people - thou hast brought out," and appeals to Jehovah's oath, and to the covenant made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then it repented the Lord of the evil which he thought to do unto his people. When Moses, on descending, sees the calf and the dancing, his anger waxes hot; even as the people had broken the covenant of Jehovah, so he casts out of his hands the tables of the law, which are the records of that covenant, and breaks them beneath the He grinds the calf to powder, strews it upon the stream flowing down from Horeb, and makes the people drink of it. Aaron is first summoned to render an account, and then Moses, standing in the gate of the camp, cries aloud: "Who is on the Lord's side? let him come unto me." The children of Levi gather around him, and slay with the sword, three thousand of the traitors, who continue obstinately to reject the offered amnesty. By this act of obedience, which, although painful, was promptly performed, the children of Levi remove the curse which lay on their house (Gen. 49: 5-7), and receive, through Moses, a preliminary consecration to their future office.

mount.

2. Exod. ch. 33, 34.-The people repent; Moses pitched the tabernacle, which he used provisionally, at a distance from the camp, made atonement for the people, again ascended the mount, and returned after the expiration of forty days, with two new tables, on which the Lord had again written the Law. He puts a vail on his face, which still reflects the brightness of the presence of God, for the people feared to approach him. The Tabernacle is constructed, and, in the mean time, the Law is continually enlarged, and approaches its completion.

§ 45. The Tabernacle.*

1. Exod. ch. 25-40.-The Sanctuary, with all its appurtenances, is made of materials which are contributed so readily and abundantly, that Moses restrains the people from offering further aid, by an express commandment; the goods brought from Egypt were, doubtless, here found available. Bezaleel and Aholiab, whom God called by name, and filled with his spirit, complete the work, after the pattern which God showed to Moses in the mount (§ 14. OBS. 3). After they had labored nearly a year, Moses reared up the tabernacle on the first day of the first month of the second year after the Exodus. Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle (40: 34).

OBS.- Until the Temple was built, the Tabernacle continued to be the only place in which Israel could lawfully offer sacrifices, and divine or public worship. It was here only that sacrifices were permitted to be offered, because it was the ordinary and permanent (symbolical) abode of the glory of the Lord. Whenever the Lord appeared to an individual elsewhere, sacrifices could be offered in that spot also, to the Lord, who was present, for His presence rendered the offering lawful. But when his immediate presence was withdrawn from that spot, the authority to offer sacrifice in it ceased.

* See the [author's] Treatise: Ueber d. symbolische Darstellung der Zahlen, &c., in the Theol. Stud. u. Krit., 1844. H. II. pp. 315-370. A fuller statement of the points discussed in 22 45-52 A., is given [by the author] in the Christoterpe of the year 1849, p. 46-107; 1851, p. 262-323; 1852, p. 284-358. See also the treatise [by the same]: Beiträge zur Symbolik des alttest. Cultus Erstes Heft: die alttest. Cultusstätte. Leipzig., 1851.

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2. As the Tabernacle was intended primarily for the period of the wanderings in the wilderness, it was made portable, and consisted of boards of acacia-wood standing up (26:15). It was divided into two compartments by a highly-finished linen vail, embroidered with cherubs; the inner of these two, the most holy place, or the holy of holies, resembled a perfect cube, the length, breadth and height being each ten cubits. It contained the ark of the covenant, in which were deposited the tables of the law, together with a pot of manna, and, at a later period, Aaron's rod that budded (§ 54. 2). The lid or cover of the ark, called the mercy-seat (Kapporeth covering of atonement), was of pure gold, supporting on the two ends two cherubs of gold beaten out of one piece, bending forward, and with expanded wings. The outer apartment was twenty cubits in length, and ten cubits in breadth and in height, and was called the holy place or sanctuary; before the entrance, on the eastern side, a richly-wrought curtain was suspended. Here the altar of incense was placed between the golden candlestick with its seven branches (three on each side, and one in the middle), and the table of shew-bread, on which continually lay twelve loaves, prepared and presented anew every Sabbath. All the furniture, with the exception of the candlestick and the mercy-seat, was made of acacia-wood, and, like the supports on which the whole rested, was overlaid with gold. The interior of the tabernacle displayed throughout costly variegated linen hangings, embroidered with figures of cherubs. It was protected on the outside from the inclemencies of the weather by three additional curtains made of goats' hair and skins. The court of the tabernacle, open above, and 100 cubits in length and 50 cubits in breadth, was enclosed by linen hangings supported by pillars; the entrance on the east side, 20 cubits in breadth, was protected by a curtain. In this court, and before the door of the tabernacle, was placed the altar of burnt-offering, made of acacia wood, overlaid with copper, and filled with earth; a copper laver stood near it.

OBS.-The significance of the Tabernacle is indicated partly by the purpose for which it was designed, namely, to be the place of divine service and sacrifice, and partly, by its name, that is, the tent of as