movement, and, by the blessing of God, much may be done. More may be effected easily by many, than laboriously by few. The whole may be benefited, and the Lord may be glorified.

CHAPTER XIX.

1 The people come to Sinai. 3 God's message by Moses unto the people out of the mount. 8 The people's answer returned again. 10 The people are prepared against the third day. 12 The mountain must not be touched. 16 The fearful presence of God upon the mount.

N the third month, when the children of

Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.

2 For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.

3 And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;

4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.

5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people for all the earth is mine:

6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

7 And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him.

8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.

9 And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD.

10 ¶ And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,

11 And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.

12 And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to

yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death:

13 There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the 'trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.

14 And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes.

15 And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives.

16 ¶ And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.

17 And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.

18 And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.

19 And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.

20 And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.

21 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.

22 And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them.

23 And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it.

24 And the LORD said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest he break forth upon them. 25 So Moses went down unto the people, and spake unto them.

more sincerely and unreservedly in his happy service. They are only rightly improved, and duly appreciated, when they produce this holy and grateful effect. "What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?" (Ps. cxvi. 12) is a question which must often recur to every believer's mind. "Ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Cor. vi. 20.) This delightful duty the word of God and the gospel of Christ clearly enforce; and this duty we also learn from Israel's history, and especially from the chapter now read.

Three months after their deliverance from Egypt, they came into the wilderness of Sinai; and there Israel encamped before the mount. This was the spot which the Lord had chosen for making himself known to them in a manner he had not done before. But previous to this manifestation, and preparatory thereto, Moses was commissioned by God to remind the people of what he had done for them, and how they were bound to serve him: "Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel" (v. 4-6).

What was the effect of this message, when Moses delivered it unto the people? Unanimously they declared, "All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord" (v. 8). Now, how does this apply to us? Might we not address you much in the same manner? You have seen what the Lord hath done for you. You have seen what great things he hath done for you, in creating and preserving you; in all the temporal blessings he hath bestowed upon you; in all the troubles out of which he hath delivered you; and in all the comforts with which he hath visited you. You have seen, also, the far greater things which he hath done for your souls, in giving his dear Son to die for your sins, and to rise again for your justification (Rom. iv. 25); in delivering you

from a far worse than Egyptian bondage, even from sin, and Satan, and death, and hell; in sending his blessed gospel to you, proclaiming liberty, and all the blessings of his great salvation for your captive and needy soul; and, moreover, if you have in anywise been made partakers of these blessings in all he hath done for your salvation: what follows? Ought you not to obey his voice? Ought you not to keep his covenant? Would it not thereby be seen, that you were a peculiar treasure unto the Lord; a kingdom of priests; an holy nation? Now, what say you to this appeal? Do you draw back; or are you prepared to reply, "All that the Lord hath spoken we will do?" (v. 8).

But let us proceed. The people being thus disposed, God intended to shew them his greatness, as well as his glory. To this end they were to prepare for the third day; and then he would make them know how great and holy, as well as how kind and merciful a being he is. This he would do in order to inspire them with awe, and to encourage their hope. There must be no spot of uncleanness among them; no one must even touch the mountain where God appeared. On the mount itself there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud, so that all the people trembled. From the midst of all that glory, those terrors, and that greatness, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice (v. 19).

Ah! you little think what it is to draw nigh unto God, till you really come to do so! There is such majesty and glory surrounding his throne, that feeble mortals and guilty sinners may well tremble. Even Moses felt that sensation. How thankful, then, should we be for the gospel! there, this great and glorious being is revealed under the mild and benignant character of a father. In the face of Jesus Christ, you may view all this majesty and glory blended with mercy and love. In him you may draw near. These fiery streams are quenched in his redeeming blood; and now the kind and merciful voice is, Why are ye fearful? Let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith. (Matt. viii. 26; Heb. x. 22, with xii. 18-21.) Oh, gracious God, reveal thyself to our souls, in the Son of

thy love! Grant us to see how in him "mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other." (Ps. lxxxv. 10.)

CHAPTER XX.

1 The ten commandments. 18 The people are afraid. 20 Moses comforteth them. 22 Idolatry is forbidden. 24 Of what sort the altar should be.

A

ND God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

5 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 the children unto the third and upon fourth generation of them that hate me;

6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my command

ments.

7 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.

8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

11 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.

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

13 Thou shalt not kill.

14 Thou shalt not commit adultery. 15 Thou shalt not steal.

16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

18 ¶ And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.

19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that sin not. ye 21 And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God

was.

22 ¶ And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.

23 Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.

24 An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.

25 And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

26 Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.

THAT was a memorable day when Israel stood before God at Sinai : it was a memorable day in every respect. Memorable, when they considered what the Lord had done for them, and whither he had brought them. Memorable, when we call to mind the sublime and awful manner in which the Lord appeared before them, amidst the thunderings and lightnings, the burning fire, and the sounding trumpet. Memorable, also, when we examine the nature of that holy and righteous law which he then proclaimed and gave them. That law was not only for their guidance, but for ours also that law demanded not only their obedience, but ours also: that law, as the event proved, they could no more endure than we can that law not only brought them in guilty before God, but it brings us in guilty also. Yea, all, all the world thereby is become guilty before God.

:

Let us examine this holy law. It is the moral law; the law of the Ten Commandments, which is "holy, and just, and good." (Rom. vii. 12.) That law every person born into this world is bound to obey. By that law every person who violates its demands is condemned before God, and liable to perish for ever. What does that law require? Perfect love to God, and perfect love to man; perfect obedience in the heart, and perfect obedience in the life; perfect obedience in heart and life, in thought, word, and deed, unceasingly from the first dawn of reason to the latest moment of existence. God is to be loved above all things; he must be worshipped in spirit and in truth; reverenced in his holy name; and honoured in his holy day. Then comes the duty of man to man for the Lord's sake. Parents must be honoured and obeyed; neighbours must be loved as ourselves: no injury must be done to another; no impurity committed; no dishonesty practised; no lies told against another; no covetous thought harboured within.

What is the consequence? All have sinned; all have broken this holy law; all are guilty; all are under the curse which that law denounces; all are exposed to the wrath of God; all are liable to perish for ever. "Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them that are under the law that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God." (Rom. iii. 19.) What, again, is the consequence of this state of things? Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin" and all its tremendous deserts. (Rom. iii. 20.)

Do we understand this? Do we see that this is our case, our condition, our helplessness, our condemnation ? He can never rightly understand, nor duly appreciate the far more majestic and astonishing spectacle exhibited on Mount Calvary, when the Son of God bowed his head and gave up the ghost, who has not learned these lessons amidst the alarming splendours of Mount

Behold the people. What was the effect the promulgation of this law produced upon them? Did they regard themselves as holy? Could they stand before God? Were they able to endure the penetrating power of that holy system of command? No; they feared before the awful majesty of heaven; they trembled under the conscious feeling of their own guilt and sin; they withdrew from the sacred presence, and stood afar off, like trembling culprits expecting their righteous doom.

What, then, was the nature of the discovery they there made? It was of a twofold character: they not only saw that they were guilty sinners; but they also perceived that they required a mediator. Yes; there they learned the happy lesson of the necessity of a mediator between a holy God and guilty man. Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die" (v. 19). But could Moses avail for this purpose? At farthest, only as a figure of him that was to come. Jesus is the true mediator between God and man; by him you may draw near; through him you may find peace. The terrors of Sinai are eclipsed by the glories of Calvary; and all the fiery wrath is quenched in his dying blood and groans. Hear it, and take comfort; hear it, and believe to the saving of the soul. Through him you may speak to God face to face as your heavenly father; from him you may receive pardon and peace, mercy and salvation, and all other blessings requisite for the life of your soul. On that sacrifice rely; on that rock build; on that foundation rest, and you shall be safe for ever. Seeing your condemnation at Sinai, receiving your redemption by the sacrifices offered on Calvary, you will stand on the holy mount above, and praise the Lord for evermore.

CHAPTER XXI.

2 If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.

3 If he came in 'by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him.

4 If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself.

5 And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:

6 Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.

7¶ And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do.

3

8 If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.

9 And if he have betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters.

10 If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.

11 And if he do not these three unto her, then shall she go out free without money.

12 He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.

13 And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.

14 But if a man man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.

15 ¶ And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.

16 ¶ And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.

17¶ And he that 'curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.

18¶ And if men strive together, and one smite another with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but keepeth his bed:

19 If he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be quit: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.

20 ¶ And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.

7

21 Notwithstanding, if he continue a day

or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.

22 ¶ If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.

23 And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,

24 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

25 Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

26 ¶ And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye's sake.

27 And if he smite out his manservant's tooth, or his maidservant's tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.

28¶ If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit.

29 But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death.

30 If there be laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give for the ransom of his life whatsoever is laid upon him.

31 Whether he have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done unto him.

32 If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

33¶ And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein;

34 The owner of the pit shall make it good, and give money unto the owner of them; and the dead beast shall be his.

35 ¶ And if one man's ox hurt another's, that he die; then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money of it; and the dead ox also they shall divide.

36 Or if it be known that the ox hath used to push in time past, and his owner hath not kept him in; he shall surely pay ox for ox; and the dead shall be his own.