13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify

you.

14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

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

16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual

THE directions for the various parts of the Jewish typical worship have been distinctly given to Moses for his guidance. But as yet no part of it had been made; nor was there any person specially marked out by God for that purpose. This is the next thing in the order of this arrangement. God now informs Moses, whom he had chosen to execute this work; and how he had qualified them for the undertaking. Two persons are here mentioned, out of all the tribes of Israel, who were to direct the superintendence and execution of the whole. Of these, Bezaleel was one, and Aholiab the other. The one was taken from the tribe of Judah, and the other from the tribe of Dan. Associated with them were many others. And of all these it is said, "I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship" (v. 3); "and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom that they may make all that I have commanded thee" (v. 6).

What may we learn from these things? Cannot the Lord raise up instruments for the

execution of his purpose and will whenever there is need? When he raises up such instruments, for such purposes, will he not qualify them for the work he has given them

to do? Is the Spirit of the Lord straitened? Will he not fill his chosen servants with wis

dom, understanding, and knowledge, for the work assigned them? Will he not put into the hearts of all that are wise-hearted wisdom for doing all that he has commanded them to do? And does not this teach us never to despair on any emergency; but to rest assured that God will raise up instruments for his own work when his will is to be done? And when we see such instruments called forth, and fitted for the work, ought we not to own the hand of God in such preparations, and give him all the praise and glory?

Before they enter upon this work, and before this typical worship is set up, God expressly enjoins them to hallow the sabbath, and to honour the Lord by the devout observance of his own holy day (v. 12-18). Ought not this, then, to be a settled maxim in every undertaking, that nothing shall interfere with the sacred duties of the sabbath day; and that nothing shall be done to desecrate its sanctity and holiness ? How loudly does this speak to this sabbath-breaking age and generation! If God would not allow any of his chosen servants to execute any part of the work assigned them, which expressly pertained to his worship and service, on his holy day, will he sanction your irreverence, or permit you to violate its sacred character with impunity? Read over the several verses in this chapter, which speak expressly on this subject; and how can you possibly think that it is a question of indifference, or of no concern? There is not perhaps one more striking proof of the fatal influence of Satan upon men's minds, than the loose, dangerous, and unscriptural notions which many persons entertain on this subject. Did you ever know a sabbathbreaker blessed in his sin? Can he prosper in his ways? Or if he succeed for a time, is not that prosperity the prelude to his ruin? God's word is, " Verily my God's word is, "Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep." "For it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord" (v. 13-15). "It is a sign between 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" (v. 17). Now, "he that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear." (Ezek. iii. 27.)

CHAPTER XXXII.

1 The people, in the absence of Moses, cause Aaron to make a calf. God is angered thereby. 11 At the intreaty of Moses he is appeased. 15 Moses cometh down with the tables. 19 He breaketh them. 20 He destroyeth the calf. 22 Aaron's excuse for himself. 25 Moses causeth the idolaters to be slain. 30 He prayeth for the people.

AND when the people saw that Moses de

layed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; 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.

2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are 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 earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.

4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he 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 before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD.

6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

7 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:

8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

9 And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:

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.

11 And Moses besought 'the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with 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.

13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply 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 were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.

16 And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon 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.

18 And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for 'being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.

19 ¶ And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.

20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.

21 And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?

22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.

23 For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: 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.

24 And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.

25 ¶ And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies :)

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

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 he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.

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 for 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 forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.

33 And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.

34 Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.

35 And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.

which are written for our admonition" (1 Cor. x. 11), to teach us, Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall" (v. 12).

It appears from the recorded events, that whilst Moses was in the mount, receiving the directions given him by God for the institution of his worship and the government of his people, the whole congregation of Israel lapsed into the most flagrant commission of idolatry. Whether this act arose from the fear of having been deserted by Moses, and so they were left exposed to their enemies; or from an unwarrantable impatience to induce him no longer to delay his return; or from some latent desire to adopt the idolatrous practices they had witnessed in Egypt; certain it is, that the sin was committed under the most flagrant aggravations. At that time they were in sight of the mountain burning with fire. Very lately, they had heard the voice of God from the midst of the fire, speaking the words of that very law; the first part of which forbade the sin they thus committed. To every tittle of that law they had avowed their consent; yet within forty days, the whole appears to have been utterly forgotten by the majority of them; and, to crown the whole, Aaron himself stood at the head of this defection!

What shall we say? Must not God have been exceedingly provoked? Had they not sinned a great sin? Could any excuse be offered for Aaron, or any extenuation be adduced for the conduct of the people? We see none. The broad naked fact stands openly revealed, that man is naturally prone, as a fallen sinner, to idolatry; and that the first part of the moral law strikes not at a casual offence, but at the innate propensity of the human heart. Alas! in some way or other we are all guilty of this sin; for who has not set up his idols in his heart?

ought? Have we not often sinned a great sin against the Lord? often turned aside out of the way? often, by some idol or sin, provoked the eyes of his glory? Let us learn to be humbled for our sin; to be thankful for our intercessor; and careful that we offend not again.

When Moses came down from the mount and saw what they had done, he was exceedingly distressed. Thinking they had irretrievably forfeited the favour of God, he brake the two tables of the covenant there on the spot beneath the mount; destroyed the image they had made; and expostulated with Aaron for what he had done. Then he determined to see if any remained on the Lord's side; he exercised judicial severity on those who had been ringleaders in the sin; and again he prayed with great earnestness and zeal for mercy and forgiveness.

Now, may we not learn many useful lessons from these events? Are not many things much worse when we come to examine them, than at first sight they appear to be? Are we not sometimes too apt to think there may be no hope, though the Lord be ready to forgive? Must we not expect rebukes and corrections when we have evidently done amiss? Is it not the best way to prove our zeal for God by renouncing the sins that provoke his anger? Will not the Lord vindicate the honour of his Majesty, by causing those who have led others into sin, to feel his displeasure? In times of abounding iniquity, ought we not to stand forth and cry, "Who is on the Lord's side? Let him come to me! Should we not also pray for those who are evidently exposed to the divine wrath? At the same time, ought we not to remember, that there is a certain suitable demeanour in all our prayers, that becomes our own state, and the God whom we address? Let us take heed lest we speak unadvisedly with our lips. (Ps. cvi. 33.) To ask God to blot us out of his book (v. 32), if our request be not granted, is surely a prayer that needs as much to be forgiven, as the sin that called it forth. (See Ezek. v. 2.) Hasty words and rash expressions are unsuited to the majesty of heaven. "The prayer of the upright is his delight." (Prov. xv. 8.)

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CHAPTER XXXIII.

1 The Lord refuseth to go as he had promised with the people. 4 The people murmur thereat. 7 The tabernacle is removed out of the camp. 9 The Lord talketh familiarly with Moses. 12 Moses desireth to see the glory of God. ND the Lord said unto Moses, Depart, and go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it:

2 And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite:

3 Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way.

4 ¶ And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments.

5 For the Lord had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee.

6 And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb.

7 And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass, that every one which sought the LORD went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp.

8 And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle, that all the people rose up, and stood every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle.

9 And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses.

10 And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man

in his tent door.

11 And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.

12 ¶ And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou

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wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.

13 Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.

14 And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

15 And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.

16 For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.

17 And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.

18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face for there shall no man see me, and live.

21 And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:

22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:

23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

THERE is nothing so truly distressing to a gracious soul, as to be deprived of the comfortable sense of the Lord's presence. Duties become more like a burdensome or hopeless task, when that is the case, than a delightful service. Nothing can satisfy such a soul, but the blessing it has been accustomed to enjoy; without which there can be no freedom, nor any peace in the Lord's ways.

When the Lord told Moses to go up from thence, and lead on the people to the promised land, they were alarmed; but Moses was humbled, and prayed. God said he would send a messenger before them; but

would not go himself with them, lest he should consume them; because they were a stiff-necked people. Now mark the contrast between the spirit of Moses and that of the people. The one knew that without his visible presence they could have no protection. The other was persuaded that without the Lord's gracious presence he could have no blessing. See how this different spirit operated in both.

The people were alarmed and terrified. When they heard those evil tidings they mourned; and no man did put on him his ornaments; but they stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb (v. 4,6). Here are mourning and vexation; but no godly sorrow, nor any cries for mercy. Is it not thus many deceive themselves by a false repentance? Did not Pharaoh? He did more; he said, "I have sinned" (ch. x. 16). Did not Herod? He did many things, and heard John gladly. (Mark vi. 20.) Did not Judas? (Matt. xxvii. 3—5.) He made restitution so far as he could. Yet in either case it was a false Ah! take care; you may do

repentance. much more, and go much further, and yet perish after all. You may escape the pollutions that are in the world, through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and yet be again entangled therein and overcome, and your latter end be worse than the beginning. (2 Pet. ii. 20-22.) Why? Because you have been deceived by a false repentance; an unsanctified knowledge; an unsound heart.

On the other hand, Moses was humbled. He prays, "See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people" (v. 12, 13). Oh! what words are these! Is not this the language of a man conversing with God? Is not this walking with God? Is not this speaking to the Lord face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend? (v. 11; Numb. xii. 7, 8.) No dread, no terror, no despair, no false humility, no superstitious