milk.] This precept has respect to an idolatrous custom of the heathens of those days, cruel as well as superstitious, who used to boil a kid in its mother's milk and sprinkle it on their fields and trees, in order to make them fruitful.

21.—my name is in him.] He acts by My authority and power. My power and divinity is in him. John x. 38.

28.—I will send hornets before thee,] See the accomplishment of this promise in Joshua xxiv. 12. and the note there.

31.-the sea of the Philistines,] That is, the Mediterranean sea, on which the Philistines bordered. "The desert," was the desert of Arabia, or Shur near Egypt; and " the river," the Euphrates.

Verse 4.-blue, and purple, and scarlet,] These were probably woollen or yarn cloths.

5.-shittim wood,] The shittim wood, of which frequent mention is made in Scripture, grew in the neighbourhood of mount Sinai, as well as in other places, being exceedingly durable, smooth, and strong.

8.- a sanctuary;] A tabernacle or tent, called a sanctuary or holy place, because it was appropriated to God, and because no uncircumcised or unclean person might enter into it without profanation: there God was to dwell or to manifest His presence by a cloud of visible glory.

10.- an ark] A chest or coffer. A cubit was about twenty-one inches of our measure.

11.- a crown of gold] A cornice or rim of gold. 16.- thou shalt put into the ark the testimony] The two tables of stone, containing the Ten Commandments, which testified what the will of God was, which the Israelites consented to observe. Hence the ark itself is frequently called the ark of the testimony. xl. 21.

17.-thou shalt make a mercy seat] The lid or covering of the ark was called the mercy seat, or propitiatory, because God here shewed himself to be propitious, being appeased by the blood of the sacrifices which was sprinkled on this place.

18.- cherubims] These were winged figures: intended probably to represent the angels which stand before God continually, Matt. xviii. 10. ready to do His will. It is uncertain of what shape they were. It was between the cherubim, over the lid of the ark, that the glory of the Lord resided. Hence God is said to dwell between the cherubims, Ps. lxxx. 1.

6. the ephod] This was a kind of girdle, which was brought from behind the back, over the two shoulders; was then put across the stomach, and carried round the waist, so as to form a girdle to the broidered coat, the ends of it hanging down before. The "shoulder pieces" ver. 7, were the parts covering the shoulders, and "the girdle," ver. 8. that part which tied round the body, below the heart.

12.-for stones of memorial] For a sign whereby the children of Israel may know that their memory is presented to God, and that they are had in remembrance of God.

15.- the breastplate of judgment] It was so called, because the high priest wore it, when he went to consult the Divine Majesty about the great concerns of their religion and government.

30.-the Urim and the Thummim;] These words signify light and perfection. We are no where informed in Scripture what the Urim and Thummim were; but whatever they might be, they enabled the high Priest to collect divine instruction on occasions of national, or even of private, concern. It is wholely unknown how the Lord answered by Urim and Thummim. The Jews generally think it was done by the shining of the stones, on the breastplate, or of some letters inscribed upon it. Others with more reason suppose that the Urim and Thummim only qualified the high priest to present himself in the holy place to receive answers from the mercy seat in the tabernacle.

32.

-an habergeon,] Armour to cover the neck and breast, a neckpiece.

33.-pomegranates] Bells of embroidery, in size and shape like pomegranates. The pomegranate is a sort of apple very common in the East; as the fruit is very beautiful, the Scriptures often make use of similitudes taken from it.

bells] The intent of these bells in the robe of the high priest is evident from ver. 35. " his sound shall be heard when he goeth in &c." The sound was to be the signal to the people that the solemn ceremonies of their religion had commenced, and that they might prostrate themselves in fervent prayer.

35.-that he die not.] For neglecting to appear before God in the manner He directed.

38.-that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things,] Meaning that if there should happen to be any defects in the sacrifices presented to God,

these defects might be pardoned by the intereession of the high priest, when he appeared before God with this plate as a crown on his head.

CHAP. XXIX.

Verse 10. shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock.] This was to shew that they loaded the victim with their iniquities, and confessed that they deserved the death which he was about to suffer. See note on Levit. i. 4.

14.-it is a sin offering.] An offering made for the sins of Aaron and his sons, which sins it was necessary should be expiated before they were qualified to make offerings for the sins of others.

24.—a wave offering] It was so called because it was lifted upwards and downwards, and waved in all directions, to signify that He to whom it was offered, was Lord of the whole earth, and of all that is therein.

28.-the sacrifice of their peace offerings,] The peace offering was intended to signify that they were now in a state of friendship and reconciliation with God.

33.-a stranger] Meaning here any one not of the family of Aaron.

40.-a tenth deal of flour &c.] A tenth part of an Ephah. A "hin" was something more than a quart.

CHAP. XXX.

Verse 9.-no strange incense] None but that which is prescribed at verse 34-37.

12.- then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul] As a homage, whereby they acknow. ledged that they had been redeemed by God, and also confessed His goodness in having multiplied their nation according to His promise.

13.

after the sheckel of the sanctuary:] The shekel (nearly half a crown of our money) was called after the sheckel of the sanctuary," because the standard, according to which the money was tried, was kept in the sanctuary.

32. Upon man's flesh shall it not be poured,] That is, not upon a common man's; but only upon priests, or such as are specially appointed to be anointed with it.

33.-upon a stranger,] Upon one, that is not a priest or king.

37.- ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof:] Ye shall not make for your private use any perfume like this.

CHAP. XXXI.

Verse 3.-I have filled him with the Spirit of God,] It was necessary that he should be supernaturally endowed with skill in these ingenious

arts, since the Hebrews from their long continuance in Egyptian bondage, cannot be supposed to have been trained to them.

13. my sabbaths ye shall keep :] This command is repeated, in order to shew that a breach of the sabbath would not be warranted under pretence of doing the important work on which they were now to be employed. The sabbath was to be a sign between God and them, that He was their deliverer from Egyptian slavery, and that He sanctified them to be His peculiar people.

17.- and was refreshed.] We are not to suppose that God rested on the seventh day, because He was weary; but when He had finished His works, He was "refreshed," or delighted with the contemplation of them, and saw that they were good.

18.- written with the finger of God.] That is, framed by the operation of God Himself. As men use their fingers in doing these things, the same form of words is used to express that which is wrought by the power of God.

CHAP. XXXII.

Verse 4.-a molten calf:] Such as they had seen worshipped by the Egyptians. The very sight of evil is dangerous. So apt are men to run into those sins which they behold in others. many have fallen into habits of swearing, scothing, and drinking, from the example of others!

How

5. To morrow is a feast to the Lord.] Not to the golden calf, but to the Creator of the world, whom they worshipped in this image. Nevertheless their conduct was gross idolatry, and a breach of the 2d commandment, by which they were forbidden to worship God under any representation at all.

6.-and the people sat down to eat and to drink,] Of the peace offerings, of which they had a part, according to God's directions: and " rose up to play;" to express their joy by dancing, and other signs of mirth.

9.-a stiffnecked people :] Stubborn and unwilling to obey.

10-let me alone,] By not interposing in their behalf with thy prayers.

-I will make of thee a great nation.] On this occasion Moses gave a signal proof of his love for bis people, by interceding for them with the Lord; and of his own disinterestedness, in refusing the tempting offer of the Almighty, to adopt his family in their room, and make of them " a great nation."

14.-the Lord repented] Did not go on to bring that evil on the Israelites, which He had conditionally threatened against them. See note at Gen. vi. 6.

19.-he cast the tables out of his hands, and

brake them] That the people might see with what indignation their wickedness filled him. We never find him blamed for breaking the tables: whence it is concluded, that he did it, either by Divine impulse and instruction, or from a proper and virtuous feeling.

66

24. then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.] It seems to be the design of Aaron to plead, that he was not actually the maker of the image. "I cast it," says he, into the fire," I delivered it out of my hands to the use it was designed for, into the furnace in which it was to be melted; " and there came out this calf;" that is, I was no further concerned in what was done; the next thing I saw was the calf. What was done. further, was done by others, not by me: the workmen made the calf, and brought it to me.

25.-that the people were naked;] Or deprived of the Divine protection; Aaron having laid them open by this sin to the scorn of all their enemies, who should hear of such a shameful revolt from their God.

32.-blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book] The expression of " blotting out of the book of life" is of the same import as "blotting out from the face of the earth," and "blotting out one's name from under heaven:" and the desire of Moses signifies, that he was willing to submit to a temporal death, that his nation might be saved from a temporal ruin.

CHAP. XXXIII.

Verse 3.-lest I consume thee in the way.] Lest seeing Myself affronted as it were to My face, I punish the people with utter destruction.

5. that I may know what to do unto thee.] That I may deal with you according as I find you disposed. God had not absolutely resolved to forsake them, but might be moved by their repentance to continue with them. We must not suppose that God did not "know" His own purpose and the event of things. To "know" here signifies to discover or make known to others.

11.-the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.] That is, the glory of the Lord appeared visible before the face of Moses, but not in a dreadful and alarming manner, as when He spake to all the people out of the midst of the fire; but with such a mild and com. fortable light, as cheered and encouraged him. He spake plainly and familiarly; not in visions, and dark speeches.

12.-I know thee by name,] I have a special love and kindness for thee. To know any one by his name expresses a distinction, a friendship, a particular familiarity.

13.-shew me now thy way,] The way, which

thou hast appointed, whereby men may come to a right knowledge of Thee.

18-shew me thy glory.] Thy glorious presence, not vailed in a cloud; but in its full majesty and splendour. That which Moses begs is a more plain and familiar knowledge of the Divine Nature, or such a "seeing of God," verse 20, as this mortal state will not admit of.

19.—I will make all my goodness pass before thee,] That is, such a degree of My glory as is good for thee to see, or as thou art able to see without being destroyed thereby.

and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious,] I will always dispense My favours, according to My own pleasure, as I now vouchsafe this favour to thee.

22.— will cover thee with my hand] I will cast a cloud about thee, that thou mayest not be struck dead by the inconceivable brightness of the rays, which come from the Divine Majesty.

23.— thou shall see my back parts:] Thou shalt have an imperfect glimpse of My glory. The bright side of the glorious light, where it shone with its full unvailed lustre, is called the fore part, or "face:" and the dark side, where there was a lower degree of brightness, is called its "back part." It is manifest, that these passages of Scripture cannot possibly be designed to signify, that God is of a bodily form, or that His essence can be seen with the bodily eye; since He is described as "filling the heaven of heavens; as a Spirit," "whom no man hath seen, nor can see."

CHAP. XXXIV.

Verse 7.—that will by no means clear the guilty;] Without repentance.

10.-it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee.] That is, for thee; or enable thee to do to thy enemies.

13.-cut down their groves:] Because it was in these that they had their images and altars of their false gods.

16.-go a whoring after their gods,] The Scriptures often speak of idolatrous worship as uncleanness: partly, in compliance with the Jewish idiom, or peculiar mode of speaking, which calls any thing, that is detestable, filthy and unclean; partly, by reason of the unchaste actions and rites, by which many of the heathen idols were served: but especially, because it was an alienation of the hearts and bodies of the Jews from the God of Israel, who had, as it were, chosen that Church as His spouse on earth. See note on Levit. xx. 5. 21. Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest:] If labour of any sort could he ordinarily permitted on this day, it must be that of cultivating the earth, and gathering in the fruits

of it: the proper seasons for which may otherwise be lost. And accordingly allowances of this kind have been formerly granted by law. But they have been found so little needful, and so liable to abuse, that these laws have been repealed, and that of Moses resumed: "Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh, in earing," that is, in ploughing “time, and in harvest thou shalt rest." If the breach of this law were allowed, whenever the persons concerned should think it necessary, many would plead the necessity every year, and in a little while the whole year round; so that their servants and cattle would be kept to constant toil.

24.-neither shall any man desire thy land,] He tells them, that there shall be no danger of their country being invaded by their enemies, when their males are gone to worship God.

28.-he did neither eat bread, nor drink water.] Being supported in a supernatural manner by God. 29.-the skin of his face shone] Shot forth radiant beams of light,

CHAP. XXXV.

Verse 3. Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the Sabbath day.] Thou shalt not so much as kindle a fire for the purpose of dressing your meat, or of any other work on the Sabbath day. They might kindle a fire to warm themselves in cold weather.

CHAP. XXXVI.

All that follows from verse 9. of this chapter, and the whole of

CHAP. XXXVII.

are repeated from Chapters xxv. xxvi. xxx.

CHAP. XXXVIII.

Verse 8.-looking glasses] Looking glasses, or, as it should rather be rendered, mirrors, were formerly made of brass, tin, silver, &c. 17.-chapters] Or heads of pillars.

CHAP. XXXIX.

On reviewing the account of the Jewish tabernacle and its utensils, as also of the priesthood and its offices, it is proper to consider for what ends and purposes God was pleased to institute these things. To this purpose St. Paul informs us, that the Jewish Law was an imperfect dispensation from the first, and "added because of transgressions, till the seed should come," Gal. iii. 19; that in great condescension it was adapted to the weak