and the execution of it deferred until this depository was prepared for its preservation.

SECTION X.

REBELLION OF THE PEOPLE AT REPHIDIM FOR WANT OF WATER-THE ROCK SMITTEN -THE PEOPLE ASSAILED BY THE AMALEKITES-JOSHUA DEFEATS THEM.

THIS miraculous bread that fell from heaven, was the sustenance of this great multitude of people, not merely for a day, or a week, or a month, or a single year; but for forty years.

From the wildernesss of Sin, the people journeyed again, and came to Rephidim; and here a new distress began to be experienced. They were supplied with bread, and had received an abundant feast of flesh; but now water failed. Never was there a more rebellious, discontented people than those whom Moses was now conducting through the wilderness; and whatever disaster was experienced, the blame was cast upon him, who had no more power to prevent it, than any other man. Instead of humbly crying to God for a supply of water, which they had every encouragement to do, with confidence, they began to chide with Moses; and said, "Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said, Why chide you with me? Wherefore do ye tempt the Lord?" But they continued to murmur against him, saying, "Wherefore is this, that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children, and our cattle, with thirst?" The clamour against him, on this occasion, was so violent, that when Moses cried to the Lord for help, he said, "What shall I do unto this people? They be almost ready to stone me." By this time, the host of Israel had approached the mount of Horeb, a part of the range of Sinai; and the Lord commanded Moses to take with him the elders of Israel, and go and stand on the rock of Horeb, and to smite the rock with the rod with which he at first smote the river, when its waters were turned to blood. And Moses did according to the word of the Lord, in the sight of the elders of Israel; and the name of the place was called Massah and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord: the latter of these names signifies chiding, and the former, temptation. Among other impious things, they said, "Is the Lord among us or not?" And now a new calamity befell them. "Amalek came and fought with them at Rephidim." And Moses said to Joshua, "choose out men, and go and fight with Amalek. To-morrow, I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand. So Joshua fought with Amalek; and Moses, and

Aaron, and Hur, went up to the top of the hill. And when Moses held up his hand, then Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat thereon, and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the one on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword." And the Lord said unto Moses, "Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua; for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it JEHOVAH-NISSI; that is, JEHOVAH MY BANNER. Because the Lord had sworn that he would have war with Amalek from generation to generation."

Where the Amalekites now dwelt is unknown; long after this they are found inhabiting the south part of the land of Canaan. Saul, the first king of Israel, lost the divine favour by neglecting to execute the divine vengeance on this nation.

Here also we have the first notice of a man more famous than all others after Moses, for the frequent and familiar intercourse which he had with God, and for the wonderful works which he was enabled to perform. It may be asserted that Joshua was the witness of more stupendous miracles than any man who ever lived upon earth. At this time, though appointed commander-in-chief of the armies of Israel, he must have been quite a young man, and is so called, after this time.

Although Moses represented to Pharaoh that he wished to go into the wilderness to offer sacrifices unto Jehovah; yet no favourable opportunity seems to have occurred for this service, until after the defeat of the Amalekites. Moses then, for the first time, as far as appears, erected an altar; and no doubt offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings; for an altar has no other use than for sacrifices. The name given to it seems to relate to the victory just achieved, by the help of the Lord, and to the oath that there should be unceasing war with Amalek. THE LORD IS MY BANNER, was a fit device to be inscribed on the standard of Joshua, who was the instrument of the Almighty in destroying a great multitude of people.

SECTION XI.

JETHRO'S VISIT TO MOSES-HIS WISE COUNSEL-INSTITUTION OF OFFICERS-JETHRO RETURNS HOME.

WHILE Israel was encamped at Mount Horeb, Jethro, fatherin-law to Moses, having heard how he had brought the people out of Egypt, came unto him, with Zipporah his wife, and his two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, whom Moses, after starting with them to Egypt, sent back again, as has already been related. This must have been a most gratifying visit to Moses; and, therefore, as soon as it was announced that his father-in-law had arrived, "he went out to meet him, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent. And Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the Lord delivered them. And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel; whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. Jethro appears to have been eminently devout as well as wise; for on hearing the narrative of Moses, he was so excited, that he burst forth in praises to God, saying, "Blessed be the Lord, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh; who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that Jehovah is greater than all gods; for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them. And Jethro," who was a priest, "took burnt-offerings and sacrifices for God;" and as it was customary every where, to feast on the remains of such sacrifices, as were not entirely consumed upon the altar, Aaron and the elders of Israel came and "eat bread with Moses' father-in-law, before God;" that is, at the altar, where offerings had just been made to God.

When Jethro observed how the people came to Moses with their causes and disputes from morning until evening, and that he had no assistance, and no relaxation from the severe duties of the judgment-seat, he found fault with his arrangements, and told him that at this rate he would wear out both himself and the people; "For," said he, "this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone. Hearken now unto my voice, and I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee. Provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And let them judge the people at all seasons. And it shall be that every great matter they shall

bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge; so shall it be easier for thyself; and they shall bear the burden with thee. If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall go to their place in peace. And Moses perceived at once the wisdom of the counsel of his father-in-law, and took immediate measures to carry this convenient plan of polity into effect. But as he knew the importance of having the cordial consent of the people to these new measures, he addressed himself unto them, and said, "I am not able to bear you myself alone. The Lord your God hath multiplied you, and behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude. The Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times as many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you! How can I myself alone, bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife. Take ye wise men and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you.' Thus, in Deuteronomy, we read that Moses left the choice of rulers to the people; but in Exodus it is said, "Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. There is, however, no inconsistency in these accounts. He presided over the whole business and appointed to office such persons as the people elected, and this was a much safer as well as a much more popular method of making a selection, than if he had depended on his own judgment, or on the opinion of a few ministers about his person. Here then, we have the commencement of a genuine, republican government. The idea of a regular gradation of rulers or officers, was suggested by Jethro, but the manner of choosing them by the free suffrage of the people at large, was the plan of Moses himself. It is especially worthy of remark, in the counsel of Jethro, that he offers it on condition it should meet the approbation of God. "If," said he, "God command thee." No doubt Moses received an intimation from the Lord that the polity recommended was good; and in this way we may observe how God makes use of the wisdom which he has given to his servants to devise useful and convenient plans, for the government of his people, even when he was daily making revelations of his laws and of his will. Jethro, having aided his son-in-law in forming a system for the government of this nation, took his leave, and departed into his own land, for the present; although, as we shall see in the sequel of the history, he came back again, and probably accompanied Israel to the land of Canaan.

SECTION XII.

MOSES CALLED UP INTO THE MOUNT-COMMUNICATES THE WORDS OF JEHOVAH TO THE PEOPLE-TREMENDOUS EXHIBITION ON MOUNT SINAI-THE TEN COMMANDMENTS UTTERED IN A VOICE OF THUNDER-VARIOUS OTHER LAWS.

THREE months had now elapsed from the time the children of Israel had gone out from Egypt; and they entered the wilderness of Sinai; for they had left Rephidim, where they lay encamped near Horeb, for some time, and had proceeded to the desert of Sinai, which was something farther to the east. Sometimes, Horeb and Sinai are taken for the same mountain, as they belong to the same range; but properly they are distinct mountains, at no great distance asunder. Moses had now arrived at the place where God had met with him and spoke to him from the midst of the burning bush. This was a sacred spot; and surely no other place on earth was ever the scene of more stupendous miracles. Moses was now called up into the mount, and the Lord charged him to say to the children of Israel, "Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagle's 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." And Moses called the elders of Israel and laid before them all these words. And the people answered with one accord, and said, "All that the Lord hath spoken we will do." So easy a thing is it to obtain the profession of obedience, even from a rebellious people. In all communications from God to the people, and from the people to God, Moses acted as the mediator or internuncius. Moses now received orders to go and "sanctify the people to-day and to-morrow, and let them wash their clothes. We have already had occasion to remark one instance of this kind of ablution, or external purification, in the family of Jacob, when he was on his way to Bethel, to fulfil his vow, in the history of the Patriarchs. As it was a cleansing with water, it seems to have had something of the nature of a baptism; and the tradition of the Jewish rabbies, that the custom of proselyte baptism had its origin in this ancient manifestation of the divine presence, which rite of sanctification is not altogether improbable. It was never practised, but in view of some great solemnity, to which the people were approaching: and thus also, when the Lord himself came to sojourn upon earth, John, who was sent to prepare his way, called the whole Jewish nation to repentance, and also to the washing of baptism. In this case, at mount Sinai, the prescribed ablution was to prepare the