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shalt put it before the veil that [is] by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that [is] over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.

And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it: he was to do this the first time, but afterward any priest might do it. And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD 9 throughout your generations. Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither 10 shall ye pour drink offering thereon. And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year, on the day of reconciliation, (Lev. xvi. 18, 29, 30, Numb. xxix. 7 :) with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations it [is] most holy unto the LORD.

11 12 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them, a certain price for the redemption of their lives; whereby they acknowledged God's right over their lives, that they had forfeited them by their sins, and that it was his mercy to continue them; that there be no plague 13 among them, when [thou] numberest them. This they

shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary, about fourteen pence (a shekel [is] twenty gerahs :) an half shekel 14 [shall be] the offering of the LORD. Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and 15 above, shall give an offering unto the LORD. The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when [they] give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls to denote that all are redeemed by the same price, and that there is no respect of persons with 16 God. And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, for the building and furniture of it, and for maintaining God's worship there; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.

17 18 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Thou shalt also make a laver [of] brass, and his foot [also of] brass, to wash [withal ] and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water 19 therein. For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and 20 their feet thereat: When they go into the tabernacle of the

congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offer

21 ing made by fire unto the LORD: So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, [even] to him and to his seed throughout their generations.

22 23 Moreover, the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred [shekels,] and of sweet cinnamon half so much, [even] two hundred and fifty [shekels,] and of sweet calamus two hun24 dred and fifty [shekels,] And of cassia five hundred [shekels,] after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin, about 25 three quarts: And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment,

an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it 26 shall be an holy anointing oil. And thou shalt anoint the

tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the 27 testimony, And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick 28 and his vessels, and the altar of incense, And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot. 29 And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy : 30 whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy. And thou shalt

anoint Aaron, and his sons, and consecrate them, that [they] 31 may minister unto me in the priest's office. And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations. 32 Upon man's flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make [any other] like it, after the composition of it: it [is] holy, 32 [and] it shall be holy unto you. Whosoever compoundeth [any] like it, or whosoever putteth [any] of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people.

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And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; [these] sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each there shall be a like [weight :] 35 And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art 36 of the apothecary, tempered together, pure [and] holy And thou shalt beat [some] of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where 37 I will meet with thee it shall be unto you most holy. And [as for] the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof it 38 shall be unto thee holy for the LORD. Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.

CHAP. XXXI.

We have here an account of Bezalect and Aholiab being called for the work of the tabernacle; of the sabbath ; and of Moses' receiving the two tables.

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ND the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, See, I have called by name, Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of 3 Hur, of the tribe of Judah: And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowl 4 edge, and in all manner of workmanship, To devise cunning 5 works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in

cutting of stones, to set [them,] and in carving of timber to 6 work in all manner of workmanship. And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, endued them with peculiar ability for this work, 7 that they may make all that I have commanded thee; The tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that [is] thereupon, and all the furniture & of the tabernacle, And the table and his furniture, and the pure candlestick with all his furniture, and the altar of incense, And the altar of burnt offering with all his furniture, 10 and the laver and his foot, And the cloths of service, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his 11 sons, to minister in the priest's office, And the anointing oil, and sweet incense of the holy [place ] according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do.

12 13 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep; though the work of the tabernacle be holy, and be diligently and speedily to be done, yet I will not have any of it done on the sabbath days: for it [is] a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you own me for your God, who am the Creator of heaven and earth, who redeemed you out of Egypt, and that I own you for my people; that [ye] may know that I [am] the LORD that doth sanctify 14 you. 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 15 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 whosoever doeth [any] work in the sabbath day, he 16 shall surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath through17 out their generations, [for] a perpetual covenant. It [is] a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for [in] VOL. I.

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six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, when forty days were expired, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God, his immediate work, to denote, that it was the work of God alone to write this law upon men's hearts.

CHAP. XXXII. 1-20.

We now proceed with the historical part of this book, and have here a very memorable and surprising story, the making of the golden calf, and its awful consequences.

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ND when the generality of the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, where he was forty days, receiving the law, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, in a tumultuous manner, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, an image or representation of God, as a visible sign of his presence among us, which shall go before us, as in other nations; 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; we expected to receive directions about God's service at this mountain, but we are weary of waiting, and there2 fore will serve God in our own way.* And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings which you brought from Egypt, and which [are] in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring [them] unto me.t 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, or, this is thy God, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, 5 or, this is a representation of him. And when Aaron saw with what applause they received [it,] and with what resolutions they crowded about it, he was concerned a little to palliate what he had done, and direct their views still to Jehovah, and he built an altar before it; and Aaron made.

Strange infatuation! after all they had seen, and notwithstanding all that was still before their eyes on the mount.

+ When he saw no dissuasions would prevail, probably he proposed this, conceiving they would never yield to it; but superstition and idolatry got the better of their covet

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He melted them down into the shape of a calf or an ox; under which likeness the Egyptians worshipped their god Apis, whom probably the Israelites followed. See Acts vii. 39.

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proclamation, and said, Tomorrow [is] a feast to the LORD, And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; thus, as the Psalmist observes, they made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten image: and the people sat down to eat and to drink, to feast upon the sacrifice, and rose up to play, to dance and rejoice in a carnal manner.”

And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt,t have corrupted [themselves ;] defiled themselves by idolatry, and so exposed themselves to judgment, (Gen. vi, 11—13.) They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them, after entering into covenant with me, and promising obedience, (ch. xix. 8. xxiv. 7.) they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and sacrificed thereunto, and said, These [be] thy gods, O Israel, which have brought 9 thee up out of the land of Egypt. And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it [is] a stiffnecked people, stubborn and disobedient, like unruly heifers that will 10 not submit their necks to the yoke: Now therefore let me alone, do not thou intercede for them, for I know not how to resolve upon their destruction, if thou be intercessor; (infinite conde. scension!) 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. Thus, in the midst of judgment, there 11 was an intimation of mercy, And Moses immediately took the hint, and 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? Here he pleaded what God had done for them, and then urges what the Egyptians would say, and 12 how God's name would be reflected upon, 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. He then pleads the 13 promise made to their fathers, and God's holy covenant, 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 14 shall inherit [it] for ever. And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people; he resolved not

• It does not appear that they thought this calf was a real god: but their idolatry consisted in making an image or representation of the true God; and this, by the way, is a sufficient and unanswerable reason why the papists are chargeable with idolatry; what would vindicate them, would vindicate the Israelites. 1 Cor. x. 7.

+ God disdains to call them his people any more, Isa. lix. 1, 2. and entitles Moses to them, that he might be the more solicitous to reduce them again into the right way.

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