,libraries7 ,transcriber's ,note3 ,this e-text is intended for users whose text readers cannot display the ,unicode 7utf-#h7 version of the file4 ,greek words have been transliterated and enclosed in equals signs1 e4g4 ho logos4 ,italic words have been similarly enclosed in underscores4 ,a few minor typographical errors have been silently corrected4 ,the ,table of ,contents refers to original page numbers4 ,all advertising material has been placed at the end of the text4 ,,the ,,expositor',s ,,bible4 ,,edited ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,w4 ,,robertson ,,nicoll1 ,m4,a41 ,,ll4,d4 ,editor of ,the ,expositor4 ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,exodus4 ,,by ,,the ,,very ,,rev4 ,g4 ,a4 ,,chadwick1 ,d4,d4 ,dean of ,armagh ,london3 ,,hodder ,,and ,,stoughton1 #bg1 ,,paternoster ,,row4 ,,mdcccxc4 ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,exodus4 ,,by ,,the ,,very ,,rev4 ,g4 ,a4 ,,chadwick1 ,d4,d4 ,dean of ,armagh1 ,,author ,,of ,,christ ,,bearing ,,witness ,,to ,,himself1 ,,as ,,he ,,that ,,serveth1 ,,the ,,gospel ,,of ,,st4 ,,mark1 ,,etc4 ,london3 ,,hodder ,,and ,,stoughton1 #bg1 ,,paternoster ,,row4 ,,mdcccxc4 ,printed by ,hazell1 ,watson1 ,viney1 ,ld41 ,london and ,aylesbury4 ,,preface4 ,much is now denied or doubted1 within the ,church itself1 concerning the ,book of ,exodus1 which was formerly accepted with confidence by all ,christians4 ,but one thing can neither be doubted nor denied4 ,jesus ,christ did certainly treat this book1 taking it as ,he found it1 as possessed of spiritual authority1 a sacred scripture4 ,he taught ,his disciples to regard it thus1 and they did so4 ,therefore1 however widely ,his followers may differ about its date and origin1 they must admit the right of a ,christian teacher to treat this book1 taking it as he finds it1 as a sacred scripture and invested with spiritual authority4 ,it is the legitimate subject of exposition in the ,church4 ,such work this volume strives1 however imperfectly1 to perform4 ,its object is to edify in the first place1 and also1 but in the second place1 to inform4 ,nor has the author consciously shrunk from saying what seemed to him proper to be said because the utterance would be unwelcome1 either to the latest critical theory1 or to the last sensational gospel of an hour4 ,but since controversy has not been sought1 although exposition has not been suppressed when it carried weapons1 by far the greater part of the volume appeals to all who accept their ,bible as1 in any true sense1 a gift from ,god4 ,no task is more difficult than to exhibit the ,old ,testament in the light of the ,new1 discovering the permanent in the evanescent1 and the spiritual in the form and type which it inhabited and illuminated4 ,this book is at least the result of a firm belief that such a connection between the two ,testaments does exist1 and of a patient endeavour to receive the edification offered by each ,scripture1 rather than to force into it1 and then extort from it1 what the expositor desires to find4 ,nor has it been supposed that by allowing the imagination to assume1 in sacred things1 that rank as a guide which reason holds in all other practical affairs1 any honour would be done to ,him ,who is called the ,spirit of knowledge and wisdom1 but not of fancy and quaint conceits4 ,if such an attempt does1 in any degree1 prove successful and bear fruit1 this fact will be of the nature of a scientific demonstration4 ,if this ancient ,book of ,exodus yields solid results to a sober devotional exposition in the nineteenth ,christian century1 if it is not an idle fancy that its teaching harmonises with the principles and theology of the ,new ,testament1 and even demands the ,new ,testament as the true commentary upon the ,old1 what follows8 ,how comes it that the oak is potentially in the acorn1 and the living creature in the egg8 ,no germ is a manufactured article3 it is a part of the system of the universe4 ,,analysis ,,of ,,contents4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,prologue1 i4 #a-f4 ,books linked by conjunction ,and3 ,scripture history a connected whole1 #a4--,so is secular history organic3 ,philosophy of history4 ,the ,pentateuch being a still closer unity1 ,exodus rehearses the descent into ,egypt1 #b4--;,heredity3 the family of ,jacob1 #c4--;,death of ,joseph4 ,influence of ,egypt on the shepherd race1 #d4--;,a healthy stock3 good breeding4 ,goethe's aphorism1 #e4--,ourselves and our descendants1 #f4 ,,god ,,in ,,history1 i4 #g4 ,in ,exodus1 national history replaces biography1 #f4--;,contrasted narratives of ,jacob and ,moses4 ,spiritual progress from ,genesis to ,exodus1 #g4--,st4 ,paul's view3 ,law prepares for ,gospel1 especially by our failures1 #h4--,this explains other phenomena3 failures in various circumstances1 of innocence in ,eden2 of an elect family2 now of a race1 a nation1 #i4--;,israel1 failing with all advantages1 needs a ,messiah4 ,faith justifies1 in ,old ,testament as in ,new1 #aj4--,scripture history reveals ,god in this life1 in all things1 #aa4--,true spirituality owns ,god in the secular3 this is a gospel for our days1 #ab-ac4 ,,the ,,oppression1 i4 #g-bb4 ,early prosperity3 its dangers3 political supports vain1 #ac4--;,joseph forgotten4 ,national responsibilities3 despotism1 #ad4--,nations and their chiefs4 ,our subject races1 #ae4--,the ,church and her ,king3 imputation4 ,pharaoh precipitates what he fears1 #af4--;,egypt and her aliens3 modern parallels1 #ag4--,tyranny is tyrannous even when cultured1 #ah4--,our undue estrangement from the fallen3 ,jesus a brother4 ,toil crushes the spirit1 #ai4--;,israel idolatrous4 ,religious dependence1 #bj4 --,direct interposition required4 ,bitter oppression1 #ba4--,pharaoh drops the mask4 ,defeated by the human heart4 ,the midwives1 #bb4--,their falsehood4 ,morality is progressive1 #bc4--;,culture and humanity1 #bd4--,religion and the child1 #be4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,rescue ,,of ,,moses1 ii4 #a-aj4 ,importance of the individual1 #bf4--;,a man versus the ,time-spirit1 #bg4--,the parents of ,moses1 #bh4--,their family3 their goodly child1 #bi4--;,emotion helps faith1 #cj4--,the ark in the bulrushes1 #ca4--,pharaoh's daughter and ,miriam1 #cb4--;,guidance for good emotions3 the ,church for humanity1 #cc4 ,,the ,,choice ,,of ,,moses1 ii4 #aa-ae4 ,god employs means1 #cd4--,value of endowment4 ,moses and his family4 ,the reproach of ,christ1 #ce4--;,an impulsive act1 #cf4--;,impulses not accidents4 ,the hopes of ,moses1 #cg4--,moses and his brethren4 ,his flight1 #ch4 ,,moses ,,in ,,midian1 ii4 #af-bb4 ,energy in disaster1 #ci4--;,disinterested bravery4 ,parallels with a variation1 #dj4--,the ,unseen a refuge4 ,duty of resisting small wrongs4 ,his wife1 #da4--;,a lonely heart1 #db4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,burning ,,bush1 ii4 #bc-;iii4 ,death of ,raamses4 ,misery continues1 #dc4--,the cry of the oppressed1 #dd4--;,discipline of ,moses1 #de4--;,how a crisis comes1 #df4--;,god hitherto unmentioned4 ,the ,angel of the ,lord1 #dg4--;,an unconsuming fire1 #dh4--;,inquiry3 reverence4 ,god finds1 not man1 #di4--,take off thy shoe4 ,the ,god of thy father1 #ej4--;,immortality4 ,my people1 not saints only1 #ea4--,the good land4 ,the commission1 #eb4--;,god with him4 ,a strange token1 #ec4 ,a ,,new ,,name1 iii4 #ad2 vi4 #b1 #c4 ,why ,moses asked the name of ,god3 idolatry3 pantheism1 #ed4--;,a progressive revelation1 #ee4--;,jehovah4 ,the sound corrupted4 ,similar superstitions yet1 #ef4--,what it told the ,jews4 ,reality of being1 #eg4--;,jews not saved by ideas4 ,streams of tendency4 ,the ,self-contained4 ,we live in our past1 #eh4--;,and in our future1 #ei4--,yet ,jehovah not the impassive ,god of ,lucretius1 #fj4--,the ,immutable is ,love4 ,this is our help1 #fa4--;,human will is not paralysed1 #fb4--,the teaching of ,st4 ,paul4 ,all this is practical1 #fc4--,this gives stability to all other revelations4 ,our own needs1 #fd4 ,,the ,,commission1 iii4 #aj1 #af-bb4 ,god comes where ,he sends1 #fe4--,the ,providential man4 ,prudence1 #ff4--,sincerity of demand for a brief respite1 #fg4--;,god has already visited them4 ,by trouble ,he transplants1 #fh4--,the borrowing of jewels1 #fi4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,moses ,,hesitates1 iv4 #a-ag4 ,scripture is impartial3 ,josephus1 #gj4--;,hindrance from his own people4 ,the rod1 #ga4--,the serpent3 the leprosy1 #gb4--;,i am not eloquent1 #gc4--;,god with us4 ,aaron the ,levite1 #gd4--,responsibility of not working4 ,the errors of ,moses1 #ge4--,power of fellowship4 ,vague fears1 #gf4--,with his brother1 ,moses will go4 ,the ,church1 #gg4--,this craving met by ,christ1 #gh4--;,family affection4 ,examples1 #gi4 ,,moses ,,obeys1 iv4 #ah-ca4 ,fidelity to his employer4 ,reticence1 #hj4--,resemblance to story of ,jesus4 ,he is the ,antitype of all experiences1 #ha4--;,counterpoint in history4 ,israel is ,my son1 #hb4--;,a neglected duty ,zipporah4 ,was she a helpmeet8 #hc4--;,domestic unhappiness4 ,history v4 myth1 #hd4--,the failures of the good1 #he4--,men of destiny are not irresponsible1 #hf4--;,his first followers3 a joyful reception1 #hg4--,spiritual joy and reaction1 #hh4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,pharaoh ,,refuses1 v4 #a-bc4 ,moses at court again4 ,formidable1 #hi4--,power of convictions but also of tyranny and pride4 ,menephtah3 his story1 #ij4--,was the ,pharaoh drowned8 ,the demand of ,jehovah1 #ia4--,the refusal1 #ib4--;,is religion idleness8 ,hebrews were taskmasters1 #ic4--;,demoralised by slavery4 ,they are beaten1 #id4--,murmurs against ,moses4 ,he returns to ,god4 ,his remonstrance1 #ie4--;,his disappointment4 ,not really irreverent1 #if4--,use of this abortive attempt1 #ig-h4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,the ,,encouragement ,,of ,,moses1 vi4 #a-cj4 ,the word ,jehovah known before3 its consolations now1 #ii4--,the new truth is often implicit in the old1 #ajj4--;,discernment more needed than revelation4 ,judgments1 #aja4--,my people3 your ,god1 #ajb4--,the tie is of ,god's binding1 #ajc1--;,fatherhood and sonship1 #ajd4--;,faith becomes knowledge4 ,the body hinders the soul1 #aje4--,we are responsible for bodies4 ,israel weighs ,moses down1 #ajf4--,we may hold back the saints1 #ajg4--,the pedigree1 #ajg-h4--;,indications of genuine history1 #ajh-i4--;,as a god to ,pharaoh1 #aaj4--,we also1 #aaa4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,the ,,hardening ,,of ,,pharaoh',s ,,heart1 vii4 #c-ac4 ,the assertion offends many1 #aab4--,was he a free agent8 ,when hardened4 ,a4,v4 incorrect1 #aac4--;,he resists five plagues spontaneously4 ,the last five are penal1 #aad4--,not hardened in wickedness1 but in nerve4 ,a4,v4 confuses three words3 ,his heart is 7a7 hardened1 #aae4--7;b7 it is made strong 7c7 heavy1 #aaf4--,other examples of these words1 #aag4--,the warning implied1 #aag-ai4--,moses returns with the signs1 #aai4--,the functions of miracle1 #abj4 ,,the ,,plagues1 vii4 #ad4 ,their vast range1 #aba4--,their relation to ,pantheism1 ,idolatry1 ,philosophy1 #abb4--;,and to the gods of ,egypt4 ,their retributive fitness1 #abc4--,their arrangement1 #abd4--,like our ,lord's1 not creative1 #abe4--;,god in common things1 #abf4--,some we inflict upon ourselves4 ,yet rationalistic analogies fail1 #abg4--;,duration of the conflict1 #abh4 ,,the ,,first ,,plague1 vii1 #ad-be4 ,the probable scene1 #abi4--;,extent of the plague4 ,the magicians4 ,its duration1 #aca4--,was ,israel exempt8 ,contrast with first miracle of ,jesus1 #acb4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,second ,,plague1 viii4 #a-ae4 ,submission demanded4 ,severity of plague1 #acc4--,pharaoh humbles himself1 #acd4--;,glory over me4 ,pharaoh breaks faith1 #ace4 ,,the ,,third ,,plague1 viii4 #af-ai4 ,various theories4 ,a surprise4 ,magicians baffled1 #acf4--,what they confess1 #acg4 ,,the ,,fourth ,,plague1 viii4 #bj-cb4 ,rising up early1 #acg4--;,bodily pain4 ,beetles or flies8 ,a mixture1 #ach--;,goshen exempt4 ,pharaoh suffers4 ,he surrenders1 #aci4--,respite and treachery4 ,would ,moses have returned8 #adj4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,the ,,fifth ,,plague1 ix4 #a-g4 ,first attack on life4 ,animals share our fortunes1 #ada4 ,the new summons4 ,murrain1 #adb4--,pharaoh's curiosity1 #adc4 ,,the ,,sixth ,,plague1 ix4 #h-ab4 ,no warning1 yet ,author manifest4 ,ashes of the furnace1 #add4---,suffering in the flesh4 ,the magicians again4 ,pharaoh's heart made strong1 #ade4--;,dares not retaliate1 #adf4 ,,the ,,seventh ,,plague1 ix4 #ac-ce4 ,expostulation not mockery1 #adf-g4--;,god is wronged by slavery1 #adg4--;,civil liberty is indebted to religion4 ,plagues upon thine heart1 #adh4--;,a mis-rendering3 why he was not crushed1 #adi4--;,an opportunity of escape4 ,the storm1 #aej4--,ruskin upon terrors of thunderstorm1 #aea4--,pharaoh confesses sin1 #aeb4--,moses intercedes4 ,the weather in history4 ,job's assertion1 #aec4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,the ,,eighth ,,plague1 x4 #a-bj4 ,moses encouraged1 #aed4--;,deliverances should be remembered4 ,a sterner rebuke4 ,locusts in ,egypt1 #aee4--,their effect4 ,the court interferes4 ,yet their hearts hardened also1 #aef--;,infatuation of ,pharaoh4 ,parallel of ,napoleon1 #aeg4--,women and little ones did share in festivals1 #aeh4--;,a gentle wind4 ,locusts4 ,another surrender1 #aei4--,relief4 ,our broken vows1 #afj4 ,,the ,,ninth ,,plague1 x4 #ba-bi4 ,menephtah's sun-worship1 #afa4--,suddenness of the plague4 ,concentrated narrative1 #afb4--;,darkness represents death1 #afc4--,the ,book of ,wisdom upon this plague1 #afd-e4--;,isaiah's allusions4 ,the ,pharaoh's character1 #afe4--;,altercation with ,moses1 #aff4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,the ,,last ,,plague ,,announced1 xi4 #a-aj4 ,this chapter supplements the last4 ,the blow is known to be impending4 ,uses of its delay1 #afg4--;,israel shall claim wages4 ,the menace1 #afh4--,parallel with ,st4 ,john1 #afi-gj4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,the ,,passover1 xii4 #a-bh4 ,birthday of a nation4 ,the calendar1 #aga4--,the congregation4 ,the feast is social1 #agb4--,the nation is based upon the family4 ,no ,egyptian house escapes1 #agc4--,national interdependence4 ,the ,passover a sacrifice1 #agd4--,what does the blood mean8 ,rationalistic theories4 ,harvest festivals1 #age4--,the unbelieving point of view3 what theories of sacrifice were then current8 ,a sacrifice was a meal1 #agf4--;,human sacrifices4 ,the ,passover unhistorical4 ,kuenen rejects this view1 #agg4--,phenomena irreconcilable with it1 #agh-i4 ,what is really expressed8 ,danger even to ,jews1 #agi4--,salvation by grace4 ,not unbought1 #ahj4--,the lamb a ransom4 ,all firstborn are forfeited4 ,tribe of ,levi1 #aha4--;,cash payment4 ,effect on ,hebrew literature1 #ahb4--;,its prophetic import1 #ahc4--,the ,jew must co-operate with ,god3 must also become ,his guest1 #ahd4--,sacred festivals4 ,lamb or kid4 ,four days reserved1 #ahe4--,men are sheep4 ,heads of houses originally sacrifice4 ,transition to ,levites in progress under ,hezekiah1 complete under ,josiah1 #ahf4--,unleavened bread4 ,the lamb4 ,roast1 not sodden1 #ahg4--;,complete consumption4 ,judgment upon gods of ,egypt1 #ahh4--,the blood a token unto themselves4 ,on their lintels1 #ahi4--,the word pass-over1 #aij4--;,domestic teaching1 #aia4--,many who ate the feast perished4 ,aliens might share1 #aib4 ,,the ,,tenth ,,plague1 xii4 #bi-cf4 ,the blow falls4 ,pharaoh was not firstborn3 his son sat upon his throne1 #aic4--,the scene1 #aid4--,the demands of ,israel4 ,st4 ,augustine's inference1 #aie4 ,,the ,,exodus1 xii4 #cg-db4 ,the route1 #aie4--,their cattle1 a suggested explanation1 #aif4--;,four hundred and thirty years1 #aig-h4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,the ,,law ,,of ,,the ,,firstborn1 xiii1 #a4 ,the consecration of the firstborn1 #aii4--,the ,levite4 ,they are ,mine1 #bjj4--;,joy is hopeful4 ,tradition8 #bja4--,phylacteries4 ,the ass1 #bjb4--,the ,philistines4 ,no spiritual miracle1 #bjc4--;,education1 #bjd4 ,,the ,,bones ,,of ,,joseph1 xiii4 #ai4 ,joseph influenced ,moses1 #bjd4--;,his faith1 #bje4--;,circumstances overcome by soul4 ,god in the cloud1 #bjf4--;,hebrew poetry and modern1 #bjg4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,the ,,red ,,sea1 xiv4 #a-ca4 ,stopped on the march1 #bjh4--,pharaoh presumes1 #bji4--,the panic1 #baj4--,moses4 ,prayer and action4 ,self-assertion8 #baa4--,the midnight march1 #bab4--,the lost army1 #bac4 ,,on ,,the ,,shore1 xiv4 #cj1 #ca4 ,impressions deepened4 ,they believed in ,jehovah4 ,so the faith of the apostles grew1 #bad4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,the ,,song ,,of ,,moses1 xv4 #a-bb4 ,a song remembered in heaven4 ,its structure1 #baf-ag4--,the women join4 ,instruments4 ,dances1 #bah4 ,god the ,deliverer1 not ,moses4 ,my salvation1 #bai4--;,gratitude4 ,anthropomorphism4 ,ye are gods4 ,jehovah is a ,man--of war1 #bbj-b4--,the overthrow1 #bbb4--;,first mention of ,divine holiness1 #bbc4--;,an inverted holiness1 #bbd4--,thou shalt bring them in1 #bbe4 ,,shur1 xv4 #bb-bg4 ,disillusion4 ,marah1 #bbf4--;,a universal danger1 #bbg4--,prayer1 and the use of means1 #bbh4--;,a statute and an ordinance4 ,such compacts often repeated4 ,the offered privilege1 #bbi4--;,it is still enjoyed1 #bcj4--,the ,lord for the body4 ,elim1 #bca4 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,murmuring ,,for ,,food1 xvi4 #a-ad4 ,we too fear1 although ,divinely guarded1 #bcb4--,they would fain die satiated1 #bcc4--,relief tries them as want does1 #bcd4--,the ,sabbath4 ,a rebuke1 #bce4--,moses is zealous4 ,his meekness1 #bcf4--,the glory appears1 #bcg4--,quails and manna1 #bch4 ,,manna1 xvi4 #ae-cf4 ,their course of life is changed1 #bch4--;,a drug resembles manna1 #bci4--,the supernatural follows nature1 #bdj4--,they must gather1 prepare1 be moderate1 #bda4--,nothing over and no lack4 ,socialistic perversion1 #bdb4--,socialism4 ,christ in politics1 #bdc-d4 ,,spiritual ,,meat1 xvi4 #ae-cf4 ,manna is a type4 ,when given1 #bdd4--;,an unearthly sustenance1 #bde4 ,what is spirituality8 ,christ the true ,manna1 #bdf4--,universal1 daily1 abundant1 #bdg4--,the ,sabbath4 ,the pot of manna1 #bdh4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,,meribah1 xvii4 #a-g4 ,a greater strain4 ,what if ,israel had stood it8 #bdi4--,they murmured against ,moses4 ,the position of ,aaron4 ,an exaggerated outcry1 #bej4--,witnesses to the miracle4 ,the rock in ,horeb1 #bea4--,the rod4 ,privilege is not acceptance1 #beb4 ,,amalek1 xvii4 #h-af4 ,a water-raid1 #beb4--;,god's sheep must become ,his warriors4 ,war1 #bec-d4--;,joshua4 ,the rod of ,god1 #bee4--;,a silent prayer4 ,aaron and ,hur must join in it1 #bef4--,so now4 ,but the army must fight1 #beg4--,the ,lord my banner4 ,unlike a myth1 #beh4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,,jethro1 xviii4 #a-bg4 ,gentiles in new aspect4 ,church may learn from secular wisdom1 #bei4--,little is said of ,zipporah3 ,jethro's pleasure1 #bfj4--;,a ,gentile priest recognised4 ,religious festivity1 #bfa4--;,jethro's advice3 its importance1 #bfb4--;,divine help does not supersede human gift1 #bfc4 ,,the ,,typical ,,bearings ,,of ,,the ,,history4 ,narrative is also allegory4 ,danger of arbitrary fancies4 ,example from ,bunyan4 ,scriptural teaching1 #bfd4--,some resemblances are planned3 others are reappearances of same principle1 #bfe4--,so that these are evidential analogies1 like ,butler's1 #bff4--,others appear forced4 ,i called ,my ,son out of ,egypt refers to ,israel1 #bfg4--;,but the condescending phrase promised more1 and the subsequent coincidence is significant1 #bfh4 ,truths cannot all be proved like ,euclid's1 #bfi4 ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,,at ,,sinai1 xix4 #a-be4 ,sinai and ,pentecost4 ,the place4 ,ras ,sufsfeh4 ,god speaks in nature1 #bgj4--,moses is stopped2 the people must pledge themselves4 ,dedication services1 #bga4--;,an appeal to gratitude1 and a promise1 #bgb4--;,a peculiar treasure4 ,a kingdom and priests1 #bgc4--,the individual1 and ,church order4 ,on eagles' wings1 #bgd4--;,israel consents4 ,the ,lord in the cloud4 ,manifestations are transient1 #bge4--,precautions4 ,the trumpet1 #bgf4 ,the priests4 ,a plbiscite4 ,contrast between ,law and ,gospel3 ,methodius1 #bgg4--,theophanies1 #bgh4--,none like this1 #bgi4 ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,,the ,,law1 xx4 #a-ag4 ,what the law did4 ,it could not justify4 ,it reveals obligation1 #bhj4--;,it convicts1 not enables4 ,it is an organic whole4 ,and a challenge1 #bha4--,the ,spirit enables3 love is fulfilment of law4 ,luther's paradox1 #bhc4--,law and ,gospel contrasted4 ,its spiritual beauty3 two noble failures1 #bhc4--,the ,jewish arrangement of the ,commandments4 ,st4 ,augustine's4 ,the ,anglican4 ,an equal division1 #bhd-f4 ,,the ,,prologue1 xx4 #b4 ,their experience of ,god1 #bhf4--;,god and the first table4 ,the true object of adoration3 men must adore4 ,agnosticism1 #bhg4--;,god and the second table1 #bhh4--,law appeals to noble motives1 #bhi4 ,,the ,,first ,,commandment1 xx4 #c4 ,monotheism and a real ,god1 #bhi4--;,false creeds attractive4 ,spiritualism4 ,science indebted to ,monotheism1 #bij4--,unity of nature a religious truth4 ,strength of our experimental argument4 #bia4--;,informal apostacy4 ,luther's position4 ,scripture4 ,the ,chaldeans1 #bib4--;,animal pleasure1 #bic4--,the remedy3 ,thou shalt have 444 ,me1 #bid4 ,,the ,,second ,,commandment1 xx4 #d-f4 ,imagery not all idolatry4 ,the subtler paganisms1 #bie4 ,spiritual worship1 like a ,gothic building1 aspires3 images lack expansiveness1 #bif4--;,god is jealous1 #big4--,the shadow of love1 #bih4 ,visiting sins on children1 #bii1 #cjj4--,part of vast beneficent law1 #cjj-b4--;,gospel in law1 #cjb4 ,,the ,,third ,,commandment1 xx4 #g4 ,meaning of in vain1 #cjb4--;,jewish superstition4 ,where swearing is wholly forbidden1 #cjc4--;,fruitful and free use of ,god's name1 #cjd-e4 ,,the ,,fourth ,,commandment1 xx4 #h-aa4 ,law of ,sabbath unique4 ,confession of ,augsburg4 ,of ,westminster1 #cje4--;,anglican position4 ,st4 ,paul1 #cjf4--,the first positive precept4 ,love not the abolition of the law1 #cjg4--,property of our friends4 ,the word remember4 ,the story of creation1 #cje4--,the manna4 ,isaiah1 ,jeremiah1 ,ezekiel1 #cji4--;,christ's freedom was that of a ,jew4 ,sabbath for man1 #caj4--,our help1 not our fetter4 ,my ,father worketh1 #caa4 ,,the ,,fifth ,,commandment1 xx4 #ab4 ,bridge between duty to ,god and to neighbour1 #cab4--;,father and child1 #cac4--,whosoever hateth not4 ,christ and ,his mother4 ,its sanction1 #cad4 ,,the ,,sixth ,,commandment1 xx4 #ac4 ,who is neighbour8 ,ethics and religion1 #cae-af4--,science and morals1 #cag4--;,a ,divine creature4 ,capital punishment1 #cah4 ,,the ,,seventh ,,commandment1 xx4 #ad4 ,justice forbids act3 ,christ forbids desire4 ,sacredness of body1 #cai4--;,human body connects material and spiritual worlds4 ,modifies1 while serves1 #cbj4--,marriage a type1 #cba4 ,,the ,,eighth ,,commandment1 xx4 #ae4 ,assailed by communism1 by ,rome4 ,various specious pleas1 #cbb4--,laws of community binding1 #cbc4--,none may judge his own case1 ,st4 ,paul enlarges the precept1 #cbd4 ,,the ,,ninth ,,commandment1 xx4 #af4 ,importance of words4 ,various transgressions1 #cbe4--,slander against nations1 against the race4 ,love1 #cbf-g4 ,,the ,,tenth ,,commandment1 xx4 #ag4 ,the list of properties1 #cbh4--,the heart4 ,the law searches1 #cbi4 ,,the ,,lesser ,,law1 xx4 #ah-xxiii4 #cc4 ,a remarkable code4 ,the circumstances1 #cca4--,moses fears3 yet bids them fear not1 #ccb-c4--,presumption v4 awe4 ,he receives an expanded decalogue1 an abridged code1 #ccd4--,laws should educate a people2 should not outrun their capabilities1 #cce-f4--;,five subdivisions1 #ccg4 ,i4 ,,the ,,law ,,of ,,worship1 xx4 #bb-bf4 ,images again forbidden1 #ccg4--,splendour and simplicity4 ,an objection1 #cch4--,modesty1 #cci4 ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,,the ,,lesser ,,law 7continued74 ,,ii4 ,,rights ,,of ,,the ,,person1 xxi4 #a-cb4 ,the ,hebrew slave4 ,the seventh year4 ,year of jubilee4 ,his family1 #cdj4--,the ear pierced4 ,st4 ,paul's marks of the ,lord4 ,assaults1 #cda4--,the ,gentile slave1 #cdb4 ,the female slave1 #cdb-c4--,murder and blood-fiends1 #cdc4--,parents4 ,kidnappers1 #cdd4--;,eye for eye4 ,mitigations of lex talionis1 #cdd-e4--,vicious cattle1 #cdf4 ,,iii4 ,,rights ,,of ,,property1 xxi4 #cc-xxii4 #ae4 ,negligence3 indirect responsibility3 various examples1 #cdf-h4--,theft1 #cdh4 ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,,the ,,lesser ,,law 7continued74 ,,iv4 ,,various ,,enactments1 xxii4 #af-xxiii4 #ai4 ,disconnected precepts4 ,no trace of systematic revision4 ,certain capital crimes1 #cdh-i4 ,,sorcery1 xxii4 #ah4 ,abuses have recoiled against religion1 #cdi4--,sorcerers are impostors1 but they existed1 and do still1 #cej4--,moses could not leave them to enlightened opinion4 ,propagated apostacy1 #cea4--,traitors in a theocracy1 #ceb4--,when shall witchcraft die8 #cec4 ,,the ,,stranger1 xxii4 #ba2 xxiii4 #i4 ,ye were strangers1 #ced4--;,a fruitful principle4 ,morality not expediency1 #cee4--;,cruelty often ignorance3 ,moses educates1 #cef4--,the widow4 ,the borrower1 #ceg4--,other precepts1 #ceh4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,,the ,,lesser ,,law 7continued74 ,an enemy's cattle4 ,a false report1 #cei4--;,influence of multitude3 the world and the ,church1 #cfj-a4--;,favour not the poor1 #cfa-b4--,other precepts4 ,a kid in his mother's milk1 #cfb4 ,,lesser ,,law1 ,v4 ,,its ,,sanctions xxiii4 #bj-cc4 ,a bold transition3 the ,angel in ,whom is ,my ,name1 #cfc4--,not a mere messenger1 #cfd4--,nor the substitute of chap4 xxxiii4 #b1 #c1 #cfe-f4--,parallel verses1 #cff-g4 ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 ,,the ,,covenant ,,ratified4 ,,the ,,vision ,,of ,,god1 xxiv4 ,the code is accepted1 written1 ratified with blood1 #cfh4--;,exclusion and admittance4 ,the elders see ,god3 ,moses goes farther4 ,theophanies of other creeds1 #cfi4--;,how could they see ,god8 #cgj4--,moses feels not satisfaction1 but desire1 #cga4--;,his progress is from vision to shadow and a ,voice1 #cgb4--,we see not each other1 #cgc4--,st4 ,augustine1 #cgc-d4--,the vision suits the period3 not post-,exilian1 #cgd-e4--;,contrast with revelation in ,christ1 #cge4 ,,chapter ,,xxv4 ,,the ,,shrine ,,and ,,its ,,furniture1 xxv4 #a-dj4 ,the ,god of ,sinai will inhabit a tent4 ,his other tabernacles1 #cgf-g4--,the furniture is typical4 ,altar of incense postponed1 #cgg4--,the ark enshrines ,his law and its sanctions1 #cgg-h4--,the mercy-seat covers it1 #cgh-ha4--,man's homage4 ,the table of shewbread1 #chb-c4--,the golden candlestick 7lamp-stand71 #chc-f4 ,,the ,,pattern ,,in ,,the ,,mount1 xxv4 #i1 #dj4 ,use in ,hebrews4 ,plato1 #chf4--,not a model1 but an idea4 ,art1 #chg4--,provisional institutions1 #chg-h4---,the ideal in creation1 #chh4--;,in life1 #chi4 ,,chapter ,,xxvi4 ,,the ,,tabernacle4 ,temple an ambiguous word1 #cij4--;,curtains of the ,tabernacle1 #cia4--,other coverings1 #cib4--,the boards and sockets1 #cib-c4--,the bars4 ,the tent1 #cic4--,position of veil1 #cid1 and of the front1 #cie4 ,,chapter ,,xxvii4 ,,the ,,outer ,,court4 ,the altar1 #cif4--,the quadrangle1 #cig4--;,general effect1 #cih-djj4 ,,chapter ,,xxviii4 ,,the ,,holy ,,garments4 ,their import1 #dja4--,the drawers4 ,coat4 ,head-tires4 ,robe of the ephod4 ,ephod4 ,jewels1 #djb4--;,breastplate4 ,urim and ,thummim4 ,mitre4 ,symbolism1 #djc4 ,,the ,,priesthood4 ,universal desire and dread of ,god1 #djd4--;,delegates1 #dje4 ,scripture4 ,first ,moses1 #djf4--;,his family passed over4 ,the double consciousness expressed1 #djg-i4--,messianic priesthood1 #dji4 ,,chapter ,,xxix4 ,,consecration ,,services4 ,why consecrate at all8 #daj4--,moses officiates4 ,the offerings1 #daa4--;,ablution1 robing1 anointing1 #dab-ac4--,the sin-offering1 #dac-ad4 ,without the camp1 #dad4 ,the burnt-offering1 #dae4--,the peace-offering 7ram of consecration71 #dae4--,the wave-offerings1 #dae-af4--,the result1 #daf-ag4 ,,chapter ,,xxx4 ,,incense1 xxx4 #a-aj4 ,the impalpable in nature1 #dah4--,the golden altar1 #dai4--,represents prayer4 ,needs cleansing1 #dbj4 ,a ,,census1 xxx4 ii-#af4 ,a census not sinful4 ,david's transgression4 ,the half-shekel4 ,equality of man1 #dba4--;,christ paid it1 #dbb4--;,its employment1 #dbc4 ,,the ,,laver1 xxx4 #ag-ba4 ,behind the altar4 ,purity of priests1 #dbc4--,made of the mirrors1 #dbd4 ,,anointing ,,oil ,,and ,,incense1 xxx4 #bb-ch4 ,their ingredients4 ,all the vessels anointed1 #dbd4--;,forbidden to secular uses1 #dbe4--,modern analogies1 #dbf-g4 ,,chapter ,,xxxi4 ,,bezaleel ,,and ,,aholiab1 xxxi4 #a-ah4 ,secular gifts are sacred1 #dbh-cj4--,the ,sabbath4 ,the tables and the finger of ,god1 #dca4 ,,chapter ,,xxxii4 ,,the ,,golden ,,calf4 ,sin of the people2 of ,aaron4 ,god rejects them1 #dcb4--;,intercession4 ,the ,christian antitype1 #dcc-d4 ,,chapter ,,xxxiii4 ,,prevailing ,,intercession4 ,the first concession4 ,the angel1 #dce4--,the ,tent of the ,meeting1 #dcf4 ,,chapter ,,xxxiv4 ,,the ,,vision ,,of ,,god4 ,to know is to desire to know4 ,a fit season4 ,the greater ,name1 #dch4--,the covenant renewed4 ,the tables4 ,the skin of his face shone1 #dci4--,lessons1 #ddj4 ,,chapters ,,xxxv4-,,xl4 ,,conclusion4 ,the people obey1 #dda4--,the forming of the nation3 review1 #dda-c4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,prologue4 ,,exodus i4 #a-f4 ,and these are the names of the children of ,israel which came into ,egypt4 ,many books of the ,old ,testament begin with the conjunction ,and4 ,this fact1 it has been often pointed out1 is a silent indication of truth1 that each author was not recording certain isolated incidents1 but parts of one great drama1 events which joined hands with the past and future1 looking before and after4 ,thus the ,book of the ,kings took up the tale from ,samuel1 ,samuel from ,judges1 and ,judges from ,joshua1 and all carried the sacred movement forward towards a goal as yet unreached4 ,indeed1 it was impossible1 remembering the first promise that the seed of the woman should bruise the head of the serpent1 and the later assurance that in the seed of ,abraham should be the universal blessing1 for a faithful ,jew to forget that all the history of his race was the evolution of some grand hope1 a pilgrimage towards some goal unseen4 ,bearing in mind that there is now revealed to us a world-wide tendency toward the supreme consummation1 the bringing all things under the headship of ,christ1 it is not to be denied that this hope of the ancient ,jew is given to all mankind4 ,each new stage in universal history may be said to open with this same conjunction4 ,it links the history of ,england with that of ,julius ,csar and of the ,red ,indian2 nor is the chain composed of accidents3 it is forged by the hand of the ,god of providence4 ,thus1 in the conjunction which binds these ,old ,testament narratives together1 is found the germ of that instinctive and elevating phrase1 the ,philosophy of ,history4 ,but there is nowhere in ,scripture the notion which too often degrades and stiffens that ,philosophy--the notion that history is urged forward by blind forces1 amid which the individual man is too puny to assert himself4 ,without a ,moses the ,exodus is inconceivable1 and ,god always achieves ,his purpose through the providential man4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ,books of the ,pentateuch are held together in a yet stronger unity than the rest1 being sections of one and the same narrative1 and having been accredited with a common authorship from the earliest mention of them4 ,accordingly1 the ,book of ,exodus not only begins with this conjunction 7which assumes the previous narrative71 but also rehearses the descent into ,egypt4 ,and these are the names of the sons of ,israel which came into ,egypt1--names blotted with many a crime1 rarely suggesting any lovable or great association1 yet the names of men with a marvellous heritage1 as being the sons of ,israel1 the ,prince who prevailed with ,god4 ,moreover they are consecrated3 their father's dying words had conveyed to every one of them some expectation1 some mysterious import which the future should disclose4 ,in the issue would be revealed the awful influence of the past upon the future1 of the fathers upon the children even beyond the third and fourth generation--an influence which is nearer to destiny1 in its stern1 subtle and far-reaching strength1 than any other recognised by religion4 ,destiny1 however1 it is not1 or how should the name of ,dan have faded out from the final list of every tribe of the children of ,israel in the ,apocalypse 7,rev4 vii4 #e-h71 where ,manasseh is reckoned separately from ,joseph to complete the twelve8 ,we read that with the twelve came their posterity1 seventy souls in direct descent from ,jacob2 but in this number he is himself included1 according to that well-known ,orientalism which ,milton strove to force upon our language in the phrase-- ,the fairest of her daughters ,eve4 ,joseph is also reckoned1 although he was in ,egypt already4 ,now1 it must be observed that of these seventy1 sixty-eight were males1 and therefore the people of the ,exodus must not be reckoned to have sprung in the interval from seventy1 but 7remembering polygamy7 from more than twice that number1 even if we refuse to make any account of the household which is mentioned as coming with every man4 ,these households were probably smaller in each case than that of ,abraham1 and the famine in its early stages may have reduced the number of retainers2 yet they account for much of what is pronounced incredible in the rapid expansion of the clan into a nation4#a ,but when all allowance has been made1 the increase continues to be1 such as the narrator clearly regards it1 abnormal1 well-nigh preternatural1 a fitting type of the expansion1 amid fiercer persecutions1 of the later ,church of ,god1 the true circumcision1 who also sprang from the spiritual parentage of another ,seventy and another ,twelve4 ,and ,joseph died1 and all his brethren1 and all that generation4 ,thus the connection with ,canaan became a mere tradition1 and the powerful courtier who had nursed their interests disappeared4 ,when they remembered him1 in the bitter time which lay before them1 it was only to reflect that all mortal help must perish4 ,it is thus in the spiritual world also4 ,paul reminds the ,philippians that they can obey in his absence and not in his presence only1 working out their own salvation1 as no apostle can work it out on their behalf4 ,and the reason is that the one real support is ever present4 ,work out your own salvation1 for it is ,god 7not any teacher7 ,who worketh in you4 ,the ,hebrew race was to learn its need of ,him1 and in ,him to recover its freedom4 ,moreover1 the influences which mould all men's characters1 their surroundings and mental atmosphere1 were completely changed4 ,these wanderers for pasture were now in the presence of a compact and impressive social system1 vast cities1 gorgeous temples1 an imposing ritual4 ,they were infected as well as educated there1 and we find the men of the ,exodus not only murmuring for ,egyptian comforts1 but demanding visible gods to go before them4 ,yet1 with all its drawbacks1 the change was a necessary part of their development4 ,they should return from ,egypt relying upon no courtly patron1 no mortal might or wisdom1 aware of a name of ,god more profound than was spoken in the covenant of their fathers1 with their narrow family interests and rivalries and their family traditions expanded into national hopes1 national aspirations1 a national religion4 ,perhaps there is another reason why ,scripture has reminded us of the vigorous and healthy stock whence came the race that multiplied exceedingly4 ,for no book attaches more weight to the truth1 so miserably perverted that it is discredited by multitudes1 but amply vindicated by modern science1 that good breeding1 in the strictest sense of the word1 is a powerful factor in the lives of men and nations4 ,to be well born does not of necessity require aristocratic parentage1 nor does such parentage involve it3 but it implies a virtuous1 temperate and pious stock4 ,in extreme cases the doctrine of race is palpable2 for who can doubt that the sins of dissolute parents are visited upon their puny and short-lived children1 and that the posterity of the just inherit not only honour and a welcome in the world1 an open door1 but also immunity from many a physical blemish and many a perilous craving8 ,if the ,hebrew race1 after eighteen centuries of calamity1 retains an unrivalled vigour and tenacity1 be it remembered how its iron sinew has been twisted1 from what a sire it sprang1 through what ages of more than natural selection the dross was throughly purged out1 and 7as ,isaiah loves to reiterate7 a chosen remnant left4 ,already1 in ,egypt1 in the vigorous multiplication of the race1 was visible the germ of that amazing vitality which makes it1 even in its overthrow1 so powerful an element in the best modern thought and action4 ,it is a well-known saying of ,goethe that the quality for which ,god chose ,israel was probably toughness4 ,perhaps the saying would better be inverted3 it was among the most remarkable endowments1 unto which ,israel was called1 and called by virtue of qualities in which ,goethe himself was remarkably deficient4 ,now1 this principle is in full operation still1 and ought to be solemnly pondered by the young4 ,self-indulgence1 the sowing of wild oats1 the seeing of life while one is young1 the taking one's fling before one settles down1 the having one's day 7like every dog1 for it is to be observed that no person says1 every ,christian71 these things seem natural enough4 ,and their unsuspected issues in the next generation1 dire and subtle and far-reaching1 these also are more natural still1 being the operation of the laws of ,god4 ,on the other hand1 there is no youth living in obedience alike to the higher and humbler laws of our complex nature1 in purity and gentleness and healthful occupation1 who may not contribute to the stock of happiness in other lives beyond his own1 to the future well-being of his native land1 and to the day when the sadly polluted stream of human existence shall again flow clear and glad1 a pure river of water of life4 ,,god ,,in ,,history4 i4 #g4 ,with the seventh verse1 the new narrative1 the course of events treated in the main body of this book1 begins4 ,and we are at once conscious of this vital difference between ,exodus and ,genesis1--that we have passed from the story of men and families to the history of a nation4 ,in the first book the ,canaanites and ,egyptians concern us only as they affect ,abraham or ,joseph4 ,in the second book1 even ,moses himself concerns us only for the sake of ,israel4 ,he is in some respects a more imposing and august character than any who preceded him2 but what we are told is no longer the story of a soul1 nor are we pointed so much to the development of his spiritual life as to the work he did1 the tyrant overthrown1 the nation moulded1 the law and the ritual imposed on it4 ,for ,jacob it was a discovery that ,god was in ,bethel as well as in his father's house4 ,but now the ,hebrew nation was to learn that ,he could plague the gods of ,egypt in their stronghold1 that ,his way was in the sea1 that ,horeb in ,arabia was the ,mount of ,god1 that ,he could lead them like a horse through the wilderness4 ,when ,jacob in ,peniel wrestles with ,god and prevails1 he wins for himself a new name1 expressive of the higher moral elevation which he has attained4 ,but when ,moses meets ,god in the bush1 it is to receive a commission for the public benefit2 and there is no new name for ,moses1 but a fresh revelation of ,god for the nation to learn4 ,and in all their later history we feel that the national life which it unfolds was nourished and sustained by these glorious early experiences1 the most unique as well as the most inspiriting on record4 ,here1 then1 a question of great moment is suggested4 ,beyond the fact that ,abraham was the father of the ,jewish race1 can we discover any closer connection between the lives of the patriarchs and the history of ,israel8 ,is there a truly spiritual coherence between them1 or merely a genealogical sequence8 ,for if the ,bible can make good its claim to be vitalised throughout by the eternal ,spirit of ,god1 and leading forward steadily to ,his final revelation in ,christ1 then its parts will be symmetrical1 proportionate and well designed4 ,if it be a universal book1 there must be a better reason for the space devoted to preliminary and half secular stories1 which is a greater bulk than the whole of the ,new ,testament1 than that these histories chance to belong to the nation whence ,christ came4 ,if no such reason can be found1 the failure may not perhaps outweigh the great evidences of the faith1 but it will score for something on the side of infidelity4 ,but if upon examination it becomes plain that all has its part in one great movement1 and that none can be omitted without marring the design1 and if moreover this design has become visible only since the fulness of the time is come1 the discovery will go far to establish the claim of ,scripture to reveal throughout a purpose truly divine1 dealing with man for ages1 and consummated in the gift of ,christ4 ,now1 it is to ,st4 ,paul that we turn for light upon the connection between the ,old ,testament and the ,new4 ,and he distinctly lays down two great principles4 ,the first is that the ,old ,testament is meant to educate men for the ,new2 and especially that the sense of failure1 impressed upon men's consciences by the stern demands of the ,law1 was necessary to make them accept the ,gospel4 ,the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to ,christ3 it entered that sin might abound4 ,and it is worth notice that this effect was actually wrought1 not only upon the gross transgressor by the menace of its broken precepts1 but even more perhaps upon the high-minded and pure1 by the creation in their breasts of an ideal1 inaccessible in its loftiness4 ,he who says1 ,all these things have ,i kept from my youth up1 is the same who feels the torturing misgiving1 ,what good thing must ,i do to attain life8444 ,what lack ,i yet8 ,he who was blameless as touching the righteousness of the law1 feels that such superficial innocence is worthless1 that the law is spiritual and he is carnal1 sold under sin4 ,now1 this principle need by no means be restricted to the ,mosaic institutions4 ,if this were the object of the law1 it would probably explain much more4 ,and when we return to the ,old ,testament with this clue1 we find every condition in life examined1 every social and political experiment exhausted1 a series of demonstrations made with scientific precision1 to refute the arch-heresy which underlies all others--that in favourable circumstances man might save himself1 that for the evil of our lives our evil surroundings are more to be blamed than we4 ,innocence in prosperous circumstances1 unwarped by evil habit1 untainted by corruption in the blood1 uncompelled by harsh surroundings1 simple innocence had its day in ,paradise1 a brief day with a shameful close4 ,god made man upright1 but he sought out many inventions1 until the flood swept away the descendants of him who was made after the image of ,god4 ,next we have a chosen family1 called out from all the perilous associations of its home beyond the river1 to begin a new career in a new land1 in special covenant with the ,most ,high1 and with every endowment for the present and every hope for the future which could help to retain its loyalty4 ,yet the third generation reveals the thirst of ,esau for his brother's blood1 the treachery of ,jacob1 and the distraction and guilt of his fierce and sensual family4 ,it is when individual and family life have thus proved ineffectual amid the happiest circumstances1 that the tribe and the nation essay the task4 ,led up from the furnace of affliction1 hardened and tempered in the stern free life of the desert1 impressed by every variety of fortune1 by slavery and escape1 by the pursuit of an irresistible foe and by a rescue visibly divine1 awed finally by the sublime revelations of ,sinai1 the nation is ready for the covenant 7which is also a challenge7--,the man that doeth these things shall live by them3 if thou diligently hearken unto the voice of the ,lord thy ,god 444 ,he shall set thee on high above all nations4 ,such is the connection between this narrative and what went before4 ,and the continuation of the same experiment1 and the same failure1 can be traced through all the subsequent history4 ,whether in so loose an organisation that every man does what is right in his own eyes1 or under the sceptre of a hero or a sage1--whether so hard pressed that self-preservation ought to have driven them to their ,god1 or so marvellously delivered that gratitude should have brought them to their knees1--whether engulfed a second time in a more hopeless captivity1 or restored and ruled by a hierarchy whose authority is entirely spiritual1--in every variety of circumstances the same melancholy process repeats itself2 and lawlessness1 luxury1 idolatry and self-righteousness combine to stop every mouth1 to make every man guilty before ,god1 to prove that a greater salvation is still needed1 and thus to pave the way for the ,messiah4 ,the second great principle of ,st4 ,paul is that faith in a divine help1 in pardon1 blessing and support1 was the true spirit of the ,old ,testament as well as of the ,new4 ,the challenge of the law was meant to produce self-despair1 only that men might trust in ,god4 ,appeal was made especially to the cases of ,abraham and ,david1 the founder of the race and of the dynasty1 clearly because the justification without works of the patriarch and of the king were precedents to decide the general question 7,rom4 iv4 #a-h74 ,now1 this is pre-eminently the distinction between ,jewish history and all others1 that in it ,god is everything and man is nothing4 ,every sceptical treatment of the story makes ,moses to be the deliverer from ,egypt1 and shows us the ,jewish nation gradually finding out ,god4 ,but the nation itself believed nothing of the kind4 ,it confessed itself to have been from the beginning vagrant and rebellious and unthankful3 ,god had always found out ,israel1 never ,israel ,god4 ,the history is an expansion of the parable of the good shepherd4 ,and this perfect harmony of a long record with itself and with abstract principles is both instructive and reassuring4 ,as the history of ,israel opens before us1 a third principle claims attention--one which the apostle quietly assumes1 but which is forced on our consideration by the unhappy state of religious thought in these degenerate days4 ,they are not to be heard1 says the ,seventh ,article rightly1 which feign that the old fathers did look only for transitory promises4 ,but certainly they also would be unworthy of a hearing who would feign that the early ,scriptures do not give a vast1 a preponderating weight1 to the concerns of our life on earth4 ,only very slowly1 and as the result of long training1 does the future begin to reveal its supremacy over the present4 ,it would startle many a devout reader out of his propriety to discover the small proportion of ,old ,testament scriptures in which eternity and its prospects are discussed1 to reckon the passages1 habitually applied to spiritual thraldom and emancipation1 which were spoken at first of earthly tyranny and earthly deliverance1 and to observe1 even in the pious aspirations of the ,psalms1 how much of the gratitude and joy of the righteous comes from the sense that he is made wiser than the ancient1 and need not fear though a host rose up against him1 and can break a bow of steel1 and has a table prepared for him1 and an overflowing cup4 ,especially is this true of the historical books4 ,god is here seen ruling states1 judging in the earth1 remembering ,israel in bondage1 and setting him free1 providing supernatural food and water1 guiding him by the fiery cloud4 ,there is not a word about regeneration1 conversion1 hell1 or heaven4 ,and yet there is a profound sense of ,god4 ,he is real1 active1 the most potent factor in the daily lives of men4 ,now1 this may teach us a lesson1 highly important to us all1 and especially to those who must teach others4 ,the difference between spirituality and secularity is not the difference between the future life and the present1 but between a life that is aware of ,god and a godless one4 ,perhaps1 when we find our gospel a matter of indifference and weariness to men who are absorbed in the bitter monotonous and dreary struggle for existence1 we ourselves are most to blame4 ,perhaps1 if ,moses had approached the ,hebrew drudges as we approach men equally weary and oppressed1 they would not have bowed their heads and worshipped4 ,and perhaps we should have better success1 if we took care to speak of ,god in this world1 making life a noble struggle1 charging with new significance the dull and seemingly degraded lot of all who remember ,him1 such a ,god as ,jesus revealed when ,he cleansed the leper1 and gave sight to the blind1 using one and the same word for the healing of diseases and the saving of souls1 and connecting faith equally with both4 ,exodus will have little to teach us1 unless we believe in that ,god who knoweth that we have need of food and clothing4 ,and the higher spiritual truths which it expresses will only be found there in dubious and questionable allegory1 unless we firmly grasp the great truth1 that ,god is not the ,saviour of souls1 or of bodies1 but of living men in their entirety1 and treats their higher and lower wants upon much the same principle1 because ,he is the same ,god1 dealing with the same men1 through both4 ,moreover1 ,he treats us as the men of other ages4 ,instead of dealing with ,moses upon exceptional and strange lines1 ,he made known ,his ways unto ,moses1 ,his characteristic and habitual ways4 ,and it is on this account that whatsoever things were written aforetime are true admonition for us also1 being not violent interruptions but impressive revelations of the steady silent methods of the judgment and the grace of ,god4 ,,the ,,oppression4 i4 #g-bb4 ,at the beginning of the history of ,israel we find a prosperous race4 ,it was indeed their growing importance1 and chiefly their vast numerical increase1 which excited the jealousy of their rulers1 at the very time when a change of dynasty removed the sense of obligation4 ,it is a sound lesson in political as well as personal godliness that prosperity itself is dangerous1 and needs special protection from on high4 ,is it merely by chance again that we find in this first of histories examples of the folly of relying upon political connections8 ,as the chief butler remembered not ,joseph1 nor did he succeed in escaping from prison by securing influence at court1 so is the influence of ,joseph himself now become vain1 although he was the father of ,pharaoh and lord of all his house4 ,his romantic history1 his fidelity in temptation1 and the services by which he had at once cemented the royal power and saved the people1 could not keep his memory alive4 ,the hollow wraith of dying fame died wholly4 ,there arose a new king over ,egypt who knew not ,joseph4 ,such is the value of the highest and purest earthly fame1 and such the gratitude of the world to its benefactors4 ,the nation which ,joseph rescued from starvation is passive in ,pharaoh's hands1 and persecutes ,israel at his bidding4 ,and when the actual deliverer arose1 his rank and influence were only entanglements through which he had to break4 ,meanwhile1 except among a few women1 obedient to the woman's heart1 we find no trace of independent action1 no revolt of conscience against the absolute behest of the sovereign1 until selfishness replaces virtue1 and despair wrings the cry from his servants1 ,knowest thou not yet that ,egypt is destroyed8 ,now1 in ,genesis we saw the fate of families1 blessed in their father ,abraham1 or cursed for the offence of ,ham4 ,for a family is a real entity1 and its members1 like those of one body1 rejoice and suffer together4 ,but the same is true of nations1 and here we have reached the national stage in the education of the world4 ,here is exhibited to us1 therefore1 a nation suffering with its monarch to the uttermost1 until the cry of the maidservant behind the mill is as wild and bitter as the cry of ,pharaoh upon his throne4 ,it is indeed the eternal curse of despotism that unlimited calamity may be drawn down upon millions by the caprice of one most unhappy man1 himself blinded and half maddened by adulation1 by the absence of restraint1 by unlimited sensual indulgence if his tendencies be low and animal1 and by the pride of power if he be high-spirited and aspiring4 ,if we assume1 what seems pretty well established1 that the ,pharaoh from whom ,moses fled was ,rameses the ,great1 his spirit was of the nobler kind1 and he exhibits a terrible example of the unfitness even of conquering genius for unbridled and irresponsible power4 ,that lesson has had to be repeated1 even down to the days of the ,great ,napoleon4 ,now1 if the justice of plaguing a nation for the offence of its head be questioned1 let us ask first whether the nation accepts his despotism1 honours him1 and is content to regard him as its chief and captain4 ,according to the principles of the ,sermon on the ,mount1 whoever thinks a tyrant enviable1 has already himself tyrannised with him in his heart4 ,do we ourselves1 then1 never sympathise with political audacity1 bold and unscrupulous resource1 success that is bought at the price of strange compliances1 and compromises1 and wrongs to other men8 ,the great national lesson is now to be taught to ,israel that the most splendid imperial force will be brought to an account for its treatment of the humblest--that there is a ,god ,who judges in the earth4 ,and they were bidden to apply in their own land this experience of their own1 dealing kindly with the stranger in the midst of them1 for thou wast a stranger in the land of ,egypt4 ,that lesson we have partly learned1 who have broken the chain of our slaves4 ,but how much have we left undone6 ,the subject races were never given into our hands to supplant them1 as we have supplanted the ,red ,indian and the ,new ,zealander1 nor to debauch1 as men say we are corrupting the ,african and the ,hindoo1 but to raise1 instruct and ,christianise4 ,and if the subjects of a despotism are accountable for the actions of rulers whom they tolerate1 how much more are we8 ,what ought we to infer1 from this old-world history1 of the profound responsibilities of all free citizens8 ,we attain a principle which reaches far into the spiritual world1 when we reflect that if evil deeds of a ruler can justly draw down vengeance upon his people1 the converse also must hold good4 ,reverse the case before us4 ,let the kingdom be that of the noblest and purest virtue4 ,let no subject ever be coerced to enter it1 nor to remain one hour longer than while his adoring loyalty consents4 ,and shall not these subjects be the better for the virtues of the ,monarch whom they love8 ,is it mere caprice to say that in choosing such a ,king they do1 in a very real sense1 appropriate the goodness they crown8 ,if it be natural that ,egypt be scourged for the sins of ,pharaoh1 is it palpably incredible that ,christ is made of ,god unto ,his people wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption8 ,the doctrine of imputation can easily be so stated as to become absurd4 ,but the imputation of which ,st4 ,paul speaks much can only be denied when we are prepared to assail the principle on which all bodies of men are treated1 families and nations as well as the ,church of ,god4 ,it was the jealous cruelty of ,pharaoh which drew down upon his country the very perils he laboured to turn away4 ,there was no ground for his fear of any league with foreigners against him4 ,prosperous and unambitious1 the people would have remained well content beside the flesh-pots of ,egypt1 for which they sighed even when emancipated from heavy bondage and eating the bread of heaven4 ,or else1 if they had gone forth in peace1 from a land whose hospitality had not failed1 to their inheritance in ,canaan1 they would have become an allied nation upon the side where the heaviest blows were afterwards struck by the ,asiatic powers4 ,cruelty and cunning could not retain them1 but it could decimate a population and lose an army in the attempt4 ,and this law prevails in the modern world1 ,england paid twenty millions to set her bondmen free4 ,because ,america would not follow her example1 she ultimately paid the more terrible ransom of civil war4 ,for the same ,god was in ,jamaica and in ,florida as in the field of ,zoan4 ,nor was there ever yet a crooked policy which did not recoil either upon its author1 or upon his successors when he had passed away4 ,in this case it fulfilled the plans and the prophecies of ,god1 and the wrath of man was made to praise ,him4 ,there is independent reason for believing that at this period one-third at least of the population of ,egypt was of alien blood 7,brugsch1 ,history1 ii4 #ajj74 ,a politician might fairly be alarmed1 especially if this were the time when the ,hittites were threatening the eastern frontier1 and had reduced ,egypt to stand on the defensive1 and erect barrier fortresses4 ,and the circumstances of the country made it very easy to enslave the ,hebrews4 ,if any stain of ,oriental indifference to the rights of the masses had mingled with the ,god-given insight of ,joseph1 when he made his benefactor the owner of all the soil1 the ,egyptian people were fully avenged upon him now4 ,for this arrangement laid his pastoral race helpless at their oppressor's feet4 ,forced labour quickly degenerates into slavery1 and men who find the story of their misery hard to credit should consider the state of ,france before the ,revolution1 and of the ,russian serfs before their emancipation4 ,their wretchedness was probably as bitter as that of the ,hebrews at any period but the last climax of their oppression4 ,and they owed it to the same cause--the absolute ownership of the land by others1 too remote from them to be sympathetic1 to take due account of their feelings1 to remember that they were their fellow-men4 ,this was enough to slay compassion1 even without the aggravation of dealing with an alien and suspected race4 ,now1 it is instructive to observe these reappearances of wholesale crime4 ,they warn us that the utmost achievements of human wickedness are human still2 not wild and grotesque importations by a fiend1 originated in the abyss1 foreign to the world we live in4 ,satan finds the material for his master-strokes in the estrangement of class from class1 in the drying up of the fountains of reciprocal human feeling1 in the failure of real1 fresh1 natural affection in our bosom for those who differ widely from us in rank or circumstances4 ,all cruelties are possible when a man does not seem to us really a man1 nor his woes really woeful4 ,for when the man has sunk into an animal it is only a step to his vivisection4 ,nor does anything tend to deepen such perilous estrangement1 more than the very education1 culture and refinement1 in which men seek a substitute for religion and the sense of brotherhood in ,christ4 ,it is quite conceivable that the tyrant who drowned the ,hebrew infants was an affectionate father1 and pitied his nobles when their children died4 ,but his sympathies could not reach beyond the barriers of a caste4 ,do our sympathies really overleap such barriers8 ,would ,god that even ,his ,church believed aright in the reality of a human nature like our own1 soiled1 sorrowful1 shamed1 despairing1 drugged into that apathetical insensibility which lies even below despair1 yet aching still1 in ten thousand bosoms1 in every great city of ,christendom1 every day and every night6 ,would to ,god that she understood what ,jesus meant1 when ,he called one lost creature by the tender name which she had not yet forfeited1 saying1 ,woman1 where are thine accusers8 and when ,he asked ,simon1 who scorned such another1 ,seest thou this woman6 ,would ,god that when she prays for the ,holy ,spirit of ,jesus she would really seek a mind like ,his1 not only in piety and prayerfulness1 but also in tender and heartfelt brotherhood with all1 even the vilest of the weary and heavy-laden6 ,many great works of ancient architecture1 the pyramids among the rest1 were due to the desire of crushing1 by abject toil1 the spirit of a subject people4 ,we cannot ascribe to ,hebrew labour any of the more splendid piles of ,egyptian masonry1 but the store cities or arsenals which they built can be identified4 ,they are composed of such crude brick as the narrative describes2 and the absence of straw in the later portion of them can still be verified4 ,rameses was evidently named after their oppressor1 and this strengthens the conviction that we are reading of events in the nineteenth dynasty1 when the shepherd kings had recently been driven out1 leaving the eastern frontier so weak as to demand additional fortresses1 and so far depopulated as to give colour to the exaggerated assertion of ,pharaoh1 the people are more and mightier than we4 ,it is by such exaggerations and alarms that all the worst crimes of statesmen have been justified to consenting peoples4 ,and we1 when we carry what seems to us a rightful object1 by inflaming the prejudice and misleading the judgment of other men1 are moving on the same treacherous and slippery inclines4 ,probably no evil is committed without some amount of justification1 which the passions exaggerate1 while they ignore the prohibitions of the law4 ,how came it to pass that the fierce ,hebrew blood1 which was yet to boil in the veins of the ,maccabees1 and to give battle1 not unworthily1 to the ,roman conquerors of the world1 failed to resent the cruelties of ,pharaoh8 ,partly1 of course1 because the ,jewish people was only now becoming aware of its national existence2 but also because it had forsaken ,god4 ,its religion1 if not supplanted1 was at least adulterated by the influence of the mystic pantheism and the stately ritual which surrounded them4 ,joshua bade his victorious followers to put away the gods whom your fathers served beyond the ,river and in ,egypt1 and serve ye the ,lord 7,josh4 xxiv4 #ad74 ,and in ,ezekiel the ,lord ,himself complains1 ,they rebelled against ,me and would not hearken unto ,me2 they did not cast away the abominations of their eyes1 neither did they forsake the idols of ,egypt 7,ezek4 xx4 #h74 ,now1 there is nothing which enfeebles the spirit and breaks the courage like religious dependence4 ,a strong priesthood always means a feeble people1 most of all when they are of different blood4 ,and ,israel was now dependent on ,egypt alike for the highest and lowest needs--grass for the cattle and religion for the soul4 ,and when they had sunk so low1 it is evident that their emancipation had to be wrought for them entirely without their help4 ,from first to last they were passive1 not only for want of spirit to help themselves1 but because the glory of any exploit of theirs might have illuminated some false deity whom they adored4 ,standing still1 they saw the salvation of ,god1 and it was not possible to give ,his glory to another4 ,for this cause also1 judgment had1 first of all1 to be wrought upon the gods of ,egypt4 ,in the meantime1 without spirit enough to resist1 they saw complete destruction drawing nearer to them by successive strides4 ,at first ,pharaoh dealt wisely with them1 and they found themselves entrapped into a hard bondage almost unawares4 ,but a strange power upheld them1 and the more they were afflicted the more they multiplied and spread abroad4 ,in this they ought to have discerned a divine support1 and remembered the promise to ,abraham that ,god would multiply his seed as the stars of heaven4 ,it may have helped them presently to cry unto the ,lord4 ,and the ,egyptians were not merely grieved because of them3 they felt as the ,israelites afterwards felt towards that monotonous diet of which they used the same word1 and said1 our soul loatheth this light bread4 ,here it expresses that fierce and contemptuous attitude which the ,californian and ,australian are now assuming toward the swarms of ,chinamen whose labour is so indispensable1 yet the infusion of whose blood into the population is so hateful4 ,then the ,egyptians make their service rigorous1 and their lives bitter4 ,and at last that happens which is a part of every downward course3 the veil is dropped2 what men have done by stealth1 and as if they would deceive themselves1 they soon do consciously1 avowing to their conscience what at first they could not face4 ,thus ,pharaoh began by striving to check a dangerous population2 and ended by committing wholesale murder4 ,thus men become drunkards through conviviality1 thieves through borrowing what they mean to restore1 and hypocrites through slightly overstating what they really feel4 ,and1 since there are nice gradations in evil1 down to the very last1 ,pharaoh will not yet avow publicly the atrocity which he commands a few humble women to perpetrate2 decency is with him1 as it is often1 the last substitute for a conscience4 ,among the agents of ,god for the shipwreck of all full-grown wrongs1 the chief is the revolt of human nature1 since1 fallen though we know ourselves to be1 the image of ,god is not yet effaced in us4 ,the better instincts of humanity are irrepressible--most so perhaps among the poor4 ,it is by refusing to trust its intuitions that men grow vile2 and to the very last that refusal is never absolute1 so that no villainy can reckon upon its agents1 and its agents cannot always reckon upon themselves4 ,above all1 the heart of every woman is in a plot against the wrong2 and as ,pharaoh was afterwards defeated by the ingenuity of a mother and the sympathy of his own daughter1 so his first scheme was spoiled by the disobedience of the midwives1 themselves ,hebrews1 upon whom he reckoned4 ,let us not fear to avow that these women1 whom ,god rewarded1 lied to the king when he reproached them1 since their answer1 even if it were not unfounded1 was palpably a misrepresentation of the facts4 ,the reward was not for their falsehood1 but for their humanity4 ,they lived when the notion of martyrdom for an avowal so easy to evade was utterly unknown4 ,abraham lied to ,abimelech4 ,both ,samuel and ,david equivocated with ,saul4 ,we have learned better things from the ,king of truth1 ,who was born and came into the world to bear witness to the truth4 ,we know that the martyr's bold protest against unrighteousness is the highest vocation of the ,church1 and is rewarded in the better country4 ,but they knew nothing of this1 and their service was acceptable according as they had1 not according as they had not4 ,as well might we blame the patriarchs for having been slave-owners1 and ,david for having invoked mischief upon his enemies1 as these women for having fallen short of the ,christian ideal of veracity4 ,let us beware lest we come short of it ourselves4 ,and let us remember that the way of the ,church through time is the path of the just1 beset with mist and vapour at the dawn1 but shining more and more unto the perfect day4 ,in the meantime1 ,god acknowledges1 and ,holy ,scripture celebrates1 the service of these obscure and lowly heroines4 ,nothing done for ,him goes unrewarded4 ,to slaves it was written that ,from the ,lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance3 ye serve the ,lord ,christ 7,col4 iii4 #bd74 ,and what these women saved for others was what was recompensed to themselves1 domestic happiness1 family life and its joys4 ,god made them houses4 ,the king is now driven to avow himself in a public command to drown all the male infants of the ,hebrews2 and the people become his accomplices by obeying him4 ,for this they were yet to experience a terrible retribution1 when there was not a house in ,egypt that had not one dead4 ,the features of the king to whom these atrocities are pretty certainly brought home are still to be seen in the museum at ,boulak4 ,seti ,i4 is the most beautiful of all the ,egyptian monarchs whose faces lie bare to the eyes of modern sightseers2 and his refined features1 intelligent1 high-bred and cheerful1 resemble wonderfully1 yet surpass1 those of ,rameses ,,ii41 his successor1 from whom ,moses fled4 ,this is the builder of the vast and exquisite temple of ,amon at ,thebes1 the grandeur of which is amazing even in its ruins2 and his culture and artistic gifts are visible1 after all these centuries1 upon his face4 ,it is a strange comment upon the modern doctrine that culture is to become a sufficient substitute for religion4 ,and his own record of his exploits is enough to show that the sense of beauty is not that of pity3 he is the jackal leaping through the land of his enemies1 the grim lion1 the powerful bull with sharpened horns1 who has annihilated the peoples4 ,there is no greater mistake than to suppose that artistic refinement can either inspire morality or replace it4 ,have we quite forgotten ,nero1 and ,lucretia ,borgia1 and ,catherine de ,medici8 ,many civilisations have thought little of infant life4 ,ancient ,rome would have regarded this atrocity as lightly as modern ,china1 as we may see by the absolute silence of its literature concerning the murder of the innocents--an event strangely parallel with this in its nature and political motives1 and in the escape of one mighty ,infant4 ,is it conceivable that the same indifference should return1 if the sanctions of religion lose their power8 ,every one remembers the callousness of ,rousseau4 ,strange things are being written by pessimistic unbelief about the bringing of more sufferers into the world4 ,and a living writer in ,france has advocated the legalising of infanticide1 and denounced ,st4 ,vincent de ,paul because1 thanks to his odious precautions1 this man deferred for years the death of creatures without intelligence1 etc4#b ,it is to the faith of ,jesus1 not only revealing by the light of eternity the value of every soul1 but also replenishing the fountains of human tenderness that had well-nigh become exhausted1 that we owe our modern love of children4 ,in the very helplessness which the ancient masters of the world exposed to destruction without a pang1 we see the type of what we must ourselves become1 if we would enter heaven4 ,but we cannot afford to forget either the source or the sanctions of the lesson4 ,,footnotes3 #a ,professor ,curtiss quotes a volume of family memoirs which shows that #e1efd persons are known to be descended from ,lieutenant ,john ,hollister1 who emigrated to ,america in the year #afdb 7,expositor1 ,nov4 #ahhg1 p4 #cbi74 ,this is probably equal in ratio to the increase of ,israel in ,egypt4 #b ,j4 ,k4 ,huysmans--quoted in ,nineteenth ,century1 ,may #ahhh1 p4 #fgc4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,rescue ,,of ,,moses4 ii4 #a-aj4 ,we have said that the ,old ,testament history teems with political wisdom1 lessons of permanent instruction for mankind1 on the level of this life1 yet godly1 as all true lessons must be1 in a world of which ,christ is ,king4 ,these our religion must learn to recognise and proclaim1 if it is ever to win the respect of men of affairs1 and leaven the whole lump of human life with sacred influence4 ,such a lesson is the importance of the individual in the history of nations4 ,history1 as read in ,scripture1 is indeed a long relation of heroic resistance or of base compliance in the presence of influences which are at work to debase modern peoples as well as those of old4 ,the holiness of ,samuel1 the gallant faith of ,david1 the splendour and wisdom of ,solomon1 the fervid zeal of ,elijah1 the self-respecting righteousness of ,nehemiah1--ignore these1 and the whole course of affairs becomes vague and unintelligible4 ,most of all this is true of ,moses1 whose appearance is now related4 ,in profane history it is the same4 ,alexander1 ,mahomet1 ,luther1 ,william the ,silent1 ,napoleon1--will any one pretend that ,europe uninfluenced by these personalities would have become the ,europe that we know8 ,and this truth is not at all a speculative1 unpractical theory3 it is vital4 ,for now there is a fashion of speaking about the tendency of the age1 the time-spirit1 as an irresistible force which moulds men like potters' clay1 crowning those who discern and help it1 but grinding to powder all who resist its course4 ,in reality there are always a hundred time-spirits and tendencies competing for the mastery--some of them violent1 selfish1 atheistic1 or luxurious 7as we see with our own eyes to-day7--and the shrewdest judges are continually at fault as to which of them is to be victorious1 and recognised hereafter as the spirit of the age4 ,this modern pretence that men are nothing1 and streams of tendency are all1 is plainly a gospel of capitulations1 of falsehood to one's private convictions1 and of servile obedience to the majority and the popular cry4 ,for1 if individual men are nothing1 what am ,i8 ,if we are all bubbles floating down a stream1 it is folly to strive to breast the current4 ,much practical baseness and servility is due to this base and servile creed4 ,and the cure for it is belief in another spirit than that of the present age1 trust in an inspiring ,god1 who rescued a herd of slaves and their fading convictions from the greatest nation upon earth by matching one man1 shrinking and reluctant yet obedient to his mission1 against ,pharaoh and all the tendencies of the age4 ,and it is always so4 ,god turns the scale of events by the vast weight of a man1 faithful and true1 and sufficiently aware of ,him to refuse1 to universal clamour1 the surrender of his liberty or his religion4 ,in small matters1 as in great1 there is no man1 faithful to a lonely duty or conviction1 understanding that to have discerned it is a gift and a vocation1 but makes the world better and stronger1 and works out part of the answer to that great prayer ,thy will be done4 ,we have seen already that the religion of the ,hebrews in ,egypt was corrupted and in danger of being lost4 ,to this process1 however1 there must have been bright exceptions2 and the mother of ,moses bore witness1 by her very name1 to her fathers' ,god4 ,the first syllable of ,jochebed is proof that the name of ,god1 which became the keynote of the new revelation1 was not entirely new4 ,as yet the parents of ,moses are not named2 nor is there any allusion to the close relationship which would have forbidden their union at a later period 7chap4 vi4 #bj74 ,and throughout all the story of his youth and early manhood there is no mention whatever of ,god or of religion4 ,elsewhere it is not so4 ,the ,epistle to the ,hebrews declares that through faith the babe was hidden1 and through faith the man refused ,egyptian rank4 ,stephen tells us that he expected his brethren to know that ,god by his hand was giving them deliverance4 ,but the narrative in ,exodus is wholly untheological4 ,if ,moses were the author1 we can see why he avoided reflections which directly tended to glorify himself4 ,but if the story were a subsequent invention1 why is the tone so cold1 the light so colourless8 ,now1 it is well that we are invited to look at all these things from their human side1 observing the play of human affection1 innocent subtlety1 and pity4 ,god commonly works through the heart and brain which ,he has given us1 and we do not glorify ,him at all by ignoring these4 ,if in this case there were visible a desire to suppress the human agents1 in favour of the ,divine ,preserver1 we might suppose that a different historian would have given a less wonderful account of the plagues1 the crossing of the ,sea1 and the revelation from ,sinai4 ,but since full weight is allowed to second causes in the early life of ,moses1 the story is entitled to the greater credit when it tells of the burning bush and the flaming mountain4 ,let us1 however1 put together the various narratives and their lessons4 ,at the outset we read of a marriage celebrated between kinsfolk1 when the storm of persecution was rising4 ,and hence we infer that courage or strong affection made the parents worthy of him through whom ,god should show mercy unto thousands4 ,the first child was a girl1 and therefore safe2 but we may suppose1 although silence in ,scripture proves little1 that ,aaron1 three years before the birth of ,moses1 had not come into equal peril with him4 ,moses was therefore born just when the last atrocity was devised1 when trouble was at its height4 ,at this time ,moses was born1 said ,stephen4 ,edifying inferences have been drawn from the statement in ,exodus that the woman 444 hid him4 ,perhaps the stronger man quailed1 but the maternal instinct was not at fault1 and it was rewarded abundantly4 ,from which we only learn1 in reality1 not to overstrain the words of ,scripture2 since the ,epistle to the ,hebrews distinctly says that he was hid three months by his parents--both of them1 while naturally the mother is the active agent4 ,all the accounts agree that he was thus hidden1 because they saw that he was a goodly child 7,heb4 xi4 #bc74 ,it is a pathetic phrase4 ,we see them1 before the crisis1 vaguely submitting in theory to an unrealised atrocity1 ignorant how imperiously their nature would forbid the crime1 not planning disobedience in advance1 nor led to it by any reasoning process4 ,all is changed when the little one gazes at them with that marvellous appeal in its unconscious eyes1 which is known to every parent1 and helps him to be a better man4 ,there is a great difference between one's thought about an infant1 and one's feeling towards the actual baby4 ,he was their child1 their beautiful child2 and this it was that turned the scale4 ,for him they would now dare anything1 because they saw he was a goodly child1 and they were not afraid of the king's commandment4 ,now1 impulse is often a great power for evil1 as when appetite or fear1 suddenly taking visible shape1 overwhelms the judgment and plunges men into guilt4 ,but good impulses may be the very voice of ,god1 stirring whatever is noble and generous within us4 ,nor are they accidental3 loving and brave emotions belong to warm and courageous hearts2 they come of themselves1 like song birds1 but they come surely where sunshine and still groves invite them1 not into clamour and foul air4 ,thus arose in their bosoms the sublime thought of ,god as an active power to be reckoned upon4 ,for as certainly as every bad passion that we harbour preaches atheism1 so does all goodness tend to sustain itself by the consciousness of a supreme ,goodness in reserve4 ,god had sent them their beautiful child1 and who was ,pharaoh to forbid the gift8 ,and so religion and natural pity joined hands1 their supreme convictions and their yearning for their infant4 ,by faith ,moses was hid 444 because they saw he was a goodly child1 and they were not afraid of the king's commandment4 ,such1 if we desire a real and actual salvation1 is always the faith which saves4 ,postpone salvation to an indefinite future2 make it no more than the escape from vaguely realised penalties for sins which do not seem very hateful2 and you may suppose that faith in theories can obtain this indulgence2 an opinion may weigh against a misgiving4 ,but feel that sin is not only likely to entail damnation1 but is really and in itself damnable meanwhile1 and then there will be no deliverance possible1 but from the hand of a divine ,friend1 strong to sustain and willing to guide the life4 ,we read that ,amram lived a hundred and thirty and seven years1 and of all that period we only know that he helped to save the deliverer of his race1 by practical faith which made him not afraid1 and did not paralyse but stimulate his energies4 ,when the mother could no longer hide the child1 she devised the plan which has made her for ever famous4 ,she placed him in a covered ark1 or casket1#c plaited 7after what we know to have been the ,egyptian fashion7 of the papyrus reed1 and rendered watertight with bitumen1 and this she laid among the rushes--a lower vegetation1 which would not1 like the tall papyrus1 hide her treasure--in the well-known and secluded place where the daughter of ,pharaoh used to bathe4 ,something in the known character of the princess may have inspired this ingenious device to move her pity2 but it is more likely that the woman's heart1 in her extremity1 prompted a simple appeal to the woman who could help her if she would4 ,for an ,egyptian princess was an important personage1 with an establishment of her own1 and often possessed of much political influence4 ,the most sanguinary agent of a tyrant would be likely to respect the client of such a patron4 ,the heart of every woman was in a plot against the cruelty of ,pharaoh4 ,once already the midwives had defeated him2 and now1 when his own daughter#d unexpectedly found1 in the water at her very feet1 a beautiful child sobbing silently 7for she knew not what was there until the ark was opened71 her indignation is audible enough in the words1 ,this is one of the ,hebrews' children4 ,she means to say ,this is only one specimen of the outrages that are going on4 ,this was the chance for his sister1 who had been set in ambush1 not prepared with the exquisite device which follows1 but simply to know what would be done to him4 ,clearly the mother had reckoned upon his being found1 and neglected nothing1 although unable herself to endure the agony of watching1 or less easily hidden in that guarded spot4 ,and her prudence had a rich reward4 ,hitherto ,miriam's duty had been to remain passive--that hard task so often imposed upon the affection1 especially of women1 by sick-beds1 and also in many a more stirring hazard1 and many a spiritual crisis1 where none can fight his brother's battle4 ,it is a trying time1 when love can only hold its breath1 and pray4 ,but let not love suppose that to watch is to do nothing4 ,often there comes a moment when its word1 made wise by the teaching of the heart1 is the all-important consideration in deciding mighty issues4 ,this girl sees the princess at once pitiful and embarrassed1 for how can she dispose of her strange charge8 ,let the moment pass1 and the movement of her heart subside1 and all may be lost2 but ,miriam is prompt and bold1 and asks ,shall ,i go and call to thee a nurse of the ,hebrew women1 that she may nurse the child for thee8 ,it is a daring stroke1 for the princess must have understood the position thoroughly1 the moment the eager ,hebrew girl stepped forward4 ,the disguise was very thin4 ,and at least the heart which pitied the infant must have known the mother when she saw her face1 pale with longing4 ,it is therefore only as a form1 exacted by circumstances1 but well enough though tacitly understood upon both sides1 that she bids her nurse the child for her1 and promises wages4 ,what reward could equal that of clasping her child to her own agitated bosom in safety1 while the destroyers were around8 ,this incident teaches us that good is never to be despaired of1 since this kindly woman grew up in the family of the persecutor4 ,and the promptitude and success of ,miriam suggest a reflection4 ,men do pity1 when it is brought home to them1 the privation1 suffering1 and wrong1 which lie around4 ,magnificent sums are contributed yearly for their relief by the generous instincts of the world4 ,the misfortune is that sentiment is evoked only by visible and pathetic griefs1 and that it will not labour as readily as it will subscribe4 ,it is a harder task to investigate1 to devise appeals1 to invent and work the machinery by which misery may be relieved4 ,mere compassion will accomplish little1 unless painstaking affection supplement it4 ,who supplies that8 ,who enables common humanity to relieve itself by simply paying wages1 and confiding the wretched to a painstaking1 laborious1 loving guardian8 ,the streets would never have known ,hospital ,saturday1 but for ,hospital ,sunday in the churches4 ,the orphanage is wholly a ,christian institution4 ,and so is the lady nurse4 ,the old-fashioned phrase has almost sunk into a party cry1 but in a large and noble sense it will continue to be true to nature as long as bereavement1 pain or penitence requires a tender bosom and soothing touch1 which speaks of ,mother ,church4 ,thus did ,god fulfil ,his mysterious plans4 ,and according to a sad but noble law1 which operates widely1 what was best in ,egypt worked with ,him for the punishment of its own evil race4 ,the daughter of ,pharaoh adopted the perilous foundling1 and educated him in the wisdom of ,egypt4 ,,the ,,choice ,,of ,,moses4 ii4 #aa-ae4 ,god works even ,his miracles by means4 ,as ,he fed the multitude with barley-loaves1 so ,he would emancipate ,israel by human agency4 ,it was therefore necessary to educate one of the trampled race in all the learning of ,egypt1 and ,moses was planted in the court of ,pharaoh1 like the ,german ,arminius in ,rome4 ,wonderful legends may be read in ,josephus of his heroism1 his wisdom1 and his victories2 and these have some foundation in reality1 for ,stephen tells us that he was mighty in his words and works4 ,might in words need not mean the fluent utterance which he so earnestly disclaimed 7iv4 #aj71 even if forty years' disuse of the language were not enough to explain his later diffidence4 ,it may have meant such power of composition as appears in the hymn by the ,red ,sea1 and in the magnificent valediction to his people4 ,the point is that among a nation originally pastoral1 and now sinking fast into the degraded animalism of slaves1 which afterwards betrayed itself in their complaining greed1 their sighs for the generous ,egyptian dietary1 and their impure carouse under the mountain1 one man should possess the culture and mental grasp needed by a leader and lawgiver4 ,could not the grace of ,god have supplied the place of endowment and attainment8 ,yes1 truly2 and it was quite as likely to do this for one who came down from ,his immediate presence with his face intolerably bright1 as for the last impudent enthusiast who declaims against the need of education in sentences which at least prove that for him the want has by no substitute been completely met4 ,but the grace of ,god chose to give the qualification1 rather than replace it1 alike to ,moses and ,st4 ,paul4 ,nor is there any conspicuous example among the saints of a man being thrust into a rank for which he was not previously made fit4 ,the painful contrast between his own refined tastes and habits1 and the coarser manners of his nation1 was no doubt one difficulty of the choice of ,moses1 and a lifelong trial to him afterwards4 ,he is an example not only to those whom wealth and power would entangle1 but to any who are too fastidious and sensitive for the humble company of the people of ,god4 ,while the intellect of ,moses was developing1 it is plain that his connection with his family was not entirely broken4 ,such a tie as often binds a foster-child to its nurse may have been permitted to associate him with his real parents4 ,some means were evidently found to instruct him in the history and messianic hopes of ,israel1 for he knew that their reproach was that of the ,christ1 greater riches than all the treasure of ,egypt1 and fraught with a reward for which he looked in faith 7,heb4 xi4 #bf74 ,but what is meant by naming as part of his burden their reproach1 as distinguished from their sufferings8 ,we shall understand1 if we reflect1 that his open rupture with ,egypt was unlikely to be the work of a moment4 ,like all the best workers1 he was led forward gradually1 at first unconscious of his vocation4 ,many a protest he must have made against the cruel and unjust policy that steeped the land in innocent blood4 ,many a jealous councillor must have known how to weaken his dangerous influence by some cautious taunt1 some insinuated reproach of his own ,hebrew origin4 ,the warnings put by ,josephus into the lips of the priests in his childhood1 were likely enough to have been spoken by some one before he was forty years old4 ,at last1 when driven to make his choice1 he refused to be called the son of ,pharaoh's daughter1 a phrase1 especially in its reference to the rejected title as distinguished from the pleasures of sin1 which seems to imply a more formal rupture than ,exodus records4 ,we saw that the piety of his parents was not unhelped by their emotions3 they hid him by faith when they saw that he was a goodly child4 ,such was also the faith by which ,moses broke with rank and fortune4 ,he went out unto his brethren1 and looked on their burdens1 and he saw an ,egyptian smiting an ,hebrew1 one of his brethren4 ,twice the word of kinship is repeated2 and ,stephen tells us that ,moses himself used it in rebuking the dissensions of his fellow-countrymen4 ,filled with yearning and pity for his trampled brethren1 and with the shame of generous natures who are at ease while others suffer1 he saw an ,egyptian smiting an ,hebrew4 ,with that blended caution and vehemence which belong to his nation still1 he looked and saw that there was no man1 and slew the ,egyptian4 ,like most acts of passion1 this was at once an impulse of the moment1 and an outcome of long gathering forces--just as the lightning flash1 sudden though it seem1 has been prepared by the accumulated electricity of weeks4 ,and this is the reason why ,god allows the issues of a lifetime1 perhaps of an eternity1 to be decided by a sudden word1 a hasty blow4 ,men plead that if time had been given1 they would have stifled the impulse which ruined them4 ,but what gave the impulse such violent and dreadful force that it overwhelmed them before they could reflect8 ,the explosion in the coal-mine is not caused by the sudden spark1 without the accumulation of dangerous gases1 and the absence of such wholesome ventilation as would carry them away4 ,it is so in the breast where evil desires or tempers are harboured1 unsubdued by grace1 until any accident puts them beyond control4 ,thank ,god that such sudden movements do not belong to evil only6 ,a high soul is surprised into heroism1 as often perhaps as a mean one into theft or falsehood4 ,in the case of ,moses there was nothing unworthy1 but much that was unwarranted and presumptuous4 ,the decision it involved was on the right side1 but the act was self-willed and unwarranted1 and it carried heavy penalties4 ,the trespass originated not in inveterate cruelty1 says ,st4 ,augustine1 but in a hasty zeal which admitted of correction 444 resentment against injury was accompanied by love for a brother4444 ,here was evil to be rooted out1 but the heart with such capabilities1 like good soil1 needed only cultivation to make it fruitful in virtue4 ,stephen tells us1 what is very natural1 that ,moses expected the people to accept him as their heaven-born deliverer4 ,from which it appears that he cherished high expectations for himself1 from ,israel if not from ,egypt4 ,when he interfered next day between two ,hebrews1 his question as given in ,exodus is somewhat magisterial3 ,wherefore smitest thou thy fellow8 ,in ,stephen's version it dictates less1 but it lectures a good deal3 ,sirs1 ye are brethren1 why do ye wrong one to another8 ,and it was natural enough that they should dispute his pretensions1 for ,god had not yet given him the rank he claimed4 ,he still needed a discipline almost as sharp as that of ,joseph1 who1 by talking too boastfully of his dreams1 postponed their fulfilment until he was chastened by slavery and a dungeon4 ,even ,saul of ,tarsus1 when converted1 needed three years of close seclusion for the transformation of his fiery ardour into divine zeal1 as iron to be tempered must be chilled as well as heated4 ,the precipitate and violent zeal of ,moses entailed upon him forty years of exile4 ,and yet his was a noble patriotism4 ,there is a false love of country1 born of pride1 which blinds one to her faults2 and there is a loftier passion which will brave estrangement and denunciation to correct them4 ,such was the patriotism of ,moses1 and of all whom ,god has ever truly called to lead their fellows4 ,nevertheless he had to suffer for his error4 ,his first act had been a kind of manifesto1 a claim to lead1 which he supposed that they would have understood2 and yet1 when he found his deed was known1 he feared and fled4 ,his false step told against him4 ,one cannot but infer also that he was conscious of having already forfeited court favour--that he had before this not only made his choice1 but announced it1 and knew that the blow was ready to fall on him at any provocation4 ,we read that he dwelt in the land of ,midian1 a name which was applied to various tracts according to the nomadic wanderings of the tribe1 but which plainly included1 at this time1 some part of the peninsula formed by the tongues of the ,red ,sea4 ,for1 as he fed his flocks1 he came to the ,mount of ,god4 ,,moses ,,in ,,midian4 ii4 #af-bb ,the interference of ,moses on behalf of the daughters of the priest of ,midian is a pleasant trait1 courteous1 and expressive of a refined nature4 ,with this remark1 and reflecting that1 like many courtesies1 it brought its reward1 we are often content to pass it by4 ,and yet it deserves a closer examination4 #a4 ,for it expresses great energy of character4 ,he might well have been in a state of collapse4 ,he had smitten the ,egyptian for ,israel's sake3 he had appealed to his own people to make common cause1 like brethren1 against the common foe2 and he had offered himself to them as their destined leader in the struggle4 ,but they had refused him the command1 and he was rudely awakened to the consciousness that his life was in danger through the garrulous ingratitude of the man he rescued4 ,now he was a ruined man and an exile1 marked for destruction by the greatest of earthly monarchs1 with the habits and tastes of a great noble1 but homeless among wild races4 ,it was no common nature which was alert and energetic at such a time4 ,the greatest men have known a period of prostration in calamity3 it was enough for honour that they should rally and re-collect their forces4 ,thinking of ,frederick1 after ,kunersdorf1 resigning the command 7,i have no resources more1 and will not survive the destruction of my country71 and of his subsequent despatch1 ,i am now recovered from my illness2 and of ,napoleon1 trembling and weeping on the road to ,elba1 one turns with fresh admiration to the fallen prince1 the baffled liberator1 sitting exhausted by the well1 but as keen on behalf of liberty as when ,pharaoh trampled ,israel1 though now the oppressors are a group of rude herdsmen1 and the oppressed are ,midianite women1 driven from the troughs which they have toiled to fill4 ,one remembers ,another1 sitting also exhausted by the well1 defying social usage on behalf of a despised woman1 and thereby inspired and invigorated as with meat to eat which ,his followers knew not of4 #b4 ,moreover there is disinterested bravery in the act1 since he hazards the opposition of the men of the land1 among whom he seeks refuge1 on behalf of a group from which he can have expected nothing4 ,and here it is worth while to notice the characteristic variations in three stories which have certain points of contact4 ,the servant of ,abraham1 servant-like1 was well content that ,rebekah should draw for all his camels1 while he stood still4 ,the prudent ,jacob1 anxious to introduce himself to his cousin1 rolled away the stone and watered her camels4 ,moses sat by the well1 but did not interfere while the troughs were being filled3 it was only the overt wrong which kindled him4 ,but as in great things1 so it is in small3 our actions never stand alone2 having once befriended them1 he will do it thoroughly1 and moreover he drew water for us1 and watered the flock4 ,such details could hardly have been thought out by a fabricator2 a legend would not have allowed ,moses to be slower in courtesy than ,jacob2#e but the story fits the case exactly3 his eyes were with his heart1 and that was far away1 until the injustice of the shepherds roused him4 ,and why was ,moses thus energetic1 fearless1 and chivalrous8 ,because he was sustained by the presence of the ,unseen3 he endured as seeing ,him who is invisible2 and having1 despite of panic1 by faith forsaken ,egypt1 he was free from the absorbing anxieties which prevent men from caring for their fellows1 free also from the cynical misgivings which suspect that violence is more than justice1 that to be righteous over-much is to destroy oneself1 and that perhaps1 after all1 one may see a good deal of wrong without being called upon to interfere4 ,it would be a different world to-day1 if all who claim to be the salt of the earth were as eager to repress injustice in its smaller and meaner forms as to make money or influential friends4 ,if all petty and cowardly oppression were sternly trodden down1 we should soon have a state of public opinion in which gross and large tyranny would be almost impossible4 ,and it is very doubtful whether the flagrant wrongs1 which must be comparatively rare1 cause as much real mental suffering as the frequent small ones4 ,does mankind suffer more from wild beasts than from insects8 ,but how few that aspire to emancipate oppressed nations would be content1 in the hour of their overthrow1 to assert the rights of a handful of women against a trifling fraud1 to which indeed they were so well accustomed that its omission surprised their father6 ,is it only because we are reading a history1 and not a biography1 that we find no touch of tenderness1 like the love of ,jacob for ,rachel1 in the domestic relations of ,moses8 ,joseph also married in a strange land1 yet he called the name of his first son ,manasseh1 because ,god had made him to forget his sorrows3 but ,moses remembered his4 ,neither wife nor child could charm away his home sickness2 he called his firstborn ,gershom1 because he was a sojourner in a strange land4 ,in truth1 his whole life seems to have been a lonely one4 ,miriam is called the sister of ,aaron even when joining in the song of ,moses 7xv4 #bj71 and with ,aaron she made common cause against their greater brother 7,num4 xii4 #a-b74 ,zipporah endangered his life rather than obey the covenant of circumcision2 she complied at last with a taunt 7iv4 #bd-f71 and did not again join him until his victory over ,amalek raised his position to the utmost height 7xviii4 #b74 ,his children are of no account1 and his grandson is the founder of a dangerous and enduring schism 7,judges xviii4 #cj1 ,r4,v474 ,there is much reason to see here the earliest example of the sad rule that a prophet is not without honour save in his own house2 that the law of compensations reaches farther into life than men suppose2 and high position and great powers are too often counterbalanced by the isolation of the heart4 ,,footnotes3 #c ,the same word is used for ,noah's ark1 but not elsewhere2 not1 for example1 of the ark in the ,temple1 the name of which occurs elsewhere in ,scripture only of the coffin of ,joseph1 and the chest for the ,temple revenues 7,gen4 #a4 #bf2 #b ,chron4 xxiv4 #h1 #aj1 #aa47 #d ,or his sister1 the daughter of a former ,pharaoh4 #e ,nor would it have made the women call their deliverer an ,egyptian1 for the ,hebrew cast of features is very dissimilar4 ,but ,moses wore ,egyptian dress1 and the ,egyptians worked mines in the peninsula1 so that he was naturally taken for one of them4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,burning ,,bush4 ii4 #bc-;iii4 ,in process of time the king of ,egypt died1 probably the great ,raamses1 no other of whose dynasty had a reign which extended over the indicated period of time4 ,if so1 he had while living every reason to expect an immortal fame1 as the greatest among ,egyptian kings1 a hero1 a conqueror on three continents1 a builder of magnificent works4 ,but he has only won an immortal notoriety4 ,every stone in his buildings was cemented in human blood4 ,the cause he persecuted has made deathless the banished refugee1 and has gibbeted the great monarch as a tyrant1 whose misplanned severities wrought the ruin of his successor and his army4 ,such are the reversals of popular judgment3 and such the vanity of fame4 ,for all the contemporary fame was his4 ,the children of ,israel sighed by reason of the bondage1 and they cried4 ,another monarch had come at last1 a change after sixty-seven years1 and yet no change for them6 ,it filled up the measure of their patience1 and also of the iniquity of ,egypt4 ,we are not told that their cry was addressed to the ,lord2 what we read is that it reached ,him1 ,who still overhears and pities many a sob1 many a lament1 which ought to have been addressed to ,him1 and is not4 ,indeed1 if ,his compassion were not to reach men until they had remembered and prayed to ,him1 who among us would ever have learned to pray to ,him at all8 ,moreover ,he remembered ,his covenant with their forefathers1 for the fulfilment of which the time had now arrived4 ,and ,god saw the children of ,israel1 and ,god took knowledge of them4 ,these were not the cries of religious individuals1 but of oppressed masses4 ,it is therefore a solemn question to ask ,how many such appeals ascend from ,christian ,england8 ,behold1 the hire of labourers 444 held back by fraud crieth out4 ,the half-paid slaves of our haste to be rich1 and the victims of our drinking institutions1 and of hideous vices which entangle and destroy the innocent and unconscious1 what cries to heaven are theirs6 ,as surely as those which ,st4 ,james records1 these have entered into the ears of the ,lord of ,sabaoth4 ,of these sufferers every one is ,his own by purchase1 most of them by a covenant and sacrament more solemn than bound ,him to ,his ancient ,israel4 ,surely ,he hears their groaning4 ,and all whose hearts are touched with compassion1 yet who hesitate whether to bestir themselves or to remain inert while evil is masterful and cruel1 should remember the anger of ,god when ,moses said1 ,send1 ,i pray ,thee1 by whom ,thou wilt send4 ,the ,lord is not indifferent4 ,much less than other sufferers should those who know ,god be terrified by their afflictions4 ,cyprian encouraged the ,church of his time to endure even unto martyrdom1 by the words recorded of ancient ,israel1 that the more they afflicted them1 so much the more they became greater and waxed stronger4 ,and he was right4 ,for all these things happened to them for ensamples1 and were written for our admonition4 ,it is further to be observed that the people were quite unconscious1 until ,moses announced it afterwards1 that they were heard by ,god4 ,yet their deliverer had now been prepared by a long process for his work4 ,we are not to despair because relief does not immediately appear3 though ,he tarry1 we are to wait for ,him4 ,while this anguish was being endured in ,egypt1 ,moses was maturing for his destiny4 ,self-reliance1 pride of place1 hot and impulsive aggressiveness1 were dying in his bosom4 ,to the education of the courtier and scholar was now added that of the shepherd in the wilds1 amid the most solemn and awful scenes of nature1 in solitude1 humiliation1 disappointment1 and1 as we learn from the ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 in enduring faith4 ,wordsworth has a remarkable description of the effect of a similar discipline upon the good ,lord ,clifford4 ,he tells-- ,how he1 long forced in humble paths to go1 ,was softened into feeling1 soothed and tamed4 ,love had he found in huts where poor men lie1 ,his daily teachers had been woods and rills1 ,the silence that is in the starry sky1 ,the sleep that is among the lonely hills4 ,in him the savage virtues of the race1 ,revenge1 and all ferocious thoughts1 were dead2 ,nor did he change1 but kept in lofty place ,the wisdom which adversity had bred4 ,there was also the education of advancing age1 which teaches many lessons1 and among them two which are essential to leadership1--the folly of a hasty blow1 and of impulsive reliance upon the support of mobs4 ,moses the man-slayer became exceeding meek2 and he ceased to rely upon the perception of his people that ,god by him would deliver them4 ,his distrust1 indeed1 became as excessive as his temerity had been1 but it was an error upon the safer side4 ,behold1 they will not believe me1 he says1 nor hearken unto my voice4 ,it is an important truth that in very few lives the decisive moment comes just when it is expected4 ,men allow themselves to be self-indulgent1 extravagant and even wicked1 often upon the calculation that their present attitude matters little1 and they will do very differently when the crisis arrives1 the turning-point in their career to nerve them4 ,and they waken up with a start to find their career already decided1 their character moulded4 ,as a snare shall the day of the ,lord come upon all flesh2 and as a snare come all ,his great visitations meanwhile4 ,when ,herod was drinking among bad companions1 admiring a shameless dancer1 and boasting loudly of his generosity1 he was sobered and saddened to discover that he had laughed away the life of his only honest adviser4 ,moses1 like ,david1 was following the ewes great with young1 when summoned by ,god to rule ,his people ,israel4 ,neither did the call arrive when he was plunged in moody reverie and abstraction1 sighing over his lost fortunes and his defeated aspirations1 rebelling against his lowly duties4 ,the humblest labour is a preparation for the brightest revelations1 whereas discontent1 however lofty1 is a preparation for nothing4 ,thus1 too1 the birth of ,jesus was first announced to shepherds keeping watch over their flock4 ,yet hundreds of third-rate young persons in every city in this land to-day neglect their work1 and unfit themselves for any insight1 or any leadership whatever1 by chafing against the obscurity of their vocation4 ,who does not perceive that the career of ,moses hitherto was divinely directed8 ,the fact that we feel this1 although1 until now1 ,god has not once been mentioned in his personal story1 is surely a fine lesson for those who have only one notion of what edifies--the dragging of the most sacred names and phrases into even the most unsuitable connections4 ,in truth1 such a phraseology is much less attractive than a certain tone1 a recognition of the unseen1 which may at times be more consistent with reverential silence than with obtrusive utterance4 ,it is enough to be ready and fearless when the fitting time comes1 which is sure to arrive1 for the religious heart as for this narrative--the time for the natural utterance of the great word1 ,god4 ,we read that the angel of the ,lord appeared to him--a remarkable phrase1 which was already used in connection with the sacrifice of ,isaac 7,gen4 xxii4 #aa74 ,how much it implies will better be discussed in the twenty-third chapter1 where a fuller statement is made4 ,for the present it is enough to note1 that this is one pre-eminent angel1 indicated by the definite article2 that he is clearly the medium of a true divine appearance1 because neither the voice nor form of any lesser being is supposed to be employed1 the appearance being that of fire1 and the words being said to be the direct utterance of the ,lord1 not of any one who says1 ,thus saith the ,lord4 ,we shall see hereafter that the story of the ,exodus is unique in this respect1 that in training a people tainted with ,egyptian superstitions1 no 'similitude' is seen1 as when there wrestled a man with ,jacob1 or when ,ezekiel saw a human form upon the sapphire pavement4 ,man is the true image of ,god1 and ,his perfect revelation was in flesh4 ,but now that expression of ,himself was perilous1 and perhaps unsuitable besides2 for ,he was to be known as the ,avenger1 and presently as the ,giver of ,law1 with its inflexible conditions and its menaces4 ,therefore ,he appeared as fire1 which is intense and terrible1 even when the flame of the grace of ,god does not consume1 but illuminates4 ,there is a notion that religion is languid1 repressive1 and unmanly4 ,but such is not the scriptural idea4 ,in ,his presence is the fulness of joy4 ,christ has come that we might have life1 and might have it more abundantly4 ,they who are shut out from ,his blessedness are said to be asleep and dead4 ,and so ,origen quotes this passage among others1 with the comment that ,as ,god is a fire1 and ,his angels a flame of fire1 and all the saints fervent in spirit1 so they who have fallen away from ,god are said to have cooled1 or to have become cold 7,de ,princip41 ii4 #h74 ,a revelation by fire involves intensity4 ,there is indeed another explanation of the burning bush1 which makes the flame express only the afflictions that did not consume the people4 ,but this would be a strange adjunct to a divine appearance for their deliverance1 speaking rather of the continuance of suffering than of its termination1 for which the extinction of such fire would be a more appropriate symbol4 ,yet there is an element of truth even in this view1 since fire is connected with affliction4 ,in ,his holiness ,god is light 7with which1 in the ,hebrew1 the very word for holiness seems to be connected72 in ,his judgments ,he is fire4 ,the ,light of ,israel shall be for a fire1 and his ,holy ,one for a flame1 and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day 7,isa4 x4 #ag74 ,but ,god reveals ,himself in this thorn bush as a fire which does not consume2 and such a revelation tells at once ,who has brought the people into affliction1 and also that they are not abandoned to it4 ,to ,moses at first there was visible only an extraordinary phenomenon2 ,he turned to see a great sight4 ,it is therefore out of the question to find here the truth1 so easy to discover elsewhere1 that ,god rewards the religious inquirer--that they who seek after ,him shall find ,him4 ,rather we learn the folly of deeming that the intellect and its inquiries are at war with religion and its mysteries1 that revelation is at strife with mental insight1 that he who most stupidly refuses to see the great sights of nature is best entitled to interpret the voice of ,god4 ,when the man of science gives ear to voices not of earth1 and the man of ,god has eyes and interest for the divine wonders which surround us1 many a discord will be harmonised4 ,with the revival of classical learning came the ,reformation4 ,but it often happens that the curiosity of the intellect is in danger of becoming irreverent1 and obtrusive into mysteries not of the brain1 and thus the voice of ,god must speak in solemn warning3 ,moses1 ,moses1 444 ,draw not nigh hither3 put off thy shoes from off thy feet1 for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground4 ,after as prolonged a silence as from the time of ,malachi to the ,baptist1 it is ,god ,who reveals ,himself once more--not ,moses who by searching finds ,him out4 ,and this is the established rule4 ,tidings of the ,incarnation came from heaven1 or man would not have discovered the ,divine ,babe4 ,jesus asked ,his two first disciples ,what seek ye8 and told ,simon ,thou shalt be called ,cephas1 and pronounced the listening ,nathaniel an ,israelite indeed1 and bade ,zaccheus make haste and come down1 in each case before ,he was addressed by them4 ,the first words of ,jehovah teach something more than ceremonial reverence4 ,if the dust of common earth on the shoe of ,moses may not mingle with that sacred soil1 how dare we carry into the presence of our ,god mean passions and selfish cravings8 ,observe1 too1 that while ,jacob1 when he awoke from his vision1 said1 ,how dreadful is this place6 7,gen4 xxviii4 #ag71 ,god ,himself taught ,moses to think rather of the holiness than the dread of ,his abode4 ,nevertheless ,moses also was afraid to look upon ,god1 and hid the face which was thereafter to be veiled1 for a nobler reason1 when it was itself illumined with the divine glory4 ,humility before ,god is thus the path to the highest honour1 and reverence1 to the closest intercourse4 ,meantime the ,divine ,person has announced ,himself3 ,i am the ,god of thy father 7father is apparently singular with a collective force71 the ,god of ,abraham1 the ,god of ,isaac1 and the ,god of ,jacob4 ,it is a blessing which every ,christian parent should bequeath to his child1 to be strengthened and invigorated by thinking of ,god as his father's ,god4 ,it was with this memorable announcement that ,jesus refuted the ,sadducees and established ,his doctrine of the resurrection4 ,so1 then1 the bygone ages are not forgotten3 ,moses may be sure that a kindly relation exists between ,god and himself1 because the kindly relation still exists in all its vital force which once bound ,him to those who long since appeared to die4 ,it was impossible1 therefore1 our ,lord inferred1 that they had really died at all4 ,the argument is a forerunner of that by which ,st4 ,paul concludes1 from the resurrection of ,christ1 that none who are in ,christ have perished4 ,nay1 since our ,lord was not disputing about immortality only1 but the resurrection of the body1 ,his argument implied that a vital relationship with ,god involved the imperishability of the whole man1 since all was ,his1 and in truth the very seal of the covenant was imprinted upon the flesh4 ,how much stronger is the assurance for us1 who know that our very bodies are ,his temple6 ,now1 if any suspicion should arise that the argument1 which is really subtle1 is over-refined and untrustworthy1 let it be observed that no sooner was this announcement made1 than ,god added the proclamation of ,his own immutability1 so that it cannot be said ,he was1 but from age to age ,his title is ,i ,,am4 ,the inference from the divine permanence to the living and permanent vitality of all ,his relationships is not a verbal quibble1 it is drawn from the very central truth of this great scripture4 ,and now for the first time ,god calls ,israel ,my people1 adopting a phrase already twice employed by earthly rulers 7,gen4 xxiii4 #aa1 xli4 #dj71 and thus making ,himself their king and the champion of their cause4 ,often afterwards it was used in pathetic appeal3--,thou hast showed ,thy people hard things1--,thou sellest ,thy people for nought1--,behold1 look1 we beseech ,thee2 we are all ,thy people 7,ps4 lx4 #c1 xliv4 #ab2 ,isa4 lxiv4 #i74 ,and often it expressed the returning favour of their king3 ,hear1 ,o ,my people1 and ,i will speak2 ,comfort ye1 comfort ye ,my people 7,ps4 l4 #g2 ,isa4 xl4 #a74 ,it is used of the nation at large1 all of whom were brought into the covenant1 although with many of them ,god was not well pleased4 ,and since it does not belong only to saints1 but speaks of a grace which might be received in vain1 it is a strong appeal to all ,christian people1 all who are within the ,new ,covenant4 ,them also the ,lord claims and pities1 and would gladly emancipate3 their sorrows also ,he knows4 ,i have surely seen the affliction of ,my people which are in ,egypt1 and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters2 for ,i know their sorrows2 and ,i am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the ,egyptians1 and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large1 unto a land flowing with milk and honey4 ,thus the ways of ,god exceed the desires of men4 ,their subsequent complaints are evidence that ,egypt had become their country3 gladly would they have shaken off the iron yoke1 but a successful rebellion is a revolution1 not an ,exodus4 ,their destined home was very different3 with the widest variety of climate1 scenery1 and soil1 a land which demanded much more regular husbandry1 but rewarded labour with exuberant fertility4 ,secluded from heathenism by deserts on the south and east1 by a sublime range of mountains on the north1 and by a sea with few havens on the west1 yet planted in the very bosom of all the ancient civilisation which at the last it was to leaven1 it was a land where a faithful people could have dwelt alone and not been reckoned among the nations1 yet where the scourge for disobedience was never far away4 ,next after the promise of this good land1 the commission of ,moses is announced4 ,he is to act1 because ,god is already active3 ,i am come down to deliver them 444 come now1 therefore1 and ,i will send thee unto ,pharaoh1 that thou mayest bring forth ,my people4 ,and let this truth encourage all who are truly sent of ,god1 to the end of time1 that ,he does not send us to deliver man1 until ,he is ,himself prepared to do so1 that when our fears ask1 like ,moses1 ,who am ,i1 that ,i should go8 ,he does not answer1 ,thou art capable1 but ,certainly ,i will go with thee4 ,so1 wherever the ministry of the word is sent1 there is a true purpose of grace4 ,there is also the presence of ,one who claims the right to bestow upon us the same encouragement which was given to ,moses by ,jehovah1 saying1 ,lo1 ,i am with you alway4 ,in so saying1 ,jesus made ,himself equal with ,god4 ,and as this ancient revelation of ,god was to give rest to a weary and heavy-laden people1 so ,christ bound together the assertion of a more perfect revelation1 made in ,him1 with the promise of a grander emancipation4 ,no man knoweth the ,father save by revelation of the ,son is the doctrine which introduces the great offer ,come unto ,me1 all ye that labour and are heavy-laden1 and ,i will give you rest 7,matt4 xi4 #bg1 #bh74 ,the claims of ,christ in the ,new ,testament will never be fully recognised until a careful study is made of ,his treatment of the functions which in the ,old ,testament are regarded as ,divine4 ,a curious expression follows3 ,this shall be a token unto thee that ,i have sent thee3 ,when thou hast brought forth the people out of ,egypt1 ye shall serve ,god upon this mountain4 ,it seems but vague encouragement1 to offer ,moses1 hesitating at the moment1 a token which could take effect only when his task was wrought4 ,and yet we know how much easier it is to believe what is thrown into distinct shape and particularised4 ,our trust in good intentions is helped when their expression is detailed and circumstantial1 as a candidate for office will reckon all general assurances of support much cheaper than a pledge to canvass certain electors within a certain time4 ,such is the constitution of human nature2 and its ,maker has often deigned to sustain its weakness by going thus into particulars4 ,he does the same for us1 condescending to embody the most profound of all mysteries in sacramental emblems1 clothing his promises of our future blessedness in much detail1 and in concrete figures which at least symbolise1 if they do not literally describe1 the glories of the ,jerusalem which is above4 ,a ,,new ,,name4 iii4 #ad4 vi4 #b1 #c4 ,god said unto ,moses1 ,i ,,am ,,that ,i ,,am3 and ,he said1 ,thus shalt thou say unto the children of ,israel1 ,i ,,am hath sent me unto you4 ,we cannot certainly tell why ,moses asked for a new name by which to announce to his brethren the appearance of ,god4 ,he may have felt that the memory of their fathers1 and of the dealings of ,god with them1 had faded so far out of mind that merely to indicate their ancestral ,god would not sufficiently distinguish ,him from the idols of ,egypt1 whose worship had infected them4 ,if so1 he was fully answered by a name which made this ,god the one reality1 in a world where all is a phantasm except what derives stability from ,him4 ,he may have desired to know1 for himself1 whether there was any truth in the dreamy and fascinating pantheism which inspired so much of the ,egyptian superstition4 ,in that case1 the answer met his question by declaring that ,god existed1 not as the sum of things or soul of the universe1 but in ,himself1 the only independent ,being4 ,or he may simply have desired some name to express more of the mystery of deity1 remembering how a change of name had accompanied new discoveries of human character and achievement1 as of ,abraham and ,israel2 and expecting a new name likewise when ,god would make to ,his people new revelations of ,himself4 ,so natural an expectation was fulfilled not only then1 but afterwards4 ,when ,moses prayed ,show me1 ,i pray ,thee1 ,thy glory1 the answer was ,i will make all ,my goodness pass before thee1 and ,i will proclaim the name of the ,lord4 ,the proclamation was again ,jehovah1 but not this alone4 ,it was ,the ,lord1 the ,lord1 a ,god full of compassion and gracious1 slow to anger1 and plenteous in mercy and truth 7xxxiii4 #ah1 #ai1 xxxiv4 #f1 ,r4,v47 ,thus the life of ,moses1 like the agelong progress of the ,church1 advanced towards an ever-deepening knowledge that ,god is not only the ,independent but the ,good4 ,all sets toward the final knowledge that ,his highest name is ,love4 ,meanwhile1 in the development of events1 the exact period was come for epithets1 which were shared with gods many and lords many1 to be supplemented by the formal announcement and authoritative adoption of ,his proper name ,jehovah4 ,the infant nation was to learn to think of ,him1 not only as endowed with attributes of terror and power1 by which enemies would be crushed1 but as possessing a certain well-defined personality1 upon which the trust of man could repose4 ,soon their experience would enable them to receive the formal announcement that ,he was merciful and gracious4 ,but first they were required to trust ,his promise amid all discouragements2 and to this end1 stability was the attribute first to be insisted upon4 ,it is true that the derivation of the word ,jehovah is still a problem for critical acumen4 ,it has been sought in more than one language1 and various shades of meaning have been assigned to it1 some untenable in the abstract1 others hardly1 or not at all1 to be reconciled with the ,scriptural narrative4 ,nay1 the corruption of the very sound is so notorious1 that it is only worth mention as illustrating a phase of superstition4 ,we smile at the ,jews1 removing the correct vowels lest so holy a word should be irreverently spoken1 placing the sanctity in the cadence1 hoping that light and flippant allusions may offend ,god less1 so long as they spare at least the vowels of ,his name1 and thus preserve some vestige undesecrated1 while profaning at once the conception of ,his majesty and the consonants of the mystic word4 ,a more abject superstition could scarcely have made void the spirit1 while grovelling before the letter of the commandment4 ,but this very superstition is alive in other forms to-day4 ,whenever one recoils from the sin of coarse blasphemy1 yet allows himself the enjoyment of a polished literature which profanes holy conceptions1--whenever men feel bound to behave with external propriety in the house of ,god1 yet bring thither wandering thoughts1 vile appetites1 sensuous imaginations1 and all the chamber of imagery which is within the unregenerate heart1--there is the same despicable superstition which strove to escape at least the extreme of blasphemy by prudently veiling the ,holy ,name before profaning it4 ,but our present concern is with the practical message conveyed to ,israel when ,moses declared that ,jehovah1 ,i ,,am1 the ,god of their fathers1 had appeared unto him4 ,and if we find in it a message suited for the time1 and which is the basis1 not the superstructure1 both of later messages and also of the national character1 then we shall not fail to observe the bearing of such facts upon an urgent controversy of this time4 ,some significance must have been in that ,name1 not too abstract for a servile and degenerate race to apprehend4 ,nor was it soon to pass away and be replaced2 it was ,his memorial throughout all generations2 and therefore it has a message for us to-day1 to admonish and humble1 to invigorate and uphold4 ,that ,god would be the same to them as to their fathers was much4 ,but that it was of the essence of ,his character to be evermore the same1 immutable in heart and mind and reality of being1 however their conduct might modify ,his bearing towards them1 this indeed would be a steadying and reclaiming consciousness4 ,accordingly ,moses receives the answer for himself1 ,i ,,am ,,that ,i ,,am2 and he is bidden to tell his people ,i am hath sent me unto you1 and yet again ,,jehovah the ,god of your fathers hath sent me unto you4 ,the spirit and tenor of these three names may be said to be virtually comprehended in the first2 and they all speak of the essential and self-existent ,being1 unchanging and unchangeable4 ,i ,,am expresses an intense reality of being4 ,no image in the dark recesses of ,egyptian or ,syrian temples1 grotesque and motionless1 can win the adoration of him who has had communion with such a veritable existence1 or has heard ,his authentic message4 ,no dreamful pantheism1 on its knees to the beneficent principle expressed in one deity1 to the destructive in another1 or to the reproductive in a third1 but all of them dependent upon nature1 as the rainbow upon the cataract which it spans1 can ever again satisfy the soul which is athirst for the living ,god1 the ,lord1 ,who is not personified1 but ,,is4 ,this profound sense of a living ,person within reach1 to be offended1 to pardon1 and to bless1 was the one force which kept the ,hebrew nation itself alive1 with a vitality unprecedented since the world began4 ,they could crave ,his pardon1 whatever natural retributions they had brought down upon themselves1 whatever tendencies of nature they had provoked1 because ,he was not a dead law without ears or a heart1 but their merciful and gracious ,god4 ,not the most exquisite subtleties of innuendo and irony could make good for a day the monstrous paradox that the ,hebrew religion1 the worship of ,i ,,am1 was really nothing but the adoration of that stream of tendencies which makes for righteousness4 ,israel did not challenge ,pharaoh through having suddenly discovered that goodness ultimately prevails over evil1 nor is it any cold calculation of the sort which ever inspires a nation or a man with heroic fortitude4 ,but they were nerved by the announcement that they had been remembered by a ,god ,who is neither an ideal nor a fancy1 but the ,reality of realities1 beside ,whom ,pharaoh and his host were but as phantoms4 ,i ,,am ,,that ,i ,,am is the style not only of permanence1 but of permanence self-contained1 and being a distinctive title1 it denies such self-contained permanence to others4 ,man is as the past has moulded him1 a compound of attainments and failures1 discoveries and disillusions1 his eyes dim with forgotten tears1 his hair grey with surmounted anxieties1 his brow furrowed with bygone studies1 his conscience troubled with old sin4 ,modern unbelief is ignobly frank respecting him4 ,he is the sum of his parents and his wet-nurse4 ,he is what he eats4 ,if he drinks beer1 he thinks beer4 ,and it is the element of truth in these hideous paradoxes which makes them rankle1 like an unkind construction put upon a questionable action4 ,as the foam is what wind and tide have made of it1 so are we the product of our circumstances1 the resultant of a thousand forces1 far indeed from being self-poised or self-contained1 too often false to our best self1 insomuch that probably no man is actually what in the depth of self-consciousness he feels himself to be1 what moreover he should prove to be1 if only the leaden weight of constraining circumstance were lifted off the spring which it flattens down to earth4 ,moses himself was at heart a very different person from the keeper of the sheep of ,jethro4 ,therefore man says1 ,pity and make allowance for me3 this is not my true self1 but only what by compression1 by starvation and stripes and bribery and error1 ,i have become4 ,only ,god says1 ,i ,,am ,,that ,i ,,am4 ,yet in another sense1 and quite as deep a one1 man is not the coarse tissue which past circumstances have woven3 he is the seed of the future1 as truly as the fruit of the past4 ,strange compound that he is of memory and hope1 while half of the present depends on what is over1 the other half is projected into the future2 and like a bridge1 sustained on these two banks1 life throws its quivering shadow on each moment that fleets by4 ,it is not attainment1 but degradation to live upon the level of one's mere attainment1 no longer uplifted by any aspiration1 fired by any emulation1 goaded by any but carnal fears4 ,if we have been shaped by circumstances1 yet we are saved by hope4 ,do not judge me1 we are all entitled to plead1 by anything that ,i am doing or have done3 ,he only can appraise a soul a right ,who knows what it yearns to become1 what within itself it hates and prays to be delivered from1 what is the earnestness of its self-loathing1 what the passion of its appeal to heaven4 ,as the bloom of next ,april is the true comment upon the dry bulb of ,september1 as you do not value the fountain by the pint of water in its basin1 but by its inexhaustible capabilities of replenishment1 so the present and its joyless facts are not the true man2 his possibilities1 the fears and hopes that control his destiny and shall unfold it1 these are his real self4 ,i am not merely what ,i am3 ,i am very truly that which ,i long to be4 ,and thus1 man may plead1 ,i am what ,i move towards and strive after1 my aspiration is myself4 ,but ,god says1 ,i ,,am ,,what ,i ,,am4 ,the stream hurries forward3 the rock abides4 ,and this is the ,rock of ,ages4 ,now1 such a conception is at first sight not far removed from that apathetic and impassive kind of deity which the practical atheism of ancient materialists could well afford to grant2--ever in itself enjoying immortality together with supreme repose1 far removed and withdrawn from our concerns1 since it1 exempt from every pain1 exempt from all danger1 strong in its own resources and wanting nought from us1 is neither gained by favour nor moved by wrath4 ,thus ,lucretius conceived of the absolute ,being as by the necessity of its nature entirely outside our system4 ,but ,moses was taught to trust in ,jehovah as intervening1 pitying sorrow and wrong1 coming down to assist ,his creatures in distress4 ,how could this be possible8 ,clearly the movement towards them must be wholly disinterested1 and wholly from within2 unbought1 since no external influence can modify ,his condition1 no puny sacrifice can propitiate ,him ,who sitteth upon the circle of the earth and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers3 a movement prompted by no irregular emotional impulse1 but an abiding law of ,his nature1 incapable of change1 the movement of a nature1 personal indeed1 yet as steady1 as surely to be reckoned upon in like circumstances1 as the operations of gravitation are4 ,there is no such motive1 working in such magnificent regularity for good1 save one4 ,the ultimate doctrine of the ,new ,testament1 that ,god is ,love1 is already involved in this early assertion1 that being wholly independent of us and our concerns1 ,he is yet not indifferent to them1 so that ,moses could say unto the children of ,israel ,i ,,am hath sent me unto you4 ,it is this unchangeable consistency of ,divine action which gives the narrative its intense interest to us4 ,to ,moses1 and therefore to all who receive any commission from the skies1 this title said1 ,frail creature1 sport of circumstances and of tyrants1 ,he who commissions thee sits above the waterfloods1 and their rage can as little modify or change ,his purpose1 now committed to thy charge1 as the spray can quench the stars4 ,perplexed creature1 whose best self lives only in aspiration and desire1 now thou art an instrument in the hand of ,him with ,whom desire and attainment1 will and fruition1 are eternally the same4 ,none truly fails in fighting for ,jehovah1 for who hath resisted ,his will8 ,to ,israel1 and to all the oppressed whose minds are open to receive the tidings and their faith strong to embrace it1 ,he said1 ,your life is blighted1 and your future is in the hand of taskmasters1 yet be of good cheer1 for now your deliverance is undertaken by ,him ,whose being and purpose are one1 ,who is in perfection of enjoyment all that ,he is in contemplation and in will4 ,the rescue of ,israel by an immutable and perfect ,god is the earnest of the breaking of every yoke4 ,and to the proud and godless world which knows ,him not1 ,he says1 ,resistance to ,my will can only show forth all its power1 which is not at the mercy of opinion or interest or change3 ,i sit upon the throne1 not only supreme but independent1 not only victorious but unassailable2 self-contained1 self-poised and self-sufficing1 ,i ,,am ,,that ,i ,,am4 ,have we now escaped the inert and self-absorbed deity of ,lucretius1 only to fall into the palsying grasp of the tyrannous deity of ,calvin8 ,does our own human will shrivel up and become powerless under the compulsion of that immutability with which we are strangely brought into contact8 ,evidently this is not the teaching of the ,book of ,exodus4 ,for it is here1 in this revelation of the ,supreme1 that we first hear of a nation as being ,his3 ,i have seen the affliction of ,my people which is in ,egypt 444 and ,i have come down to bring them into a good land4 ,they were all baptized into ,moses in the cloud and in the sea4 ,yet their carcases fell in the wilderness4 ,and these things were written for our learning4 ,the immutability1 which suffers no shock when we enter into the covenant1 remains unshaken also if we depart from the living ,god4 ,the sun shines alike when we raise the curtain and when we drop it1 when our chamber is illumined and when it is dark4 ,the immutability of ,god is not in ,his operations1 for sometimes ,he gave ,his people into the hand of their enemies1 and again ,he turned and helped them4 ,it is in ,his nature1 ,his mind1 in the principles which guide ,his actions4 ,if ,he had not chastened ,david for his sin1 then1 by acting as before1 ,he would have been other at heart than when ,he rejected ,saul for disobedience and chose the son of ,jesse to fulfil all ,his word4 ,the wind has veered1 if it continues to propel the vessel in the same direction1 although helm and sails are shifted4 ,such is the ,pauline doctrine of ,his immutability4 ,if we endure we shall also reign with ,him3 if we shall deny ,him1 ,he also will deny us1--and such is the necessity of ,his being1 for we cannot sway ,him with our changes3 if we are faithless1 ,he abideth faithful1 for ,he cannot deny ,himself4 ,and therefore it is presently added that the firm foundation of the ,lord standeth sure1 having not only this seal1 that the ,lord knoweth those that are ,his1--but also this1 ,let every one that nameth the name of the ,lord depart from unrighteousness 7#b ,tim4 ii4 #ab1 #ac1 #ai1 ,r4,v474 ,the ,lord knew that ,israel was ,his1 yet for their unrighteousness ,he sware in ,his wrath that they should not enter into ,his rest4 ,it follows from all this that the new name of ,god was no academic subtlety1 no metaphysical refinement of the schools1 unfitly revealed to slaves1 but a most practical and inspiring truth1 a conviction to warm their blood1 to rouse their courage1 to convert their despair into confidence and their alarms into defiance4 ,they had the support of a ,god worthy of trust4 ,and thenceforth every answer in righteousness1 every new disclosure of fidelity1 tenderness1 love1 was not an abnormal phenomenon1 the uncertain grace of a capricious despot2 no1 its import was permanent as an observation of the stars by an astronomer1 ever more to be remembered in calculating the movements of the universe4 ,in future troubles they could appeal to ,him to awake as in the ancient days1 as being ,he who cut ,rahab and wounded the ,dragon4 ,i am the ,lord1 ,i change not1 therefore ye sons of ,jacob are not consumed4 ,and as the sublime and beautiful conception of a loving spiritual ,god was built up slowly1 age by age1 tier upon tier1 this was the foundation which insured the the stability of all1 until the ,head ,stone of the ,corner gave completeness to the vast design1 until men saw and could believe in the very ,incarnation of all ,love1 unshaken amid anguish and distress and seeming failure1 immovable1 victorious1 while they heard from human lips the awful words1 ,before ,abraham was1 ,i ,,am4 ,then they learned to identify all this ancient lesson of trustworthiness with new and more pathetic revelations of affection3 and the martyr at the stake grew strong as he remembered that the ,man of ,sorrows was the same yesterday and to-day and for ever2 and the great apostle1 prostrate before the glory of his ,master1 was restored by the touch of a human hand1 and by the voice of ,him upon ,whose bosom he had leaned1 saying1 ,fear not1 ,i am the ,first and the ,last and the ,living ,one4 ,and if men are once more fain to rend from humanity that great assurance1 which for ages1 amid all shocks1 has made the frail creature of the dust to grow strong and firm and fearless1 partaker of the ,divine ,nature1 what will they give us in its stead8 ,or do they think us too strong of will1 too firm of purpose8 ,looking around us1 we see nations heaving with internal agitations1 armed to the teeth against each other1 and all things like a ship at sea reeling to and fro1 and staggering like a drunken man4 ,there is no stability for us in constitutions or old formul--none anywhere1 if it be not in the soul of man4 ,well for us1 then1 that the anchor of the soul is sure and steadfast6 well that unnumbered millions take courage from their ,saviour's word1 that the world's worst anguish is the beginning1 not of dissolution1 but of the birth-pangs of a new heaven and earth1--that when the clouds are blackest because the light of sun and moon is quenched1 then1 then we shall behold the ,immutable unveiled1 the ,son of ,man1 who is brought nigh unto the ,ancient of ,days1 now sitting in the clouds of heaven1 and coming in the glory of ,his ,father6 ,,the ,,commission4 iii4 #aj1 #af-bb4 ,we have already learned from the seventh verse that ,god commissioned ,moses1 only when ,he had ,himself descended to deliver ,israel4 ,he sends none1 except with the implied or explicit promise that certainly ,he will be with them4 ,but the converse is also true4 ,if ,god sends no man but when ,he comes ,himself1 ,he never comes without demanding the agency of man4 ,the overruled reluctance of ,moses1 and the inflexible urgency of his commission1 may teach us the honour set by ,god upon humanity4 ,he has knit men together in the mutual dependence of nations and of families1 that each may be ,his minister to all2 and in every great crisis of history ,he has respected ,his own principle1 and has visited the race by means of the providential man4 ,the gospel was not preached by angels4 ,its first agents found themselves like sheep among wolves3 they were an exhibition to the world and to angels and men1 yet necessity was laid upon them1 and a woe if they preached it not4 ,all the best gifts of heaven come to us by the agency of inventor and sage1 hero and explorer1 organiser and philanthropist1 patriot1 reformer and saint4 ,and the hope which inspires their grandest effort is never that of selfish gain1 nor even of fame1 though fame is a keen spur1 which perhaps ,god set before ,moses in the noble hope that thou shalt bring forth the people 7ver4 #ab74 ,but the truly impelling force is always the great deed itself1 the haunting thought1 the importunate inspiration1 the inward fire2 and so ,god promises ,moses neither a sceptre1 nor share in the good land3 ,he simply proposes to him the work1 the rescue of the people2 and ,moses1 for his part1 simply objects that he is unable1 not that he is solicitous about his reward4 ,whatever is done for payment can be valued by its cost3 all the priceless services done for us by our greatest were1 in very deed1 unpriced4 ,moses1 with the new name of ,god to reveal1 and with the assurance that ,he is about to rescue ,israel1 is bidden to go to work advisedly and wisely4 ,he is not to appeal to the mob1 nor yet to confront ,pharaoh without authority from his people to speak for them1 nor is he to make the great demand for emancipation abruptly and at once4 ,the mistake of forty years ago must not be repeated now4 ,he is to appeal to the elders of ,israel2 and with them1 and therefore clearly representing the nation1 he is respectfully to crave permission for a three days' journey1 to sacrifice to ,jehovah in the wilderness4 ,the blustering assurance with which certain fanatics of our own time first assume that they possess a direct commission from the skies1 and thereupon that they are freed from all order1 from all recognition of any human authority1 and then that no considerations of prudence or of decency should restrain the violence and bad taste which they mistake for zeal1 is curiously unlike anything in the ,old ,testament or the ,new4 ,was ever a commission more direct than those of ,moses and of ,st4 ,paul8 ,yet ,moses was to obtain the recognition of the elders of his people2 and ,st4 ,paul received formal ordination by the explicit command of ,god 7,acts xiii4 #c74 ,strangely enough1 it is often assumed that this demand for a furlough of three days was insincere4 ,but it would only have been so1 if consent were expected1 and if the intention were thereupon to abuse the respite and refuse to return4 ,there is not the slightest hint of any duplicity of the kind4 ,the real motives for the demand are very plain4 ,the excursion which they proposed would have taught the people to move and act together1 reviving their national spirit1 and filling them with a desire for the liberty which they tasted4 ,in the very words which they should speak1 ,the ,lord1 the ,god of the ,hebrews1 hath met with us1 there is a distinct proclamation of nationality1 and of its surest and strongest bulwark1 a national religion4 ,from such an excursion1 therefore1 the people would have returned1 already well-nigh emancipated1 and with recognised leaders4 ,certainly ,pharaoh could not listen to any such proposal1 unless he were prepared to reverse the whole policy of his dynasty toward ,israel4 ,but the refusal answered two good ends4 ,in the first place it joined issue on the best conceivable ground1 for ,israel was exhibited making the least possible demand with the greatest possible courtesy--,let us go1 we pray thee1 three days' journey into the wilderness4 ,not even so much would be granted4 ,the tyrant was palpably in the wrong1 and thenceforth it was perfectly reasonable to increase the severity of the terms after each of his defeats1 which proceeding in its turn made concession more and more galling to his pride4 ,in the second place1 the quarrel was from the first avowedly and undeniably religious3 the gods of ,egypt were matched against ,jehovah2 and in the successive plagues which desolated his land ,pharaoh gradually learnt ,who ,jehovah was4 ,in the message which ,moses should convey to the elders there are two significant phrases4 ,he was to announce in the name of ,god1 ,i have surely visited you1 and seen that which is done unto you in ,egypt4 ,the silent observation of ,god before ,he interposes is very solemn and instructive4 ,so in the ,revelation1 ,he walks among the golden candlesticks1 and knows the work1 the patience1 or the unfaithfulness of each4 ,so ,he is not far from any one of us4 ,when a heavy blow falls we speak of it as a ,visitation of ,providence1 but in reality the visitation has been long before4 ,neither ,israel nor ,egypt was conscious of the solemn presence4 ,who knows what soul of man1 or what nation1 is thus visited to-day1 for future deliverance or rebuke8 ,again it is said1 ,i will bring you up out of the affliction of ,egypt into 444 a land flowing with milk and honey4 ,their affliction was the divine method of uprooting them4 ,and so is our affliction the method by which our hearts are released from love of earth and life1 that in due time ,he may surely bring us in to a better and an enduring country4 ,now1 we wonder that the ,israelites clung so fondly to the place of their captivity4 ,but what of our own hearts8 ,have they a desire to depart8 or do they groan in bondage1 and yet recoil from their emancipation8 ,the hesitating nation is not plainly told that their affliction will be intensified and their lives made burdensome with labour4 ,that is perhaps implied in the certainty that ,pharaoh will not let you go1 no1 not by a mighty hand4 ,but it is with ,israel as with us3 a general knowledge that in the world we shall have tribulation is enough2 the catalogue of our trials is not spread out before us in advance4 ,they were assured for their encouragement that all their long captivity should at last receive its wages1 for they should not borrow#f but ask of the ,egyptians jewels of silver1 and gold1 and raiment1 and they should spoil the ,egyptians4 ,so are we taught to have respect unto the recompense of the reward4 ,,footnotes3 #f ,so much ignorant capital has been made by sceptics out of this unfortunate mistranslation1 that it is worth while to inquire whether the word borrow would suit the context in other passages4 ,he borrowed water and she gave him milk 7,judges v4 #be74 ,the ,lord said unto ,solomon1 ,because thou hast borrowed this thing1 and hast not borrowed long life for thyself1 neither hast borrowed riches for thyself1 nor hast borrowed the life of thine enemies 7#a ,kings iii4 #aa74 ,and ,elijah said unto ,elisha1 ,thou hast borrowed a hard thing 7#b ,kings ii4 #aj74 ,the absurdity of the cavil is self-evident4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,moses ,,hesitates4 iv4 #a-ag4 ,holy ,scripture is impartial1 even towards its heroes4 ,the sin of ,david is recorded1 and the failure of ,peter4 ,and so is the reluctance of ,moses to accept his commission1 even after a miracle had been vouchsafed to him for encouragement4 ,the absolute sinlessness of ,jesus is the more significant because it is found in the records of a creed which knows of no idealised humanity4 ,in ,josephus1 the refusal of ,moses is softened down4 ,even the modest words1 ,lord1 ,i am still in doubt how ,i1 a private man and of no abilities1 should persuade my countrymen or ,pharaoh1 are not spoken after the sign is given4 ,nor is there any mention of the transfer to ,aaron of a part of his commission1 nor of their joint offence at ,meribah1 nor of its penalty1 which in ,scripture is bewailed so often4 ,and ,josephus is equally tender about the misdeeds of the nation4 ,we hear nothing of their murmurs against ,moses and ,aaron when their burdens are increased1 or of their making the golden calf4 ,whereas it is remarkable and natural that the fear of ,moses is less anxious about his reception by the tyrant than by his own people3 ,behold1 they will not believe me1 nor hearken unto my voice2 for they will say1 ,the ,lord hath not appeared unto thee4 ,this is very unlike the invention of a later period1 glorifying the beginnings of the nation2 but it is absolutely true to life4 ,great men do not fear the wrath of enemies if they can be secured against the indifference and contempt of friends2 and ,moses in particular was at last persuaded to undertake his mission by the promise of the support of ,aaron4 ,his hesitation is therefore the earliest example of what has been so often since observed--the discouragement of heroes1 reformers and messengers from ,god1 less by fear of the attacks of the world than of the contemptuous scepticism of the people of ,god4 ,we often sigh for the appearing1 in our degenerate days1 of ,a man with heart1 head1 hand1 ,like some of the simple great ones gone4 ,yet who shall say that the want of them is not our own fault8 ,the critical apathy and incredulity1 not of the world but of the ,church1 is what freezes the fountains of ,christian daring and the warmth of ,christian zeal4 ,for the help of the faith of his people1 ,moses is commissioned to work two miracles2 and he is caused to rehearse them1 for his own4 ,strange tales were told among the later ,jews about his wonder-working rod4 ,it was cut by ,adam before leaving ,paradise1 was brought by ,noah into the ark1 passed into ,egypt with ,joseph1 and was recovered by ,moses while he enjoyed the favour of the court4 ,these legends arose from downright moral inability to receive the true lesson of the incident1 which is the confronting of the sceptre of ,egypt with the simple staff of the shepherd1 the choosing of the weak things of earth to confound the strong1 the power of ,god to work ,his miracles by the most puny and inadequate means4 ,anything was more credible than that ,he who led ,his people like sheep did indeed guide them with a common shepherd's crook4 ,and yet this was precisely the lesson meant for us to learn--the glorification of poor resources in the grasp of faith4 ,both miracles were of a menacing kind4 ,first the rod became a serpent1 to declare that at ,god's bidding enemies would rise up against the oppressor1 even where all seemed innocuous1 as in truth the waters of the river and the dust of the furnace and the winds of heaven conspired against him4 ,then1 in the grasp of ,moses1 the serpent from which he fled became a rod again1 to intimate that these avenging forces were subject to the servant of ,jehovah4 ,again1 his hand became leprous in his bosom1 and was presently restored to health again--a declaration that he carried with him the power of death1 in its most dreadful form2 and perhaps a still more solemn admonition to those who remember what leprosy betokens1 and how every approach of ,god to man brings first the knowledge of sin1 to be followed by the assurance that ,he has cleansed it4#g ,if the people would not hearken to the voice of the first sign1 they should believe the second2 but at the worst1 and if they were still unconvinced1 they would believe when they saw the water of the ,nile1 the pride and glory of their oppressors1 turned into blood before their eyes4 ,that was an omen which needs no interpretation4 ,what follows is curious4 ,moses objects that he has not hitherto been eloquent1 nor does he experience any improvement since ,thou hast spoken unto ,thy servant 7a graphic touch671 and he seems to suppose that the popular choice between liberty and slavery would depend less upon the evidence of a ,divine power than upon sleight of tongue1 as if he were in modern ,england4 ,but let it be observed that the self-consciousness which wears the mask of humility while refusing to submit its judgment to that of ,god1 is a form of selfishness--self-absorption blinding one to other considerations beyond himself--as real1 though not as hateful1 as greed and avarice and lust4 ,how can ,moses call himself slow of speech and of a slow tongue1 when ,stephen distinctly declares that he was mighty in word as well as deed8 7,acts vii4 #bb74 ,perhaps it is enough to answer that many years of solitude in a strange land had robbed him of his fluency4 ,perhaps ,stephen had in mind the words of the ,book of ,wisdom1 that ,wisdom entered into the soul of the servant of the ,lord1 and withstood dreadful kings in wonders and signs4444 ,for ,wisdom opened the mouth of the dumb1 and made the tongues of them that cannot speak eloquent 7,wisdom x4 #af1 #ba74 ,to his scruple the answer was returned1 ,who hath made man's mouth8444 ,have not ,i the ,lord8 ,now therefore go1 and ,i will be with thy mouth1 and teach thee what thou shalt say4 ,the same encouragement belongs to every one who truly executes a mandate from above3 ,lo1 ,i am with you alway4 ,for surely this encouragement is the same4 ,surely ,jesus did not mean to offer ,his own presence as a substitute for that of ,god1 but as being in very truth ,divine1 when ,he bade ,his disciples1 in reliance upon ,him1 to go forth and convert the world4 ,and this is the true test which divides faith from presumption1 and unbelief from prudence3 do we go because ,god is with us in ,christ1 or because we ourselves are strong and wise8 ,do we hold back because we are not sure of ,his commission1 or only because we distrust ourselves8 ,humility without faith is too timorous2 faith without humility is too hasty4 ,the phrase explains the conduct of ,moses both now and forty years before4 ,moses1 however1 still entreats that any one may be chosen rather than himself3 ,send1 ,i pray ,thee1 by the hand of him whom ,thou wilt send4 ,and thereupon the anger of the ,lord was kindled against him1 although at the moment his only visible punishment was the partial granting of his prayer--the association with him in his commission of ,aaron1 who could speak well1 the forfeiting of a certain part of his vocation1 and with it of a certain part of its reward4 ,the words1 ,is not ,aaron thy brother the ,levite8 have been used to insinuate that the tribal arrangement was not perfected when they were written1 and so to discredit the narrative4 ,but when so interpreted they yield no adequate sense1 they do not reinforce the argument2 while they are perfectly intelligible as implying that ,aaron is already the leader of his tribe1 and therefore sure to obtain the hearing of which ,moses despaired4 ,but the arrangement involved grave consequences sure to be developed in due time3 among others1 the reliance of ,israel upon a feebler will1 which could be forced by their clamour to make them a calf of gold4 ,moses was yet to learn that lesson which our century knows nothing of1--that a speaker and a leader of nations are not the same4 ,when he cried to ,aaron1 in the bitterness of his soul1 ,what did this people to thee1 that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them8 did he remember by whose unfaithfulness ,aaron had been thrust into the office1 the responsibilities of which he had betrayed8 ,now1 it is the duty of every man1 to whom a special vocation presents itself1 to set opposite each other two considerations4 ,dare ,i undertake this task8 is a solemn question1 but so is this3 ,dare ,i let this task go past me8 ,am ,i prepared for the responsibility of allowing it to drift into weaker hands8 ,these are days when the ,church of ,christ is calling for the help of every one capable of aiding her1 and we ought to hear it said more often that one is afraid not to teach in ,sunday ,school1 and another dares not refuse a proffered district1 and a third fears to leave charitable tasks undone4 ,to him that knoweth to do good1 and doeth it not1 to him it is sin2 and we hear too much about the terrible responsibility of working for ,god1 but too little about the still graver responsibility of refusing to work for ,him when called4 ,moses indeed attained so much that we are scarcely conscious that he might have been greater still4 ,he had once presumed to go unsent1 and brought upon himself the exile of half a lifetime4 ,again he presumed almost to say1 ,i go not1 and well-nigh to incur the guilt of ,jonah when sent to ,nineveh1 and in so doing he forfeited the fulness of his vocation4 ,but who reaches the level of his possibilities8 ,who is not haunted by faces1 each one a murdered self1 a nobler self1 that might have been1 and is now impossible for ever8 ,only ,jesus could say ,i have finished the work which ,thou gavest ,me to do4 ,and it is notable that while ,jesus deals1 in the parable of the labourers1 with the problem of equal faithfulness during longer and shorter periods of employment2 and in the parable of the pounds with that of equal endowment variously improved2 and yet again1 in the parable of the talents1 with the problem of various endowments all doubled alike1 ,he always draws a veil over the treatment of five talents which earn but two or three besides4 ,a more cheerful reflection suggested by this narrative is the strange power of human fellowship4 ,moses knew and was persuaded that ,god1 ,whose presence was even then miraculously apparent in the bush1 and ,who had invested him with superhuman powers1 would go with him4 ,there is no trace of incredulity in his behaviour1 but only of failure to rely1 to cast his shrinking and reluctant will upon the truth he recognised and the ,god ,whose presence he confessed4 ,he held back1 as many a one does1 who is honest when he repeats the ,creed in church1 yet fails to submit his life to the easy yoke of ,jesus4 ,nor is it from physical peril that he recoils3 at the bidding of ,god he has just grasped the serpent from which he fled2 and in confronting a tyrant with armies at his back1 he could hope for small assistance from his brother4 ,but highly strung spirits1 in every great crisis1 are aware of vague indefinite apprehensions that are not cowardly but imaginative4 ,thus ,csar1 when defying the hosts of ,pompey1 is said to have been disturbed by an apparition4 ,it is vain to put these apprehensions into logical form1 and argue them down3 the slowness of speech of ,moses was surely refuted by the presence of ,god1 ,who makes the mouth and inspires the utterance2 but such fears lie deeper than the reasons they assign1 and when argument fails1 will yet stubbornly repeat their cry3 ,send1 ,i pray ,thee1 by the hand of him whom ,thou wilt send4 ,now this shrinking1 which is not craven1 is dispelled by nothing so effectually as by the touch of a human hand4 ,it is like the voice of a friend to one beset by ghostly terrors3 he does not expect his comrade to exorcise a spirit1 and yet his apprehensions are dispelled4 ,thus ,moses cannot summon up courage from the protection of ,god1 but when assured of the companionship of his brother he will not only venture to return to ,egypt1 but will bring with him his wife and children4 ,thus1 also1 ,he ,who knew what was in men's hearts sent forth ,his missionaries1 both the ,twelve and the ,seventy 7as we have yet to learn the true economy of sending ours71 by two and two 7,mark vi4 #g2 ,luke x4 #a74 ,this is the principle which underlies the institution of the ,church of ,christ1 and the conception that ,christians are brothers1 among whom the strong must help the weak4 ,such help from their fellow-mortals would perhaps decide the choice of many hesitating souls1 upon the verge of the divine life1 recoiling from its unknown and dread experiences1 but longing for a sympathising comrade4 ,alas for the unkindly and unsympathetic religion of men whose faith has never warmed a human heart1 and of congregations in which emotion is a misdemeanour6 ,there is no stronger force1 among all that make for the abuses of priestcraft1 than this same yearning for human help becomes when robbed of its proper nourishment1 which is the communion of saints1 and the pastoral care of souls4 ,has it no further nourishment than these8 ,this instinctive craving for a ,brother to help as well as a ,father to direct and govern1--this social instinct1 which banished the fears of ,moses and made him set out for ,egypt long before ,aaron came in sight1 content when assured of ,aaron's co-operation1--is there nothing in ,god ,himself to respond to it8 ,he ,who is not ashamed to call us brethren has profoundly modified the ,church's conception of ,jehovah1 the ,eternal1 ,absolute and ,unconditioned4 ,it is because ,he can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities1 that we are bidden to draw near with boldness unto the ,throne of ,grace4 ,there is no heart so lonely that it cannot commune with the lofty and kind humanity of ,jesus4 ,there is a homelier lesson to be learned4 ,moses was not only solaced by human fellowship1 but nerved and animated by the thought of his brother1 and the mention of his tribe4 ,is not ,aaron thy brother the ,levite8 ,they had not met for forty years4 ,vague rumours of deadly persecution were doubtless all that had reached the fugitive1 whose heart had burned1 in solitary communion with ,nature in her sternest forms1 as he brooded over the wrongs of his family1 of ,aaron1 and perhaps of ,miriam4 ,and now his brother lived4 ,the call which ,moses would have put from him was for the emancipation of his own flesh and blood1 and for their greatness4 ,in that great hour1 domestic affection did much to turn the scale wherein the destinies of humanity were trembling4 ,and his was affection well returned4 ,it might easily have been otherwise1 for ,aaron had seen his younger brother called to a dazzling elevation1 living in enviable magnificence1 and earning fame by word and deed2 and then1 after a momentary fusion of sympathy and of condition1 forty years had poured between them a torrent of cares and joys estranging because unshared4 ,but it was promised that ,aaron1 when he saw him1 should be glad at heart2 and the words throw a beam of exquisite light into the depths of the mighty soul which ,god inspired to emancipate ,israel and to found ,his ,church1 by thoughts of his brother's joy on meeting him4 ,let no man dream of attaining real greatness by stifling his affections4 ,the heart is more important than the intellect2 and the brief story of the ,exodus has room for the yearning of ,jochebed over her infant when she saw him that he was a goodly child1 for the bold inspiration of the young poetess1 who stood afar off to know what should be done to him1 and now for the love of ,aaron4 ,so the ,virgin1 in the dread hour of her reproach1 went in haste to her cousin ,elizabeth4 ,so ,andrew findeth first his own brother ,simon4 ,and so the ,divine ,sufferer1 forsaken of ,god1 did not forsake ,his mother4 ,the ,bible is full of domestic life4 ,it is the theme of the greater part of ,genesis1 which makes the family the seed-plot of the ,church4 ,it is wisely recognised again at the moment when the larger pulse of the nation begins to beat4 ,for the life-blood in the heart of a nation must be the blood in the hearts of men4 ,,moses ,,obeys4 iv4 #ah-ca4 ,moses is now commissioned3 he is to go to ,egypt1 and ,aaron is coming thence to meet him4 ,yet he first returns to ,midian1 to ,jethro1 who is both his employer and the head of the family1 and prays him to sanction his visit to his own people4 ,there are duties which no family resistance can possibly cancel1 and the direct command of ,god made it plain that this was one of them4 ,but there are two ways of performing even the most imperative obligation1 and religious people have done irreparable mischief before now1 by rudeness1 disregard to natural feeling and the rights of their fellow-men1 under the impression that they showed their allegiance to ,god by outraging other ties4 ,it is a theory for which no sanction can be found either in ,holy ,scripture or in common sense4 ,when he asks permission to visit his brethren we cannot say whether he ever had brothers besides ,aaron1 or uses the word in the same larger national sense as when we read that1 forty years before1 he went out unto his brethren and saw their burdens4 ,what is to be observed is that he is reticent with respect to his vast expectations and designs4 ,he does not argue that1 because a ,divine promise must needs be fulfilled1 he need not be discreet1 wary and taciturn1 any more than ,st4 ,paul supposed1 because the lives of his shipmates were promised to him1 that it mattered nothing whether the sailors remained on board4 ,the decrees of ,god have sometimes been used to justify the recklessness of man1 but never by ,his chosen followers4 ,they have worked out their own salvation the more earnestly because ,god worked in them4 ,and every good cause calls aloud for human energy and wisdom1 all the more because its consummation is the will of ,god1 and sooner or later is assured4 ,moses has unlearned his rashness4 ,when the ,lord said unto ,moses in ,midian1 ,go1 return unto ,egypt1 for all the men are dead which sought thy life1 there is an almost verbal resemblance to the words in which the infant ,jesus is recalled from exile4 ,we shall have to consider the typical aspect of the whole narrative1 when a convenient stage is reached for pausing to survey it in its completeness4 ,but resemblances like this have been treated with so much scorn1 they have been so freely perverted into evidence of the mythical nature of the later story1 that some passing allusion appears desirable4 ,we must beware equally of both extremes4 ,the ,old ,testament is tortured1 and genuine prophecies are made no better than coincidences1 when coincidences are exalted to all the dignity of express predictions4 ,one can scarcely venture to speak of the death of ,herod when ,jesus was to return from ,egypt1 as being deliberately typified in the death of those who sought the life of ,moses4 ,but it is quite clear that the words in ,st4 ,matthew do intentionally point the reader back to this narrative4 ,for1 indeed1 under both1 there are to be recognised the same principles3 that ,god does not thrust ,his servants into needless or excessive peril2 and that when the life of a tyrant has really become not only a trial but a barrier1 it will be removed by the ,king of kings4 ,god is prudent for ,his heroes4 ,moreover1 we must recognise the lofty fitness of what is very visible in the ,gospels--the coming to a head in ,christ of the various experiences of the people of ,god2 and at the recurrence1 in ,his story1 of events already known elsewhere1 we need not be disquieted1 as if the suspicion of a myth were now become difficult to refute2 rather should we recognise the fulness of the supreme life1 and its points of contact with all lives1 which are but portions of its vast completeness4 ,who does not feel that in the world's greatest events a certain harmony and correspondence are as charming as they are in music8 ,there is a sort of counterpoint in history4 ,and to this answering of deep unto deep1 this responsiveness of the story of ,jesus to all history1 our attention is silently beckoned by ,st4 ,matthew1 when1 without asserting any closer link between the incidents1 he borrows this phrase so aptly4 ,a much deeper meaning underlies the profound expression which ,god now commands ,moses to employ2 and although it must await consideration at a future time1 the progressive education of ,moses himself is meantime to be observed4 ,at first he is taught that the ,lord is the ,god of their fathers1 in whose descendants ,he is therefore interested4 ,then the present ,israel is ,his people1 and valued for its own sake4 ,now he hears1 and is bidden to repeat to ,pharaoh1 the amazing phrase1 ,israel is ,my son1 even ,my firstborn3 let ,my son go that he may serve ,me2 and if thou refuse to let him go1 behold ,i will slay thy son1 even thy firstborn4 ,thus it is that infant faith is led from height to height4 ,and assuredly there never was an utterance better fitted than this to prepare human minds1 in the fulness of time1 for a still clearer revelation of the nearness of ,god to man1 and for the possibility of an absolute union between the ,creator and ,his creature4 ,it was on his way into ,egypt1 with his wife and children1 that a mysterious interposition forced ,zipporah reluctantly and tardily to circumcise her son4 ,the meaning of this strange episode lies perhaps below the surface1 but very near it4 ,danger in some form1 probably that of sickness1 pressed ,moses hard1 and he recognised in it the displeasure of his ,god4 ,the form of the narrative leads us to suppose that he had no previous consciousness of guilt1 and had now to infer the nature of his offence without any explicit announcement1 just as we infer it from what follows4 ,if so1 he discerned his transgression when trouble awoke his conscience2 and so did his wife ,zipporah4 ,yet her resistance to the circumcision of their younger son was so tenacious1 with such difficulty was it overcome by her husband's peril or by his command1 that her tardy performance of the rite was accompanied by an insulting action and a bitter taunt4 ,as she submitted1 the ,lord let him go2 but we may perhaps conclude that the grievance continued to rankle1 from the repetition of her gibe1 ,so she said1 ,a bridegroom of blood art thou because of the circumcision4 ,the words mean1 ,we are betrothed again in blood1 and might of themselves admit a gentler1 and even a tender significance2 as if1 in the sacrifice of a strong prejudice for her husband's sake1 she felt a revival of the kindness of her youth1 the love of her espousals4 ,for nothing removes the film from the surface of a true affection1 and makes the heart aware how bright it is1 so well as a great sacrifice1 frankly offered for the sake of love4 ,but such a rendering is excluded by the action which went with her words1 and they must be explained as meaning1 ,this is the kind of husband ,i have wedded3 these are our espousals4 ,with such an utterance she fades almost entirely out of the story3 it does not even tell how she drew back to her father2 and thenceforth all we know of her is that she rejoined ,moses only when the fame of his victory over ,amalek had gone abroad4 ,their union seems to have been an ill-assorted or at least an unprosperous one4 ,in the tender hour when their firstborn was to be named1 the bitter sense of loneliness had continued to be nearer to the heart of ,moses than the glad new consciousness of paternity1 and he said1 ,i am a stranger in a strange land4 ,different indeed had been the experience of ,joseph1 who called his firstborn ,manasseh1 for ,god1 said he1 hath made me forget all my toil1 and all my father's house 7,gen4 xli4 #ea74 ,the home-life of ,moses had not made him forget that he was an exile4 ,even the removal of imminent death from her husband could not hush these selfish complaints of ,zipporah1 not because he was a father of blood to her little one1 but because he was a bridegroom of blood to her own shrinking sensibilities4 ,it is ,miriam the sister1 not ,zipporah the wife1 who gives lyrical and passionate voice to his triumph1 and is mourned by the nation when she dies4 ,both what we read of her and what we do not read goes far to explain the insignificance of their children in history1 and the more startling fact that the grandson of ,moses became the venal instrument of the ,danites in their schismatic worship 7,judges xviii4 #cj1 ,r4,v474 ,domestic unhappiness is a palliation1 but not a justification1 for an unserviceable life4 ,it is a great advantage to come into action with the dew and freshness of affection upon the soul4 ,yet it is not once nor twice that men have carried the message of ,god back from the barren desert and the lonely ways of their unhappiness to the not too happy race of man4 ,now1 who can fail to discern real history in all this8 ,is it in such a way that myth or legend would have dealt with the wife of the great deliverer8 ,still less conceivable is it that these should have treated ,moses himself as the narrative hitherto has consistently done4 ,at every step he is made to stumble4 ,his first attempt was homicidal1 and brought upon him forty years of exile4 ,when the ,divine commission came he drew back wilfully1 as he had formerly pressed forward unsent4 ,there is not even any suggestion offered us of ,stephen's apology for his violent deed--namely1 that he supposed his brethren understood how that ,god by his hand was giving them deliverance 7,acts vii4 #be74 ,there is nothing that resembles the eulogium of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews upon the faith which glorified his precipitancy1 like the rainbow in a torrent1 because that rash blow committed him to share the affliction of the people of ,god1 and renounced the rank of a grand son of the ,pharaoh 7,heb4 xi4 #bd-e74 ,all this is very natural1 if ,moses himself be in any degree responsible for the narrative4 ,it is incredible1 if the narrative were put together after the ,captivity1 to claim the sanction of so great a name for a newly forged hierarchical system4 ,such a theory could scarcely be refuted more completely1 if the narrative before us were invented with the deliberate aim to overthrow it4 ,but in truth the failures of the good and great are written for our admonition1 teaching us how inconsistent are even the best of mortals1 and how weak the most resolute4 ,rather than forfeit his own place among the chosen people1 ,moses had forsaken a palace and become a proscribed fugitive2 yet he had neglected to claim for his child its rightful share in the covenant1 its recognition among the sons of ,abraham4 ,perhaps procrastination1 perhaps domestic opposition1 more potent than a king's wrath to shake his purpose1 perhaps the insidious notion that one who had sacrificed so much might be at ease about slight negligences1--some such influence had left the commandment unobserved4 ,and now1 when the dream of his life was being realised at last1 and he found himself the chosen instrument of ,god for the rebuke of one nation and the making of another1 how pardonable it must have seemed to leave an unpleasant small domestic duty over until a more convenient season6 ,how natural it still seems to merge the petty task in the high vocation1 to excuse small lapses in pursuit of lofty aims6 ,but this was the very time when ,god1 hitherto forbearing1 took him sternly to task for his neglect1 because men who are especially honoured should be more obedient and reverential than their fellows4 ,let young men who dream of a vast career1 and meanwhile indulge themselves in small obliquities1 let all who cast out demons in the name of ,christ1 and yet work iniquity1 reflect upon this chosen and long-trained1 self-sacrificing and ardent servant of the ,lord1 whom ,jehovah seeks to kill because he wilfully disobeys even a purely ceremonial precept4 ,moses was not only religious1 but a man of destiny1 one upon whom vast interests depended4 ,now1 such men have often reckoned themselves exempt from the ordinary laws of conduct4#h ,it is not a light thing1 therefore1 to find ,god's indignant protest against the faintest shadow of a doctrine so insidious and so deadly1 set in the forefront of sacred history1 at the very point where national concerns and those of religion begin to touch4 ,if our politics are to be kept pure and clean1 we must learn to exact a higher fidelity1 and not a relaxed morality1 from those who propose to sway the destinies of nations4 ,and now the brothers meet1 embrace1 and exchange confidences4 ,as ,andrew1 the first disciple who brought another to ,jesus1 found first his own brother ,simon1 so was ,aaron the earliest convert to the mission of ,moses4 ,and that happened which so often puts our faithlessness to shame4 ,it had seemed very hard to break his strange tidings to the people3 it was in fact very easy to address one whose love had not grown cold during their severance1 who probably retained faith in the ,divine purpose for which the beautiful child of the family had been so strangely preserved1 and who had passed through trial and discipline unknown to us in the stern intervening years4 ,and when they told their marvellous story to the elders of the people1 and displayed the signs1 they believed2 and when they heard that ,god had visited them in their affliction1 then they bowed their heads and worshipped4 ,this was their preparation for the wonders that should follow3 it resembled ,christ's appeal1 ,believest thou that ,i am able to do this8 or ,peter's word to the impotent man1 ,look on us4 ,for the moment the announcement had the desired effect1 although too soon the early promise was succeeded by faithlessness and discontent4 ,in this1 again1 the teaching of the earliest political movement on record is as fresh as if it were a tale of yesterday4 ,the offer of emancipation stirs all hearts2 the romance of liberty is beautiful beside the ,nile as in the streets of ,paris2 but the cost has to be gradually learned2 the losses displace the gains in the popular attention2 the labour1 the self-denial and the self-control grow wearisome1 and ,israel murmurs for the flesh-pots of ,egypt1 much as the modern revolution reverts to a despotism4 ,it is one thing to admire abstract freedom1 but a very different thing to accept the austere conditions of the life of genuine freemen4 ,and surely the same is true of the soul4 ,the gospel gladdens the young convert3 he bows his head and worships2 but he little dreams of his long discipline1 as in the forty desert years1 of the solitary places through which his soul must wander1 the drought1 the ,amalekite1 the absent leader1 and the temptations of the flesh4 ,in mercy1 the long future is concealed2 it is enough that1 like the apostles1 we should consent to follow2 gradually we shall obtain the courage to which the task may be revealed4 ,,footnotes3 #g ,tertullian appealed to the second of these miracles to illustrate the possibility of the resurrection4 ,the hand of ,moses is changed and becomes like that of the dead1 bloodless1 colourless1 and stiff with cold4 ,but on the recovery of heat and restoration of its natural colour1 it is the same flesh and blood4444 ,so will changes1 conversions and reformation be needed to bring about the resurrection1 yet the substance will be preserved safe4 7,de ,res41 lv47 ,it is far wiser to be content with the declaration of ,st4 ,paul that the identity of the body does not depend on that of its corporeal atoms4 ,thou sowest not that body that shall be1 but a naked grain4444 ,but ,god giveth 444 to every seed his own body 7#a ,cor4 xv4 #cg-h74 #h ,i am not an ordinary man1 ,napoleon used to say1 and the laws of morals and of custom were never made for me4--,memoirs of ,madame de ,rmusat1 i4 #ia4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,pharaoh ,,refuses4 v4 #a-bc4 ,after forty years of obscurity and silence1 ,moses re-enters the magnificent halls where he had formerly turned his back upon so great a place4 ,the rod of a shepherd is in his hand1 and a lowly ,hebrew by his side4 ,men who recognise him shake their heads1 and pity or despise the fanatic who had thrown away the most dazzling prospects for a dream4 ,but he has long since made his choice1 and whatever misgivings now beset him have regard to his success with ,pharaoh or with his brethren1 not to the wisdom of his decision4 ,nor had he reason to repent of it4 ,the pomp of an obsequious court was a poor thing in the eyes of an ambassador of ,god1 who entered the palace to speak such lofty words as never passed the lips of any son of ,pharaoh's daughter4 ,he was presently to become a god unto ,pharaoh1 with ,aaron for his prophet4 ,in itself1 his presence there was formidable4 ,the ,hebrews had been feared when he was an infant4 ,now their cause was espoused by a man of culture1 who had allied himself with their natural leaders1 and was returned1 with the deep and steady fire of a zeal which forty years of silence could not quench1 to assert the rights of ,israel as an independent people4 ,there is a terrible power in strong convictions1 especially when supported by the sanctions of religion4 ,luther on one side1 ,loyola on the other1 were mightier than kings when armed with this tremendous weapon4 ,yet there are forces upon which patriotism and fanaticism together break in vain4 ,tyranny and pride of race have also strong impelling ardours1 and carry men far4 ,pharaoh is in earnest as well as ,moses1 and can act with perilous energy4 ,and this great narrative begins the story of a nation's emancipation with a human demand1 boldly made1 but defeated by the pride and vigour of a startled tyrant and the tameness of a downtrodden people4 ,the limitations of human energy are clearly exhibited before the direct interference of ,god begins4 ,all that a brave man can do1 when nerved by lifelong aspiration and by a sudden conviction that the hour of destiny has struck1 all therefore upon which rationalism can draw1 to explain the uprising of ,israel1 is exhibited in this preliminary attempt1 this first demand of ,moses4 ,menephtah was no doubt the new ,pharaoh whom the brothers accosted so boldly4 ,what we glean of him elsewhere is highly suggestive of some grave event left unrecorded1 exhibiting to us a man of uncontrollable temper yet of broken courage1 a ruthless1 godless1 daunted man4 ,there is a legend that he once hurled his spear at the ,nile when its floods rose too high1 and was punished with ten years of blindness4 ,in the ,libyan war1 after fixing a time when he should join his vanguard1 with the main army1 a celestial vision forbade him to keep his word in person1 and the victory was gained by his lieutenants4 ,in another war1 he boasts of having slaughtered the people and set fire to them1 and netted the entire country as men net birds4 ,forty years then elapse without war and without any great buildings2 there are seditions and internal troubles1 and the dynasty closes with his son4#i ,all this is exactly what we should expect1 if a series of tremendous blows had depopulated a country1 abolished an army1 and removed two millions of the working classes in one mass4 ,but it will be understood that this identification1 concerning which there is now a very general consent of competent authorities1 implies that the ,pharaoh was not himself engulfed with his army4 ,nothing is on the other side except a poetic assertion in ,psalm cxxxvi4 #ae1 which is not that ,god destroyed1 but that ,he shook off ,pharaoh and his host in the ,red ,sea1 because ,his mercy endureth for ever4 ,to this king1 then1 whose audacious family had usurped the symbols of deity for its head-dress1 and whose father boasted that in battle he became like the god ,mentu and was as ,baal1 the brothers came as yet without miracle1 with no credentials except from slaves1 and said1 ,thus saith ,jehovah1 the ,god of ,israel1 ,let ,my people go1 that they may hold a feast unto ,me in the wilderness4 ,the issue was distinctly raised3 did ,israel belong to ,jehovah or to the king8 ,and ,pharaoh answered1 with equal decision1 ,who is ,jehovah1 that ,i should hearken unto ,his voice8 ,i know not ,jehovah1 and what is more1 ,i will not let ,israel go4 ,now1 the ignorance of the king concerning ,jehovah was almost or quite blameless3 the fault was in his practical refusal to inquire4 ,jehovah was no concern of his3 without waiting for information1 he at once decided that his grasp on his captives should not relax4 ,and his second fault1 which led to this1 was the same grinding oppression of the helpless which for eighty years already had brought upon his nation the guilt of blood4 ,crowned and national cupidity1 the resolution to wring from their slaves the last effort consistent with existence1 such greed as took offence at even the momentary pause of hope while ,moses pleaded1 because the people of the land are many1 and ye make them rest from their burdens1--these shut their hearts against reason and religion1 and therefore ,god presently hardened those same hearts against natural misgiving and dread and awe-stricken submission to ,his judgments4 ,for it was against religion also that he was unyielding4 ,in his ample ,pantheon there was room at least for the possibility of the entrance of the ,hebrew ,god1 and in refusing to the subject people1 without investigation1 leisure for any worship1 the king outraged not only humanity1 but ,heaven4 ,the brothers proceed to declare that they have themselves met with the deity1 and there must have been many in the court who could attest at least the sincerity of ,moses2 they ask for liberty to spend a day in journeying outward and another in returning1 with a day between for their worship1 and warn the king of the much greater loss to himself which may be involved in vengeance upon refusal1 either by war or pestilence4 ,but the contemptuous answer utterly ignores religion3 ,wherefore do ye1 ,moses and ,aaron1 loose the people from their work8 ,get ye unto your burdens4 ,and his counter-measures are taken without loss of time3 that same day the order goes out to exact the regular quantity of brick1 but supply no straw for binding it together4 ,it is a pitiless mandate1 and illustrates the fact1 very natural though often forgotten1 that men as a rule cannot lose sight of the religious value of their fellow-men1 and continue to respect or pity them as before4 ,we do not deny that men who professed religion have perpetrated nameless cruelties1 nor that unbelievers have been humane1 sometimes with a pathetic energy1 a tenacious grasp on the virtue still possible to those who have no ,heaven to serve4 ,but it is plain that the average man will despise his brother1 and his brother's rights1 just in proportion as the ,divine sanctions of those rights fade away1 and nothing remains to be respected but the culture1 power and affluence which the victim lacks4 ,i know not ,israel's ,god is a sure prelude to the refusal to let ,israel go1 and even to the cruelty which beats the slave who fails to render impossible obedience4 ,they be idle1 therefore they cry1 saying1 ,let us go and sacrifice to our ,god4 ,and still there are men who hold the same opinion1 that time spent in devotion is wasted1 as regards the duties of real life4 ,in truth1 religion means freshness1 elasticity and hope3 a man will be not slothful in business1 but fervent in spirit1 if he serves the ,lord4 ,but perhaps immortal hope1 and the knowledge that there is ,one ,who shall break all prison bars and let the oppressed go free1 are not the best narcotics to drug down the soul of a man into the monotonous tameness of a slave4 ,in the tenth verse we read that the ,egyptian taskmasters and the officers combined to urge the people to their aggravated labours4 ,and by the fourteenth verse we find that the latter officials were ,hebrew officers whom ,pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them4 ,so that we have here one of the surest and worst effects of slavery--namely1 the demoralisation of the oppressed1 the readiness of average men1 who can obtain for themselves a little relief1 to do so at their brethren's cost4 ,these officials were scribes1 writers3 their business was to register the amount of labour due1 and actually rendered4 ,these were doubtless the more comfortable class1 of whom we read afterwards that they possessed property1 for their cattle escaped the murrain and their trees the hail4 ,and they had the means of acquiring quite sufficient skill to justify whatever is recorded of the works done in the construction of the tabernacle4 ,the time is long past when scepticism found support for its incredulity in these details4 ,one advantage of the last sharp agony of persecution was that it finally detached this official class from the ,egyptian interest1 and welded ,israel into a homogeneous people1 with officers already provided4 ,for1 when the supply of bricks came short1 these officials were beaten1 and1 as if no cause of the failure were palpable1 they were asked1 with a malicious chuckle1 ,wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task both yesterday and to-day1 as heretofore8 ,and when they explain to ,pharaoh1 in words already expressive of their alienation1 that the fault is with thine own people1 they are repulsed with insult1 and made to feel themselves in evil case4 ,for indeed they needed to be chastised for their forgetfulness of ,god4 ,how soon would their hearts have turned back1 how much more bitter yet would have been their complaints in the desert1 if it were not for this last experience6 ,but if judgment began with them1 what should presently be the fate of their oppressors8 ,their broken spirit shows itself by murmuring1 not against ,pharaoh1 but against ,moses and ,aaron1 who at least had striven to help them4 ,here1 as in the whole story1 there is not a trace of either the lofty spirit which could have evolved the ,mosaic law1 or the hero-worship of a later age4 ,it is written that ,moses1 hearing their reproaches1 returned unto the ,lord1 although no visible shrine1 no consecrated place of worship1 can be thought of4 ,what is involved is the consecration which the heart bestows upon any place of privacy and prayer1 where1 in shutting out the world1 the soul is aware of the special nearness of its ,king4 ,in one sense we never leave ,him1 never return to ,him4 ,in another sense1 by direct address of the attention and the will1 we enter into ,his presence2 we find ,him in the midst of us1 ,who is everywhere4 ,and all ceremonial consecrations do their office by helping us to realise and act upon the presence of ,him in ,whom1 even when ,he is forgotten1 we live and move and have our being4 ,therefore in the deepest sense each man consecrates or desecrates for himself his own place of prayer4 ,there is a city where the ,divine presence saturates every consciousness with rapture4 ,and the seer beheld no temple therein1 for the ,lord ,god the ,almighty1 and the ,lamb1 are the temple of it4 ,startling to our notions of reverence are the words in which ,moses addresses ,god4 ,lord1 why hast ,thou evil entreated this people8 ,why is it that ,thou hast sent me8 for since ,i came to ,pharaoh to speak in ,thy name1 he hath evil entreated this people2 neither hast ,thou delivered ,thy people at all4 ,it is almost as if his faith had utterly given way1 like that of the ,psalmist when he saw the wicked in great prosperity1 while waters of a full cup were wrung out by the people of ,god 7,ps4 lxxiii4 #c1 #aj74 ,and there is always a dangerous moment when the first glow of enthusiasm burns down1 and we realise how long the process1 how bitter the disappointments1 by which even a scanty measure of success must be obtained4 ,yet ,god had expressly warned ,moses that ,pharaoh would not release them until ,egypt had been smitten with all ,his plagues4 ,but the warning passed unapprehended1 as we let many a truth pass intellectually accepted it is true1 but only as a theorem1 a vague and abstract formula4 ,as we know that we must die1 that worldly pleasures are brief and unreal1 and that sin draws evil in its train1 yet wonder when these phrases become solid and practical in our experience1 so1 in the first flush and wonder of the promised emancipation1 ,moses had forgotten the predicted interval of trial4 ,his words would have been profane and irreverent indeed but for one redeeming quality4 ,they were addressed to ,god ,himself4 ,whenever the people murmured1 ,moses turned for help to ,him ,who reckons the most unconventional and daring appeal to ,him far better than the most ceremonious phrases in which men cover their unbelief3 ,lord1 wherefore hast ,thou evil entreated this people8 is in reality a much more pious utterance than ,i will not ask1 neither will ,i tempt the ,lord4 ,wherefore ,moses receives large encouragement1 although no formal answer is vouchsafed to his daring question4 ,even so1 in our dangers1 our torturing illnesses1 and many a crisis which breaks through all the crust of forms and conventionalities1 ,god may perhaps recognise a true appeal to ,him1 in words which only scandalise the orthodoxy of the formal and precise4 ,in the bold rejoinder of the ,syro-,phoenician woman ,he recognised great faith4 ,his disciples would simply have sent her away as clamorous4 ,moses had again failed1 even though ,divinely commissioned1 in the work of emancipating ,israel1 and thereupon he had cried to the ,lord ,himself to undertake the work4 ,this abortive attempt1 however1 was far from useless3 it taught humility and patience to the leader1 and it pressed the nation together1 as in a vice1 by the weight of a common burden1 now become intolerable4 ,at the same moment1 the iniquity of the tyrant was filled up4 ,but the ,lord did not explain this1 in answer to the remonstrance of ,moses4 ,many things happen1 for which no distinct verbal explanation is possible1 many things of which the deep spiritual fitness cannot be expressed in words4 ,experience is the true commentator upon ,providence1 if only because the slow building of character is more to ,god than either the hasting forward of deliverance or the clearing away of intellectual mists4 ,and it is only as we take ,his yoke upon us that we truly learn of ,him4 ,yet much is implied1 if not spoken out1 in the words1 ,now 7because the time is ripe7 shalt thou see what ,i will do to ,pharaoh 7,i1 because others have failed72 for by a strong hand shall he let them go1 and by a strong hand shall he drive them out of the land4 ,it is under the weight of the strong hand of ,god ,himself that the tyrant must either bend or break4 ,similar to this is the explanation of many delays in answering our prayer1 of the strange raising up of tyrants and demagogues1 and of much else that perplexes ,christians in history and in their own experience4 ,these events develop human character1 for good or evil4 ,and they give scope for the revealing of the fulness of the power which rescues4 ,we have no means of measuring the supernatural force which overcomes but by the amount of the resistance offered4 ,and if all good things came to us easily and at once1 we should not become aware of the horrible pit1 our rescue from which demands gratitude4 ,the ,israelites would not have sung a hymn of such fervent gratitude when the sea was crossed1 if they had not known the weight of slavery and the anguish of suspense4 ,and in heaven the redeemed who have come out of great tribulation sing the song of ,moses and of the ,lamb4 ,fresh air1 a balmy wind1 a bright blue sky--which of us feels a thrill of conscious exultation for these cheap delights8 ,the released prisoner1 the restored invalid1 feels it3 ,the common earth1 the air1 the skies1 ,to him are opening paradise4 ,even so should ,israel be taught to value deliverance4 ,and now the process could begin4 ,,footnotes3 #i ,robinson1 ,the ,pharaohs of the ,bondage4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,the ,,encouragement ,,of ,,moses4 vi4 #a-cj4 ,we have seen that the name ,jehovah expresses not a philosophic meditation1 but the most bracing and reassuring truth--viz41 that an immutable and independent ,being sustains ,his people2 and this great title is therefore reaffirmed with emphasis in the hour of mortal discouragement4 ,it is added that their fathers knew ,god by the name of ,god ,almighty1 but by ,his name ,jehovah was ,he not known1 or made known1 unto them4 ,now1 it is quite clear that they were not utterly ignorant of this title1 for no such theory as that it was hitherto mentioned by anticipation only1 can explain the first syllable in the name of the mother of ,moses himself1 nor the assertion that in the time of ,seth men began to call upon the name of ,jehovah 7,gen4 iv4 #bf71 nor the name of the hill of ,abraham's sacrifice1 ,jehovah-jireh 7,gen4 xxii4 #ad74 ,yet the statement cannot be made available for the purposes of any reasonable and moderate scepticism1 since the sceptical theory demands a belief in successive redactions of the work in which an error so gross could not have escaped detection4 ,and the true explanation is that this ,name was now1 for the first time1 to be realised as a sustaining power4 ,the patriarchs had known the name2 how its fitness should be realised3 ,god should be known by it4 ,they had drawn support and comfort from that simpler view of the ,divine protection which said1 ,i am the ,almighty ,god3 walk before ,me and be thou perfect 7,gen4 xvii4 #a74 ,but thenceforth all the experience of the past was to reinforce the energies of the present1 and men were to remember that their promises came from ,one who cannot change4 ,others1 like ,abraham1 had been stronger in faith than ,moses4 ,but faith is not the same as insight1 and ,moses was the greatest of the prophets 7,deut4 xxxiv4 #aj74 ,to him1 therefore1 it was given to confirm the courage of his nation by this exalting thought of ,god4 ,and the ,lord proceeds to state what ,his promises to the patriarchs were1 and joins together 7as we should do7 the assurance of ,his compassionate heart and of ,his inviolable pledges3 ,i have heard the groaning of the children of ,israel1 444 and ,i have remembered ,my covenant4 ,it has been the same1 in turn1 with every new revelation of the ,divine4 ,the new was implicit in the old1 but when enforced1 unfolded1 reapplied1 men found it charged with unsuspected meaning and power1 and as full of vitality and development as a handful of dry seeds when thrown into congenial soil4 ,so it was pre-eminently with the doctrine of the ,messiah4 ,it will be the same hereafter with the doctrine of the kingdom of peace and the reign of the saints on earth4 ,some day men will smile at our crude theories and ignorant controversies about the ,millennium4 ,we1 meantime1 possess the saving knowledge of ,christ amid many perplexities and obscurities4 ,and so the patriarchs1 who knew ,god ,almighty1 but not by ,his name ,jehovah1 were not lost for want of the knowledge of ,his name1 but saved by faith in ,him1 in the living ,being to ,whom all these names belong1 and ,who shall yet write upon the brows of ,his people some new name1 hitherto undreamed by the ripest of the saints and the purest of the ,churches4 ,meantime1 let us learn the lessons of tolerance for other men's ignorance1 remembering the ignorance of the father of the faithful1 tolerance for difference of views1 remembering how the unusual and rare name of ,god was really the precursor of a brighter revelation1 and yet again1 when our hearts are faint with longing for new light1 and weary to death of the babbling of old words1 let us learn a sober and cautious reconsideration1 lest perhaps the very truth needed for altered circumstance and changing problem may lie1 unheeded and dormant1 among the dusty old phrases from which we turn away despairingly4 ,moreover1 since the fathers knew the name ,jehovah1 yet gained from it no special knowledge of ,god1 such as they had from ,his ,almightiness1 we are taught that discernment is often more at fault than revelation4 ,to the quick perception and plastic imagination of the artist1 our world reveals what the boor will never see4 ,and the saint finds1 in the homely and familiar words of ,scripture1 revelations for ,his soul that are unknown to common men4 ,receptivity is what we need far more than revelation4 ,again is ,moses bidden to appeal to the faith of his countrymen1 by a solemn repetition of the ,divine promise4 ,if the tyranny is great1 they shall be redeemed with a stretched out arm1 that is to say1 with a palpable interposition of the power of ,god1 and with great judgments4 ,it is the first appearance in ,scripture of this phrase1 afterwards so common4 ,not mere vengeance upon enemies or vindication of subjects is in question3 the thought is that of a deliberate weighing of merits1 and rendering out of measured penalties4 ,now1 the ,egyptian mythology had a very clear and solemn view of judgment after death4 ,if king and people had grown cruel1 it was because they failed to realise remote punishments1 and did not believe in present judgments1 here1 in this life4 ,but there is a ,god that judgeth in the earth4 ,not always1 for mercy rejoiceth over judgment4 ,we may still pray1 ,enter not into judgment with ,thy servants1 ,o ,lord1 for in ,thy sight shall no man living be justified4 ,but when men resist warnings1 then retribution begins even here4 ,sometimes it comes in plague and overthrow1 sometimes in the worse form of a heart made fat1 the decay of sensibilities abused1 the dying out of spiritual faculty4 ,pharaoh was to experience both1 the hardening of his heart and the ruin of his fortunes4 ,it is added1 ,i will take you to ,me for a people1 and ,i will be to you for a ,god4 ,this is the language1 not of a mere purpose1 a will that has resolved to vindicate the right1 but of affection4 ,god is about to adopt ,israel to ,himself1 and the same favour which belonged to rare individuals in the old time is now offered to a whole nation4 ,just as the heart of each man is gradually educated1 learning first to love a parent and a family1 and so led on to national patriotism1 and at last to a world-wide philanthropy1 so was the religious conscience of mankind awakened to believe that ,abraham might be the friend of ,god1 and then that ,his oath might be confirmed unto the children1 and then that ,he could take ,israel to ,himself for a people1 and at last that ,god loved the world4 ,it is not religion to think that ,god condescends merely to save us4 ,he cares for us4 ,he takes us to ,himself1 ,he gives ,himself away to us1 in return1 to be our ,god4 ,such a revelation ought to have been more to ,israel than any pledge of certain specified advantages4 ,it was meant to be a silken tie1 a golden clasp1 to draw together the almighty ,heart and the hearts of these downtrodden slaves4 ,something within ,him desires their little human love2 they shall be to ,him for a people4 ,so ,he said again1 ,my son1 give ,me thine heart4 ,and so1 when ,he carried to the uttermost these unsought1 unhoped for1 and1 alas6 unwelcomed overtures of condescension1 and came among us1 ,he would have gathered1 as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings1 those who would not4 ,it is not man who conceives1 from definite services received1 the wild hope of some spark of real affection in the bosom of the ,eternal and ,mysterious ,one4 ,it is not man1 amid the lavish joys and splendours of creation1 who conceives the notion of a supreme ,heart1 as the explanation of the universe4 ,it is ,god ,himself ,who says1 ,i will take you to ,me for a people1 and ,i will be to you a ,god4 ,nor is it human conversion that begins the process1 but a ,divine covenant and pledge1 by which ,god would fain convert us to ,himself2 even as the first disciples did not accost ,jesus1 but ,he turned and spoke to them the first question and the first invitation2 ,what seek ye8444 ,come1 and ye shall see4 ,to-day1 the choice of the civilised world has to be made between a mechanical universe and a revealed love1 for no third possibility survives4 ,this promise establishes a relationship1 which ,god never afterwards cancelled4 ,human unbelief rejected its benefits1 and chilled the mutual sympathies which it involved2 but the fact always remained1 and in their darkest hour they could appeal to ,god to remember ,his covenant and the oath which ,he sware4 ,and this same assurance belongs to us4 ,we are not to become good1 or desirous of goodness1 in order that ,god may requite with affection our virtues or our wistfulness4 ,rather we are to arise and come to our ,father1 and to call ,him ,father1 although we are not worthy to be called ,his sons4 ,we are to remember how ,jesus said1 ,if ye being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children1 how much more shall your heavenly ,father give ,his ,holy ,spirit to them that ask ,him6 and to learn that ,he is the ,father of those who are evil1 and even of those who are still unpardoned1 as ,he said again1 ,if ye forgive not 444 neither will your heavenly ,father forgive you4 ,much controversy about the universal ,fatherhood of ,god would be assuaged if men reflected upon the significant distinction which our ,saviour drew between ,his ,fatherhood and our sonship1 the one always a reality of the ,divine affection1 the other only a possibility1 for human enjoyment or rejection3 ,love your enemies1 and pray for them that persecute you1 that ye may be sons of your ,father ,which is in heaven 7,matt4 v4 #de74 ,there is no encouragement to presumption in the assertion of the ,divine ,fatherhood upon such terms4 ,for it speaks of a love which is real and deep without being feeble and indiscriminate4 ,it appeals to faith because there is an absolute fact to lean upon1 and to energy because privilege is conditional4 ,it reminds us that our relationship is like that of the ancient ,israel1--that we are in a covenant1 as they were1 but that the carcases of many of them fell in the wilderness2 although ,god had taken them for a people1 and was to them a ,god1 and said1 ,israel is ,my son1 even ,my firstborn4 ,it is added that faith shall develop into knowledge4 ,moses is to assure them now that they shall know hereafter that the ,lord is ,jehovah their ,god4 ,and this1 too1 is a universal law1 that we shall know if we follow on to know3 that the trial of our faith worketh patience1 and patience experience1 and we have so dim and vague an apprehension of ,divine realities1 chiefly because we have made but little trial1 and have not tasted and seen that the ,lord is gracious4 ,in this respect1 as in so many more1 religion is analogous with nature4 ,the squalor of the savage could be civilised1 and the distorted and absurd conceptions of medival science could be corrected1 only by experiment1 persistently and wisely carried out4 ,and it is so in religion3 its true evidence is unknown to these who never bore its yoke2 it is open to just such raillery and rejection as they who will not love can pour upon domestic affection and the sacred ties of family life2 but1 like these1 it vindicates itself1 in the rest of their souls1 to those who will take the yoke and learn4 ,and its best wisdom is not of the cunning brain but of the open heart1 that wisdom from above1 which is first pure1 then peaceable1 gentle1 and easy to be entreated4 ,and thus1 while ,god leads ,israel1 they shall know that ,he is ,jehovah1 and true to ,his highest revelations of ,himself4 ,all this they heard1 and also1 to define their hope and brighten it1 the promise of ,palestine was repeated2 but they hearkened not unto ,moses for anguish of spirit and for cruel bondage4 ,thus the body often holds the spirit down1 and kindly allowance is made by ,him ,who knoweth our frame and remembereth that we are dust1 and ,who1 in the hour of ,his own agony1 found the excuse for ,his unsympathising followers that the spirit was willing although the flesh was weak4 ,so when ,elijah made request for himself that he might die1 in the utter reaction which followed his triumph on ,carmel and his wild race to ,jezreel1 the good ,physician did not dazzle him with new splendours of revelation until after he had slept1 and eaten miraculous food1 and a second time slept and eaten4 ,but if the anguish of the body excuses much weakness of the spirit1 it follows1 on the other hand1 that men are responsible to ,god for that heavy weight which is laid upon the spirit by pampered and luxurious bodies1 incapable of self-sacrifice1 rebellious against the lightest of ,his demands4 ,it is suggestive1 that ,moses1 when sent again to ,pharaoh1 objected1 as at first3 ,behold1 the children of ,israel have not hearkened unto me2 how then shall ,pharaoh hear me1 who am of uncircumcised lips8 ,every new hope1 every great inspiration which calls the heroes of ,god to a fresh attack upon the powers of ,satan1 is checked and hindered more by the coldness of the ,church than by the hostility of the world4 ,that hostility is expected1 and can be defied4 ,but the infidelity of the faithful is appalling indeed4 ,we read with wonder the great things which ,christ has promised to believing prayer1 and1 at the same time1 although we know painfully that we have never claimed and dare not claim these promises1 we wonder equally at the foreboding question1 ,when the ,son of ,man cometh1 shall ,he find the faith 7faith in its fulness7 on the earth8 7,luke xviii4 #h74 ,but we ought to remember that our own low standard helps to form the standard of attainment for the ,church at large--that when one member suffers1 all the members suffer with it--that many a large sacrifice would be readily made for ,christ1 at this hour1 if only ease and pleasure were at stake1 which is refused because it is too hard to be called well-meaning enthusiasts by those who ought to glorify ,god in such attainment1 as the first brethren did in the zeal and the gifts of ,paul4 ,the vast mountains raise their heads above mountain ranges which encompass them2 and it is not when the level of the whole ,church is low1 that giants of faith and of attainment may be hoped for4 ,nay1 ,christ stipulates for the agreement of two or three1 to kindle and make effectual the prayers which shall avail4 ,for the purification of our cities1 for the shaming of our legislation until it fears ,god as much as a vested interest1 for the reunion of those who worship the same ,lord1 for the conversion of the world1 and first of all for the conversion of the ,church1 heroic forces are demanded4 ,but all the tendency of our half-hearted1 abject1 semi-,christianity is to repress everything that is unconventional1 abnormal1 likely to embroil us with our natural enemy1 the world2 and who can doubt that1 when the secrets of all hearts shall be revealed1 we shall know of many an aspiring soul1 in which the sacred fire had begun to burn1 which sank back into lethargy and the commonplace1 murmuring in its despair1 ,behold1 the children of ,israel have not hearkened unto me2 how then shall ,pharaoh hear me8 ,it was the last fear which ever shook the great heart of the emancipator ,moses4 ,at the beginning of the grand historical work1 of which all this has been the prelude1 there is set the pedigree of ,moses and ,aaron1 according to the heads of their fathers' houses1--- an epithet which indicates a subdivision of the family1 as the family is a subdivision of the tribe4 ,of the sons of ,jacob1 ,reuben and ,simeon are mentioned1 to put ,levi in his natural third place4 ,and from ,levi to ,moses only four generations are mentioned1 favouring somewhat the briefer scheme of chronology which makes four centuries cover all the time from ,abraham1 and not the captivity alone4 ,but it is certain that this is a mere recapitulation of the more important links in the genealogy4 ,in ,num4 xxvi4 #eh1 #ei1 six generations are reckoned instead of four2 in #a ,chron4 ii4 #c there are seven generations2 and elsewhere in the same book 7vi4 #bb7 there are ten4 ,it is well known that similar omissions of obscure or unworthy links occur in ,st4 ,matthew's pedigree of our ,lord1 although some stress is there laid upon the recurrent division into fourteens4 ,and it is absurd to found any argument against the trustworthiness of the narrative upon a phenomenon so frequent1 and so sure to be avoided by a forger1 or to be corrected by an unscrupulous editor4 ,in point of fact1 nothing is less likely to have occurred1 if the narrative were a late invention4 ,neither1 in that case1 would the birth of the great emancipator be ascribed to the union of ,amram with his father's sister1 for such marriages were distinctly forbidden by the law 7,lev4 xviii4 #ad74 ,nor would the names of the children of the founder of the nation be omitted1 while those of ,aaron are recorded1 unless we were dealing with genuine history1 which knows that the sons of ,aaron inherited the lawful priesthood1 while the descendants of ,moses were the jealous founders of a mischievous schism 7,judges xviii4 #cj1 ,r4,v474 ,nor again1 if this were a religious romance1 designed to animate the nation in its later struggles1 should we read of the hesitation and the fears of a leader of uncircumcised lips1 instead of the trumpet-like calls to action of a noble champion4 ,nor does the broken-spirited meanness of ,israel at all resemble the conception1 popular in every nation1 of a virtuous and heroic antiquity1 a golden age4 ,it is indeed impossible to reconcile the motives and the date to which this narrative is ascribed by some1 with the plain phenomena1 with the narrative itself4 ,nor is it easy to understand why the ,lord1 ,who speaks of bringing out ,my hosts1 ,my people1 the children of ,israel 7vii4 #d1 etc471 should never in the ,pentateuch be called the ,lord of ,hosts1 if that title were in common use when it was written2 for no epithet would better suit the song of ,miriam or the poetry of the ,fifth ,book4 ,when ,moses complained that he was of uncircumcised lips1 the ,lord announced that ,he had already made ,his servant as a god unto ,pharaoh1 having armed him1 even then1 with the terrors which are soon to shake the tyrant's soul4 ,it is suggestive and natural that his very education in a court should render him fastidious1 less willing than a rougher man might have been to appear before the king after forty years of retirement1 and feeling almost physically incapable of speaking what he felt so deeply1 in words that would satisfy his own judgment4 ,yet ,god had endowed him1 even then1 with a supernatural power far greater than any facility of expression4 ,in his weakness he would thus be made strong2 and the less fit he was to assert for himself any ascendency over ,pharaoh1 the more signal would be the victory of his ,lord1 when he became very great in the land of ,egypt1 in the sight of ,pharaoh's servants1 and in the sight of the people 7xi4 #c74 ,as a proof of this mastery he was from the first to speak to the haughty king through his brother1 as a god through some prophet1 being too great to reveal himself directly4 ,it is a memorable phrase2 and so lofty an assertion could never1 in the myth of a later period1 have been ascribed to an origin so lowly as the reluctance of ,moses to expose his deficiency in elocution4 ,therefore he should henceforth be emboldened by the assurance of qualification bestowed already3 not only by the hope of help and achievement yet to come1 but by the certainty of present endowment4 ,and so should each of us1 in his degree1 be bold1 who have gifts differing according to the grace given unto us4 ,it is certain that every living soul has at least one talent1 and is bound to improve it4 ,but how many of us remember that this loan implies a commission from ,god1 as real as that of prophet and deliverer1 and that nothing but our own default can prevent it from being1 at the last1 received again with usury8 ,the same bravery1 the same confidence when standing where his ,captain has planted him1 should inspire the prophet1 and him that giveth alms1 and him that showeth mercy2 for all are members in one body1 and therefore animated by one invincible ,spirit from above 7,rom4 xii4 #d-i74 ,the endowment thus given to ,moses made him as a god to ,pharaoh4 ,we must not take this to mean only that he had a prophet or spokesman1 or that he was made formidable1 but that the peculiar nature of his prowess would be felt4 ,it was not his own strength4 ,the supernatural would become visible in him4 ,he who boasted ,i know not ,jehovah would come to crouch before ,him in ,his agent1 and humble himself to the man whom once he contemptuously ordered back to his burdens1 with the abject prayer1 ,forgive1 ,i pray thee1 my sin only this once1 and entreat ,jehovah your ,god that ,he may take away from me this death only4 ,now1 every consecrated power may bear witness to the ,lord3 it is possible to do all to the glory of ,god4 ,not that every separate action will be ascribed to a preternatural source1 but the sum total of the effect produced by a holy life will be sacred4 ,he who said1 ,i have made thee a god unto ,pharaoh1 says of all believers1 ,i in them1 and ,thou1 ,father1 in ,me1 that the world may know that ,thou hast sent ,me4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,the ,,hardening ,,of ,,pharaoh',s ,,heart4 vii4 #c-ac4 ,when ,moses received his commission1 at the bush1 words were spoken which are now repeated with more emphasis1 and which have to be considered carefully4 ,for probably no statement of ,scripture has excited fiercer criticism1 more exultation of enemies and perplexity of friends1 than that the ,lord said1 ,i will harden ,pharaoh's heart1 and he shall not let the people go1 and that in consequence of this ,divine act ,pharaoh sinned and suffered4 ,just because the words are startling1 it is unjust to quote them without careful examination of the context1 both in the prediction and the fulfilment4 ,when all is weighed1 compared1 and harmonised1 it will at last be possible to draw a just conclusion4 ,and although it may happen long before then1 that the objector will charge us with special pleading1 yet he will be the special pleader himself1 if he seeks to hurry us1 by prejudice or passion1 to give a verdict which is based upon less than all the evidence1 patiently weighed4 ,let us in the first place find out how soon this dreadful process began2 when was it that ,god fulfilled ,his threat1 and hardened1 in any sense whatever1 the heart of ,pharaoh8 ,did ,he step in at the beginning1 and render the unhappy king incapable of weighing the remonstrances which ,he then performed the cruel mockery of addressing to him8 ,were these as insincere and futile as if one bade the avalanche to pause which his own act had started down the icy slopes8 ,was ,pharaoh as little responsible for his pursuit of ,israel as his horses were--being1 like them1 the blind agents of a superior force8 ,we do not find it so4 ,in the fifth chapter1 when a demand is made1 without any sustaining miracle1 simply appealing to the conscience of the ruler1 there is no mention of any such process1 despite the insults with which ,pharaoh then assails both the messengers and ,jehovah ,himself1 ,whom he knows not4 ,in the seventh chapter there is clear evidence that the process is yet unaccomplished2 for1 speaking of an act still future1 it declares1 ,i will harden ,pharaoh's heart1 and multiply ,my signs and ,my wonders in the land of ,egypt 7vii4 #c74 ,and this terrible act is not connected with the remonstrances and warnings of ,god1 but entirely with the increasing pressure of the miracles4 ,the exact period is marked when the hand of doom closed upon the tyrant4 ,it is not where the ,authorised ,version places it4 ,when the magicians imitated the earlier signs of ,moses1 his heart was strong1 but the original does not bear out the assertion that at this time the ,lord made it so by any judicial act of ,his 7vii4 #ac74 ,that only comes with the sixth plague2 and the course of events may be traced1 fairly well1 by the help of the margin of the ,revised ,version4 ,after the plague of blood ,pharaoh's heart was strong 7hardened71 and this is distinctly ascribed to his own action1 because he set his heart even to this 7vii4 #bb1 #bc74 ,after the second plague1 it was still he himself who made his heart heavy 7viii4 #ae74 ,after the third plague the magicians warned him that the very finger of some god was upon him indeed3 their rivalry1 which hitherto might have been somewhat of a palliation for his obstinacy1 was now ended2 but yet his heart was strong 7viii4 #ai74 ,again1 after the fourth plague he made his heart heavy2 and it was heavy after the fifth plague1 7viii4 #cb1 ix4 #g74 ,only thenceforward comes the judicial infatuation upon him who has resolutely infatuated himself hitherto4 ,but when five warnings and penalties have spent their force in vain1 when personal agony is inflicted in the plague of boils1 and the magicians in particular cannot stand before him through their pain1 would it have been proof of virtuous contrition if he had yielded then8 ,if he had needed evidence1 it was given to him long before4 ,submission now would have meant prudence1 not penitence2 and it was against prudence1 not penitence1 that he was hardened4 ,because he had resisted evidence1 experience1 and even the testimony of his own magicians1 he was therefore stiffened against the grudging and unworthy concessions which must otherwise have been wrested from him1 as a wild beast will turn and fly from fire4 ,he was henceforth himself to become an evidence and a portent2 and so ,the ,lord made strong the heart of ,pharaoh1 and he hearkened not unto them 7ix4 #ab74 ,it was an awful doom1 but it is not open to the attacks so often made upon it4 ,it only means that for him the last five plagues were not disciplinary1 but wholly penal4 ,nay1 it stops short of asserting even this3 they might still have appealed to his reason2 they were only not allowed to crush him by the agency of terror4 ,not once is it asserted that ,god hardened his heart against any nobler impulse than alarm1 and desire to evade danger and death4 ,we see clearly this meaning in the phrase1 when it is applied to his army entering the ,red ,sea3 ,i will make strong the hearts of the ,egyptians1 and they shall go in 7xiv4 #ag74 ,it needed no greater moral turpitude to pursue the ,hebrews over the sands than on the shore1 but it certainly required more hardihood4 ,but the unpursued departure which the good-will of ,egypt refused1 their common sense was not allowed to grant4 ,callousness was followed by infatuation1 as even the pagans felt that whom ,god wills to ruin ,he first drives mad4 ,this explanation implies that to harden ,pharaoh's heart was to inspire him1 not with wickedness1 but with nerve4 ,and as far as the original language helps us at all1 it decidedly supports this view4 ,three different expressions have been unhappily rendered by the same ,english word1 to harden2 but they may be discriminated throughout the narrative in ,exodus1 by the margin of the ,revised ,version4 ,one word1 which commonly appears without any marginal explanation1 is the same which is employed elsewhere about the cause which is too hard for minor judges 7,deut4 i4 #ag1 cf4 xv4 #ah1 etc474 ,now1 this word is found 7vii4 #ac7 in the second threat that ,i will harden ,pharaoh's heart1 and in the account which was to be given to posterity of how ,pharaoh hardened himself to let us go 7xiii4 #ae74 ,and it is said likewise of ,sihon1 king of ,heshbon1 that he would not let us pass by him1 for the ,lord thy ,god hardened his spirit and made his heart strong 7,deut4 ii4 #cj74 ,but since it does not occur anywhere in all the narrative of what ,god actually did with ,pharaoh1 it is only just to interpret this phrase in the prediction by what we read elsewhere of the manner of its fulfilment4 ,the second word is explained in the margin as meaning to make strong4 ,already ,god had employed it when ,he said ,i will make strong his heart 7iv4 #ba71 and this is the term used of the first fulfilment of the menace1 after the sixth plague 7ix4 #ab74 ,god is not said to interfere again after the seventh1 which had few special terrors for ,pharaoh himself2 but from henceforth the expression to make strong alternates with the phrase to make heavy4 ,go in unto ,pharaoh1 for ,i have made heavy his heart and the heart of his servants1 that ,i might show these ,my signs in the midst of them 7x4 #a74 ,it may be safely assumed that these two expressions cover between them all that is asserted of the judicial action of ,god in preventing a recoil of ,pharaoh from his calamities4 ,now1 the strengthening of a heart1 however punitive and disastrous when a man's will is evil 7just as the strengthening of his arm is disastrous then71 has in itself no immorality inherent4 ,it is a thing as often good as bad1--as when ,israel and ,joshua are exhorted to ,be strong and of a good courage 7,deut4 xxxi4 #f1 #g1 #bc71 and when the angel laid his hand upon ,daniel and said1 ,be strong1 yea1 be strong 7,dan4 x4 #ai74 ,in these passages the phrase is identical with that which describes the process by which ,pharaoh was prevented from cowering under the tremendous blows he had provoked4 ,the other expression is to make heavy or dull4 ,thus the eyes of ,israel were heavy with age 7,gen4 xlviii4 #aj71 and as we speak of a weight of honour1 equally with the heaviness of a dull man1 so we are twice commanded1 ,make heavy 7honour7 thy father and thy mother2 and the ,lord declares1 ,i will make ,myself heavy 7get ,me honour7 upon ,pharaoh 7,deut4 v4 #af1 ,exod4 xx4 #ab1 xiv4 #d1 #ag1 #ah74 ,in these latter references it will be observed that the making strong the heart of ,pharaoh1 and the making ,myself heavy are so connected as almost to show a design of indicating how far is either expression from conveying the notion of immorality1 infused into a human heart by ,god4 ,for one of the two phrases which have been thus interpreted is still applied to ,pharaoh2 but the other 7and the more sinister1 as we should think1 when thus applied7 is appropriated by ,god to ,himself3 ,he makes ,himself heavy4 ,it is also a curious and significant coincidence that the same word was used of the burdens that were made heavy when first they claimed their freedom1 which is now used of the treatment of the heart of their oppressor 7v4 #i74 ,it appears1 then1 that the ,lord is never said to debauch ,pharaoh's heart1 but only to strengthen it against prudence and to make it dull2 that the words used do not express the infusion of evil passion1 but the animation of a resolute courage1 and the overclouding of a natural discernment2 and1 above all1 that every one of the three words1 to make hard1 to make strong1 and to make heavy1 is employed to express ,pharaoh's own treatment of himself1 before it is applied to any work of ,god1 as actually taking place already4 ,nevertheless1 there is a solemn warning for all time1 in the assertion that what he at first chose1 the vengeance of ,god afterward chose for him4 ,for indeed the same process1 working more slowly but on identical lines1 is constantly seen in the hardening effect of vicious habit4 ,the gambler did not mean to stake all his fortune upon one chance1 when first he timidly laid down a paltry stake2 nor has he changed his mind since then as to the imprudence of such a hazard4 ,the drunkard1 the murderer himself1 is a man who at first did evil as far as he dared1 and afterwards dared to do evil which he would once have shuddered at4 ,let no man assume that prudence will always save him from ruinous excess1 if respect for righteousness cannot withhold him from those first compliances which sap the will1 destroy the restraint of self-respect1 wear away the horror of great wickedness by familiarity with the same guilt in its lesser phases1 and1 above all1 forfeit the enlightenment and calmness of judgment which come from the ,holy ,spirit of ,god1 ,who is the ,spirit of wisdom and of counsel1 and makes men to be of quick understanding in the fear of the ,lord4 ,let no man think that the fear of damnation will bring him to the mercy-seat at last1 if the burden and gloom of being condemned already cannot now bend his will4 ,even as they refused to have ,god in their knowledge1 ,god gave them up unto a reprobate mind 7,rom4 i4 #bh74 ,i gave them ,my statutes and showed them ,my judgments1 which if a man do1 he shall even live in them4444 ,i gave them statutes that were not good1 and judgments wherein they should not live 7,ezek4 xx4 #aa1 #be74 ,this is the inevitable law1 the law of a confused and darkened judgment1 a heart made heavy and ears shut1 a conscience seared1 an infatuated will kicking against the pricks1 and heaping to itself wrath against the day of wrath4 ,wilful sin is always a challenge to ,god1 and it is avenged by the obscuring of the lamp of ,god in the soul4 ,now1 a part of ,his guiding light is prudence2 and it is possible that men who will not be warned by the fear of injury to their conscience1 such as they suppose that ,pharaoh suffered1 may be sobered by the danger of such derangement of their intellectual efficiency as really befel him4 ,in this sense men are1 at last1 impelled blindly to their fate 7and this is a judicial act of ,god1 although it comes in the course of nature71 but first they launch themselves upon the slope which grows steeper at every downward step1 until arrest is impossible4 ,on the other hand1 every act of obedience helps to release the will from its entanglement1 and to clear the judgment which has grown dull1 anointing the eyes with eye-salve that they may see4 ,not in vain is the assertion of the bondage of the sinner and the glorious liberty of the children of ,god4 ,a second time1 then1 ,moses presented himself before ,pharaoh with his demands2 and1 as he had been forewarned1 he was now challenged to give a sign in proof of his commission from a god4 ,and the demand was treated as reasonable2 a sign was given1 and a menacing one4 ,the peaceable rod of the shepherd1 a fit symbol of the meek man who bore it1 became a serpent#aj before the king1 as ,moses was to become destructive to his realm4 ,but when the wise men of ,egypt and the enchanters were called1 they did likewise2 and although a marvel was added which incontestably declared the superior power of the ,deity ,whom ,aaron represented1 yet their rivalry sufficed to make strong the heart of ,pharaoh1 and he would not let the people go4 ,the issue was now knit3 the result would be more signal than if the quarrel were decided at one blow1 and upon all the gods of ,egypt the ,lord would exercise vengeance4 ,what are we to think of the authentification of a religion by a sign8 ,beyond doubt1 ,jesus recognised this aspect of ,his own miracles1 when ,he said1 ,if ,i had not done among them the works that none other man did1 they had not had sin 7,john xv4 #bd74 ,and yet there is reason in the objection that no amount of marvel ought to deflect by one hair's breadth our judgment of right and wrong1 and the true appeal of a religion must be to our moral sense4 ,no miracle can prove that immoral teaching is sacred4 ,but it can prove that it is supernatural4 ,and this is precisely what ,scripture always proclaims4 ,in the ,new ,testament1 we are bidden to take heed1 because a day will come1 when false prophets shall work great signs and wonders1 to deceive1 if possible1 even the elect 7,mark xiii4 #bb74 ,in the ,old ,testament1 a prophet may seduce the people to worship other gods1 by giving them a sign or a wonder which shall come to pass1 but they must surely stone him3 they must believe that his sign is only a temptation2 and above whatever power enabled him to work it1 they must recognise ,jehovah proving them1 and know that the supernatural has come to them in judgment1 not in revelation 7,deut4 xiii4 #a-e74 ,now1 this is the true function of the miraculous4 ,at the most1 it cannot coerce the conscience1 but only challenge it to consider and to judge4 ,a teacher of the purest morality may be only a human teacher still2 nor is the ,christian bound to follow into the desert every clamorous innovator1 or to seek in the secret chamber every one who whispers a private doctrine to a few4 ,we are entitled to expect that one who is commissioned directly from above will bear special credentials with him2 but when these are exhibited1 we must still judge whether the document they attest is forged4 ,and this may explain to us why the magicians were allowed for awhile to perplex the judgment of ,pharaoh whether by fraud1 as we may well suppose1 or by infernal help4 ,it was enough that ,moses should set his claims upon a level with those which ,pharaoh reverenced3 the king was then bound to weigh their relative merits in other and wholly different scales4 ,,the ,,plagues4 vii4 #ad4 ,there are many aspects in which the plagues of ,egypt may be contemplated4 ,we may think of them as ranging through all nature1 and asserting the mastery of the ,lord alike over the river on which depended the prosperity of the realm1 over the minute pests which can make life more wretched than larger and more conspicuous ills 7the frogs of the water1 the reptiles that disgrace humanity1 and the insects that infest the air71 over the bodies of animals stricken with murrain1 and those of man tortured with boils1 over hail in the cloud and blight in the crop1 over the breeze that bears the locust and the sun that grows dark at noon1 and at last over the secret springs of human life itself4 ,no pantheistic creed 7and the ,egyptian religion struck its roots deep into pantheistic speculation7 could thus completely exalt ,god above nature1 as a superior and controlling ,power1 not one with the mighty wheels of the universe1 of which the height is terrible1 but1 as ,ezekiel saw ,him1 enthroned above them in the likeness of fire1 and yet in the likeness of humanity4 ,no idolatrous creed1 however powerful be its conception of one god of the hills and another of the valleys1 could thus represent a single deity as wielding all the arrows of adverse fortune1 able to assail us from earth and sky and water1 formidable alike in the least things and in the greatest4 ,and presently the demonstration is completed1 when at ,his bidding the tempest heaps up the sea1 and at ,his frown the waters return to their strength again4 ,and no philosophic theory condescends to bring the ,ideal1 the ,absolute1 and the ,unconditioned1 into such close and intimate connection with the frog-spawn of the ditch and the blain upon the tortured skin4 ,we may1 with ample warrant from ,scripture1 make the controversial application still more simple and direct1 and think of the plagues as wreaking vengeance1 for the worship they had usurped and the cruelties they had sanctioned1 upon all the gods of ,egypt1 which are conceived of for the moment as realities1 and as humbled1 if not in fact1 yet in the sympathies of priest and worshipper 7xii4 #ab74 ,then we shall see the domain of each impostor invaded1 and every vaunted power to inflict evil or to remove it triumphantly wielded by ,him ,who proves ,his equal mastery over all1 and thus we shall find here the justification of that still bolder personification which says1 ,worship ,him1 all ye gods 7,psalm xcvii4 #g74 ,the ,nile had a sacred name1 and was adored as ,hapee1 or ,hapee ,mu1 the ,abyss1 or the ,abyss of ,waters1 or the ,hidden1 and the king was frequently portrayed standing between two images of this god1 his throne wreathed with water-lilies4 ,the second plague struck at the goddess ,,hekt1 whose head was that of a frog4 ,the uncleanness of the third plague deranged the whole system of ,egyptian worship1 with its punctilious and elaborate purifications4 ,in every one there is either a presiding divinity attacked1 or a blow dealt upon the priesthood or the sacrifice1 or a sphere invaded which some deity should have protected1 until the sun himself is darkened1 the great god ,,ra1 to whom their sacred city was dedicated1 and whose name is incorporated in the title of his earthly representative1 the ,pharaoh or ,,ph-,,ra4 ,then at last1 after all these premonitions1 the deadly blow struck home4 ,or we may think of the plagues as retributive1 and then we shall discover a wonderful suitability in them all4 ,it was a direful omen that the first should afflict the nation through the river1 into which1 eighty years before1 the ,hebrew babes had been cast to die1 which now rolled bloody1 and seemed to disclose its dead4 ,it was fit that the luxurious homes of the oppressors should become squalid as the huts of the slaves they trampled2 that their flesh should suffer torture worse than that of the whips they used so unmercifully2 that the loss of crops and cattle should bring home to them the hardships of the poor who toiled for their magnificence2 that physical darkness should appal them with vague terrors and undefined apprehensions1 such as ever haunt the bosom of the oppressed1 whose life is the sport of a caprice2 and at last that the aged should learn by the deathbed of the prop and pride of their declining feebleness1 and the younger feel beside the cradle of the first blossom and fruit of love1 all the agony of such bereavement as they had wantonly inflicted on the innocent4 ,and since the fear of disadvantage in war had prompted the murder of the ,hebrew children1 it was right that the retributive blow should destroy first their children and then their men of war4 ,when we come to examine the plagues in detail1 we discover that it is no arbitrary fancy which divides them into three triplets1 leading up to the appalling tenth4 ,thus the first1 fourth1 and seventh1 each of which begins a triplet1 are introduced by a command to ,moses to warn ,pharaoh in the morning 7vii4 #ae71 or early in the morning 7viii4 #bj1 ix4 #ac74 ,the third1 sixth and ninth1 on the contrary1 are inflicted without any warning whatever4 ,the story of the third plague closes with the defeat of the magicians1 the sixth with their inability to stand before the king1 and the ninth with the final rupture1 when ,moses declares1 ,thou shalt see my face no more 7viii4 #ai1 ix4 #aa1 x4 #bi74 ,the first three are plagues of loathsomeness--blood-stained waters1 frogs and lice2 the next three bring actual pain and loss with them--stinging flies1 murrain which afflicts the beasts1 and boils upon all the ,egyptians2 and the third triplet are nature-plagues--hail1 locusts and darkness4 ,it is only after the first three plagues that the immunity of ,israel is mentioned2 and after the next three1 when the hail is threatened1 instructions are first given by which those ,egyptians who fear ,jehovah may also obtain protection4 ,thus1 in orderly and solemn procession1 marched the avengers of ,god upon the guilty land4 ,it has been observed1 concerning the miracles of ,jesus1 that not one of them was creative1 and that1 whenever it was possible1 ,he wrought by the use of material naturally provided4 ,the waterpots should be filled2 the five barley-loaves should be sought out2 the nets should be let down for a draught2 and the blind man should have his eyes anointed1 and go wash in the ,pool of ,siloam4 ,and it is easily seen that such miracles were a more natural expression of ,his errand1 which was to repair and purify the existing system of things1 and to remove our moral disease and dearth1 than any exercise of creative power would have been1 however it might have dazzled the spectators4 ,now1 the same remark applies to the miracles of ,moses1 to the coming of ,god in judgment1 as to ,his revelation of ,himself in grace2 and therefore we need not be surprised to hear that natural phenomena are not unknown which offer a sort of dim hint or foreshadowing of the terrible ten plagues4 ,either cryptogamic vegetation or the earth borne down from upper ,africa is still seen to redden the river1 usually dark1 but not so as to destroy the fish4 ,frogs and vermin and stinging insects are the pest of modern travellers4 ,cattle plagues make ravage there1 and hideous diseases of the skin are still as common as when the ,lord promised to reward the obedience of ,israel to sanitary law by putting upon them none of the evil diseases of ,egypt which they knew 7,deut4 vii4 #ae74aa ,the locust is still dreaded4 ,but some of the other visitations were more direful because not only their intensity but even their existence was almost unprecedented3 hail in ,egypt was only not quite unknown2 and such veiling of the sun as occurs for a few minutes during the storms of sand in the desert ought scarcely to be quoted as even a suggestion of the prolonged horror of the ninth plague4 ,now1 this accords exactly with the moral effect which was to be produced4 ,the rescued people were not to think of ,god as one who strikes down into nature from outside1 with strange and unwonted powers1 superseding utterly its familiar forces4 ,they were to think of ,him as the ,author of all2 and of the common troubles of mortality as being indeed the effects of sin1 yet ever controlled and governed by ,him1 let loose at ,his will1 and capable of mounting to unimagined heights if ,his restraints be removed from them4 ,by the east wind ,he brought the locusts1 and removed them by the south-west wind4 ,by a storm ,he divided the sea4 ,the common things of life are in ,his hands1 often for tremendous results4 ,and this is one of the chief lessons of the narrative for us4 ,let the mind range over the list of the nine which stop short of absolute destruction1 and reflect upon the vital importance of immunities for which we are scarcely grateful4 ,the purity of water is now felt to be among the foremost necessities of life4 ,it is one which asks nothing from us except to refrain from polluting what comes from heaven so limpid4 ,and yet we are half satisfied to go on habitually inflicting on ourselves a plague more foul and noxious than any occasional turning of our rivers into blood4 ,the two plagues which dealt with minute forms of life may well remind us of the vast part which we are now aware that the smallest organisms play in the economy of life1 as the agents of the ,creator4 ,who gives thanks aright for the cheap blessing of the unstained light of heaven8 ,but we are insensible to the every-day teaching of this narrative3 we turn our rivers into fluid poison2 we spread all around us deleterious influences1 which breed by minute forms of parasitical life the germs of cruel disease2 we load the atmosphere with fumes which slay our cattle with periodical distempers1 and are deadlier to vegetation than the hail-storm or the locust2 we charge it with carbon so dense that multitudes have forgotten that the sky is blue1 and on our ,metropolis comes down at frequent intervals the darkness of the ninth plague1 and all the time we fail to see that ,god1 ,who enacts and enforces every law of nature1 does really plague us whenever these outraged laws avenge themselves4 ,the miraculous use of nature in special emergencies is such as to show the ,hand which regularly wields its powers4 ,at the same time there is no more excuse for the rationalism which would reduce the calamities of ,egypt to a coincidence1 than for explaining away the manna which fed a nation during its wanderings by the drug which is gathered1 in scanty morsels1 upon the acacia tree4 ,the awful severity of the judgments1 the series which they formed1 their advent and removal at the menace and the prayer of ,moses1 are considerations which make such a theory absurd4 ,the older scepticism1 which supposed ,moses to have taken advantage of some epidemic1 to have learned in the wilderness the fords of the ,red ,sea1#ab to have discovered water1 when the caravan was perishing of thirst1 by his knowledge of the habits of wild beasts1 and finally to have dazzled the nation at ,horeb with some kind of fireworks1 is itself almost a miracle in its violation of the laws of mind4 ,the concurrence of countless favourable accidents and strange resources of leadership is like the chance arrangement of a printer's type to make a poem4 ,there is a common notion that the ten plagues followed each other with breathless speed1 and were completed within a few weeks4 ,but nothing in the narrative asserts or even hints this1 and what we do know is in the opposite direction4 ,the seventh plague was wrought in ,february1 for the barley was in the ear and the flax in blossom 7ix4 #ca72 and the feast of passover was kept on the fourteenth day of the month ,abib1 so that the destruction of the firstborn was in the middle of ,april1 and there was an interval of about two months between the last four plagues4 ,now1 the same interval throughout would bring back the first plague to ,september or ,october4 ,but the natural discoloration of the river1 mentioned above1 is in the middle of the year1 when the river begins to rise2 and this1 it may possibly be inferred1 is the natural period at which to fix the first plague4 ,they would then range over a period of about nine months4 ,during the interval between them1 the promises and treacheries of the king excited alternate hope and rage in ,israel2 the scribes of their own race 7once the vassals of their tyrants1 but already estranged by their own oppression7 began to take rank as officers among the ,jews1 and to exhibit the rudimentary promise of national order and government2 and the growing fears of their enemies fostered that triumphant sense of mastery1 out of which national hope and pride are born4 ,when the time came for their departure1 it was possible to transmit orders throughout all their tribes1 and they came out of ,egypt by their armies1 which would have been utterly impossible a few months before4 ,it was with them1 as it is with every man that breathes3 the delay of ,god's grace was itself a grace2 and the slowly ripening fruit grew mellower than if it had been forced into a speedier maturity4 ,,the ,,first ,,plague4 vii4 #ad-be4 ,it was perhaps when the ,nile was rising1 and ,pharaoh was coming to the bank1 in pomp of state1 to make official observation of its progress1 on which the welfare of the kingdom depended1 and to do homage before its divinity1 that the messenger of another ,deity confronted him1 with a formal declaration of war4 ,it was a strange contrast4 ,the wicked was in great prosperity1 neither was he plagued like another man4 ,upon his head1 if this were ,menephtah1 was the golden symbol of his own divinity4 ,around him was an obsequious court4 ,and yet there was moving in his heart some unconfessed sense of awe1 when confronted once more by the aged shepherd and his brother1 who had claimed a commission from above1 and had certainly met his challenge1 and made a short end of the rival snakes of his own seers4 ,once he had asked ,who is ,jehovah8 and had sent ,his ambassadors to their tasks again with insult4 ,but now he needs to harden his heart1 in order not to yield to their strange and persistent demands4 ,he remembers how they had spoken to him already1 ,thus saith the ,lord1 ,israel is ,my son1 ,my firstborn1 and ,i have said unto thee1 ,let ,my son go that he may serve ,me2 and thou hast refused to let him go3 behold1 ,i will slay thy son1 thy firstborn 7iv4 #bb1 ,r4,v474 ,did this awful warning come back to him1 when the worn1 solemn and inflexible face of ,moses again met him8 ,did he divine the connection between this ultimate penalty and what is now announced--the turning of the pride and refreshment of ,egypt into blood8 ,or was it partly because each plague1 however dire1 seemed to fall short of the tremendous threat1 that he hoped to find the power of ,moses more limited than his warnings8 ,because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily1 therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil4 ,and might he1 at the last1 be hardened to pursue the people because1 by their own showing1 the keenest arrow in their quiver was now sped8 ,whatever his feelings were1 it is certain that the brothers come and go1 and inflict their plagues unrestrained2 that no insult or violence is attempted1 and we can see the truth of the words ,i have made thee as a god unto ,pharaoh4 ,it is in clear allusion to his vaunt1 ,i know not ,jehovah1 that ,moses and ,aaron now repeat the demand for release1 and say1 ,hitherto thou hast not hearkened3 behold1 in this thou shalt know that ,i am ,jehovah4 ,what follows1 when attentively read1 makes it plain that the blow falls upon the waters that are in the river1 and those that have been drawn from it into canals for artificial irrigation1 into reservoirs like the lakes ,moeris and ,mareotis1 and even into vessels for immediate use4 ,but we are expressly told that it was possible to obtain water by digging wells4 ,therefore there is no point whatever in the cavil that if ,moses turned all the water into blood1 none was left for the operations of the magicians4 ,but no comparison whatever existed between their petty performances and the immense and direful work of vengeance which rolled down a putrid mass of corrupt waters through the land1 spoiling the great stores of water by which later drought should be relieved1 destroying the fish1 that important part of the food of the nation1 for which ,israel afterwards lusted1 and sowing the seeds of other plagues1 by the pollution of that balmy air in which so many of our own suffering countrymen still find relief1 but which was now infected and loathsome4 ,even ,pharaoh must have felt that his gods might do better for him than this1 and that it would be much more to the point just then to undo his plague than to increase it--to turn back the blood to water than contribute a few drops more4 ,if this was their best effort1 he was already helpless in the hand of his assailant1 who1 by the uplifting of his rod1 and the bold avowal in advance of responsibility for so great a calamity1 had formally defied him4 ,but ,pharaoh dared not accept the challenge3 it was effort enough for him to set his heart against surrender to the portent1 and he sullenly turned back into the palace from the spot where ,moses met him4 ,two details remain to be observed4 ,the seven days which were fulfilled do not measure the interval between this plague and the next1 but the period of its infliction4 ,and this information is not given us concerning any other1 until we come to the three days of darkness4#ac ,it is important here1 because the natural discoloration lasts for three weeks1 and mythical tendencies would rather exaggerate than shorten the term4 ,again1 it is contended that only with the fourth plague did ,israel begin to enjoy exemption1 because then only is their immunity recorded4#ad ,but it is strange indeed to suppose that they were involved in punishments the design of which was their relief2 and in fact their exemption is implied in the statement that the ,egyptians 7only7 had to dig wells4 ,it is to be understood that large stores of water would everywhere be laid up1 because the ,nile water1 however delicious1 carries much sediment which must be allowed to settle down4 ,they would not be forced1 therefore1 to fall back upon the polluted common sources for a supply4 ,and now let us contrast this miracle with the first of the ,new ,testament4 ,one spoiled the happiness of the guilty2 the other rescued the overclouded joy of the friends of ,jesus1 not turning water into blood but into wine2 declaring at one stroke all the difference between the law which worketh wrath1 and the gospel of the grace of ,god4 ,the first was impressive and public1 as the revelation upon ,sinai2 the other appealed far more to the heart than to the imagination1 and befitted well the kingdom that was not with observation1 the ,king who grew up like a tender plant1 and did not strive nor cry1 the redeeming influence which was at first unobtrusive as the least of all seeds1 but became a tree1 and the shelter of the fowls of heaven4 ,,footnotes3 #aj ,it is true that the word means any large reptile1 as when ,god created great whales2 but doubtless our ,english version is correct4 ,it was certainly a serpent which he had recently fled from1 and then taken by the tail 7iv4 #d74 ,and unless we suppose the magicians to have wrought a genuine miracle1 no other creature can be suggested1 equally convenient for their sleight of hand4 #aa ,to this day1 amid squalid surroundings for which nominal ,christians are responsible1 the immunity of the ,jewish race from such suffering is conspicuous1 and at least a remarkable coincidence4 #ab ,but indeed this notion is not yet dead4 ,a high wind left the shallow sea so low that it became possible to ford it4 ,moses eagerly accepted the suggestion1 and made the venture with success1 etc4--,wellhausen1 ,israel1 in ,encyc4 ,brit4 #ac x4 #bb4 ,the accurate ,kalisch is therefore wrong in speaking of ,the duration of the first plague1 a statement not made with regard to any of the subsequent inflictions4--,commentary in loco4 #ad ,speaker's ,commentary1 i41 p4 #bdb2 ,kalisch on viii4 #ah2 ,kiel1 i4 #dhd4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,second ,,plague4 viii4 #a-ae4 ,although ,pharaoh had warning of the first plague1 no appeal was made to him to avert it by submission4 ,but before the plague of frogs he was distinctly commanded1 ,let ,my people go4 ,it is an advancing lesson4 ,he has felt the power of ,jehovah3 now he is to connect1 even more closely1 his suffering with his disobedience2 and when this is accomplished1 the third plague will break upon him unannounced--a loud challenge to his conscience to become itself his judge4 ,the plague of frogs was far greater than our experience helps us to imagine4 ,at least two cases are on record of a people being driven to abandon their settlements because they had become intolerable2 as even the vessels were full of them1 the water infested and the food uneatable1 as they could scarcely set their feet on the ground without treading on heaps of them1 and as they were vexed by the smell of the great multitude that died1 they fled from that region4 ,the ,egyptian species known to science as the ,rana ,mosaica1 and still called by the uncommon epithet here employed1 is peculiarly repulsive1 and peculiarly noisy too4 ,the superstition which adored a frog as the ,queen of the two ,worlds1 and placed it upon the sacred lotus-leaf1 would make it impossible for an ,egyptian to adopt even such forlorn measures of self-defence as might suggest themselves4 ,it was an unclean pest against which he was entirely helpless1 and it extended the power of his enemy from the river to the land4 ,the range of the grievance is dwelt upon in the warning3 they shall come up and enter into thine house1 and into thy bedchamber1 and upon thy bed 444 and into thine ovens1 and into thy kneading-troughs 7viii4 #c74 ,the most sequestered and the dryest spots alike would swarm with them1 thrust forward into the most unsuitable places by the multitude behind4 ,thus ,pharaoh himself had to share1 far more than in the first plague1 the misery of his humblest subjects2 and1 although again his magicians imitated ,aaron upon some small prepared plot1 and amid circumstances which made it easier to exhibit frogs than to exclude them1 yet there was no comfort in such puerile emulation1 and they offered no hope of relieving him4 ,from the gods that were only vanities1 he turned to ,jehovah1 and abased himself to ask the intercession of ,moses3 ,intreat ,jehovah that ,he take away the frogs from me and from my people2 and ,i will let the people go4 ,the assurance would have been a hopeful one1 if only the sense of inconvenience were the same as the sense of sin4 ,but when we wonder at the relapses of men who were penitent upon sick-beds or in adversity1 as soon as their trouble is at an end1 we are blind to this distinction4 ,pain is sometimes obviously due to ourselves1 and it is natural to blame the conduct which led to it4 ,but if we blame it only for being disastrous1 we cannot hope that the fruits of the ,spirit will result from a sensation of the flesh4 ,it was so with ,pharaoh1 as doubtless ,moses expected1 since ,god had not yet exhausted ,his predicted works of retribution4 ,this anticipated fraud is much the simplest explanation of the difficult phrase1 ,have thou this glory over me4 ,it is sometimes explained as an expression of courtesy--,i obey thee as a superior2 which does not occur elsewhere1 because it is not ,hebrew but ,egyptian4 ,but this suavity is quite alien to the spirit of the narrative1 in which ,moses1 however courteous1 represents an offended ,god4 ,it is more natural to take it as an open declaration that he was being imposed upon1 yet would grant to the king whatever advantage the fraud implied4 ,and to make the coming relief more clearly the action of the ,lord1 to shut out every possibility that magician or priest should claim the honour1 he bade the king name an hour at which the plague should cease4 ,if the frogs passed away at once1 the relief might chance to be a natural one2 and ,pharaoh doubtless conceived that elaborate and long protracted intercessions were necessary for his deliverance4 ,accordingly he fixed a future period1 yet as near as he perhaps thought possible2 and ,moses1 without any express authority1 promised him that it should be so4 ,therefore he cried unto the ,lord1 and the frogs did not retreat into the river1 but suddenly died where they were1 and filled the unhappy land with a new horror in their decay4 ,but when ,pharaoh saw that there was respite1 he made his heart heavy and hearkened not unto them4 ,it is a graphic sentence3 it implies rather than affirms their indignant remonstrances1 and the sullen1 dull1 spiritless obstinacy with which he held his base and unkingly purpose4 ,,the ,,third ,,plague4 viii4 #af-ai4 ,there is no sufficient reason for discarding the ordinary opinion of this plague4 ,gnats have been suggested 7with beetles instead of flies for the fourth1 since gnats and flies would scarcely make two several judgments71 but these1 which spring from marshy ground1 would unfitly be connected with the dust whence ,aaron was to evoke the pest4 ,sir ,samuel ,baker1 on the other hand1 has said of modern ,egypt that it seemed as if the very dust were turned into lice 7quoted in ,speaker's ,commentary in loco74 ,two features in this plague deserve attention4 ,it came without any warning whatever4 ,the faithless king who gave his word and broke it found himself involved in fresh miseries without an opportunity of humbling himself again4 ,he was flung back into deep waters1 because he refused to fulfil the terms upon which he had been extricated4 ,it must be understood that the act of ,aaron was a public one1 performed in the sight of ,pharaoh1 and instantly followed by the plague4 ,there was no doubt about the origin of the pest1 and the new and alarming prospect was opened up of calamities yet to come1 without a chance to avert them by submission4 ,again1 it will be observed that the magicians are utterly baffled just when there is no warning given1 and therefore no opportunity for pre-arranged sleight of hand4 ,and this surely favours the opinion that they had not hitherto succeeded by supernatural assistance1 for there is no such evident reason why infernal aid should cease at this exact point4 ,it is a mistake to suppose that thereupon they confessed the mission of the brothers4 ,in their agitation they admitted that1 on their part at least1 no divinity had been at work before4 ,but they rather ascribed what they saw to the action of some vaguely indicated deity1 than confessed it to be the work of ,jehovah4 ,again it has to be asked whether this resembles more the vainglorious structure of a myth1 or the course of a truthful history4 ,nevertheless1 their grudging and insufficient avowal was meant to induce a surrender4 ,but ,pharaoh's heart was strong1 and he hearkened not unto them4 ,to this statement it is not added1 because the ,lord had hardened him1 for this had not even yet taken place2 but only1 as the ,lord had spoken4 ,,the ,,fourth ,,plague4 viii4 #bj-cb4 ,when the third plague had died away1 when the sense of reaction and exhaustion had replaced agitation and distress1 and when perhaps the fear grew strong that at any moment a new calamity might befal the land as abruptly as the last1 ,god orders a solemn and urgent appeal to be made to the oppressor4 ,and the same occurs three times3 after each plague which arrives unexpectedly the next is introduced by a special warning4 ,on each of these occasions1 moreover1 the appeal is made in the morning1 at the hour when reason ought to be clearest and the passions least agitating2 and this circumstance is perhaps alluded to in the favourite phrase of ,jeremiah when he would speak of condescending earnestness--,i sent my prophets1 rising up early and sending them 7,jer4 xxv4 #d1 xxvi4 #e1 xxix4 #ai1 and many more2 cf4 also vii4 #ac1 and #b ,chron4 xxxvi4 #ae74 ,so far is the ,scripture from regarding ,pharaoh as propelled by destiny1 as by a machine1 down iron grooves to ruin4 ,we have now come to the group of plagues which inflict actual bodily damage1 and not inconvenience and humiliation only3 the dogfly 7or beetle72 the murrain among beasts1 which was a precursor of the crowning evil that struck at human life2 and the boils4 ,of the fourth plague the precise nature is uncertain4 ,there is a beetle which gnaws both man and beast1 destroys clothes1 furniture1 and plants1 and even now they are often seen in millions 7,munk1 ,palestine1 p4 #abj74 ,in a few minutes they filled the whole house4444 ,only after the most laborious exertions1 and covering the floor of the house with hot coals1 they succeeded in mastering them4 ,if they make such attacks during the night1 the inmates are compelled to give up the houses1 and little children or sick persons1 who are unable to rise alone1 are then exposed to the greatest danger of life 7,pratte1 ,abyssinia1 p4 #adc1 in ,kalisch74 ,now1 this explanation has one advantage over that of dogflies--that special mention is made of their afflicting the ground whereon they are 7ver4 #ba71 which is less suitable to a plague of flies4 ,but it may be that no one creature is meant4 ,the ,hebrew word means a mixture4 ,jewish interpreters have gone so far as to make it mean all kinds of noxious animals and serpents and scorpions mixed together1 and although it is palpably absurd to believe that ,pharaoh should have survived if these had been upon him and upon his servants1 yet the expression a mixture1 following after one kind of vermin had tormented the land1 need not be narrowed too exactly4 ,with deliberate particularity the king was warned that they should come upon thee1 and upon thy servants1 and upon thy people1 and into thine houses1 and the houses of the ,egyptians shall be full of them#ae1 and also the ground whereon they are4 ,it has been supposed1 from the special mention of the exemption of the land of ,goshen1 that this was a new thing4 ,we have seen reason1 however1 to think otherwise1 and the emphatic assertion now made is easy to understand4 ,the plague was especially to be expected in low flat ground3 the king may not even have been aware of the previous freedom of ,israel2 and in any case its importance as an evidence had not been pressed upon him4 ,the spirit of the seventy-eighth ,psalm1 though not perhaps any one specific phrase1 contrasts the earlier as well as the later plagues with the protection of ,his own people1 whom ,he led like sheep 7vers4 #db-eb74 ,after the appointed interval 7the same which ,pharaoh had indicated for the removal of the frogs7 the plague came4 ,we are told that the land was corrupted1 but it is significant that more stress is laid upon the suffering of ,pharaoh and his court in the event than in the menace4 ,it came home to himself more cruelly than any former plague1 and he at once attempted to make terms3 ,go ye1 sacrifice to your ,god in the land4 ,it is a natural speech1 at first not asking to be trusted as before by getting relief before the ,hebrews actually enjoy their liberty2 and yet conceding as little as possible1 and in hot haste to have that little done and the relief obtained4 ,they may even serve their ,god on the sacred soil1 so completely has ,he already defeated all ,his rivals4 ,but this was not what was demanded2 and ,moses repeated the claim of a three days' journey1 basing it upon the ground1 still more insulting to the national religion1 that ,we will sacrifice to ,jehovah our ,god the abomination of the ,egyptians1 that is to say1 sacred animals1 which it is horror in their eyes to sacrifice4 ,any faith in his own creed which ,pharaoh ever had is surrendered when this argument1 instead of making their cause hopeless1 forces him to yield--adding1 however1 like a thoroughly weak man who wishes to refuse but dares not1 only ye shall not go very far away3 intreat for me4 ,and again ,moses concedes the point1 with only the courteous remonstrance1 ,but let not ,pharaoh deal deceitfully any more4 ,it is necessary to repeat that we have not a shred of evidence that ,moses would have violated his compact and failed to return3 it would have sufficed as a first step to have asserted the nationality of his people and their right to worship their own ,god3 all the rest would speedily have followed4 ,but the terms which were rejected again and again did not continue for ever to bind the victorious party3 the story of their actual departure makes it plain that both sides understood it to be a final exodus2 and thence came the murderous pursuit of ,pharaoh 7cf4 xv4 #i71 which in itself would have cancelled any compact which had existed until then4 ,,footnotes3 #ae ,the ,revised ,version has swarms of flies1 which is clearly an attempt to meet the case4 ,but it is worth notice that in the ,psalms the expression was twice rendered divers kinds of flies 7lxxviii4 #de1 cv4 #ca1 ,a4,v47 ,the word occurs only of this plague4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,the ,,fifth ,,plague4 ix4 #a-g4 ,our ,lord when on earth came not to destroy men's lives4 ,and yet it was necessary1 for our highest instruction1 that we should not think of ,him as revealing a ,divinity wholly devoid of sternness4 ,twice1 therefore1 a gleam of the fires of justice fell on the eyes which followed ,him--through the destruction once of a barren tree1 and once of a herd of swine1 which property no ,jew should have possessed4 ,so now1 when half the gloomy round of the plagues was being completed1 it was necessary to prove that life itself was staked on this desperate hazard2 and this was done first by the very same expedient--the destruction of life which was not human4 ,there is something pathetic1 if one thinks of it1 in the extent to which domestic animals share our fortunes1 and suffer through the brutality or the recklessness of their proprietors4 ,if all men were humane1 self-controlled1 and 7as a natural result7 prosperous1 what a weight would be uplifted from the lower levels also of created life1 all of which groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now6 ,the dumb animal world is partner with humanity1 and shares its fate1 as each animal is dependent on its individual owner4 ,we have already seen the whole life of ,egypt stricken1 but now the lower creatures are to perish1 unless ,pharaoh will repent4 ,he is once more summoned in the name of ,jehovah1 ,god of the ,hebrews1 and warned that the hand of ,jehovah1 even a very grievous murrain 7for so the verse appears to say71 is upon thy cattle which is in the field1 upon the horses1 upon the asses1 upon the camels1 upon the herds and upon the flocks4 ,here some particulars need observation4 ,herds and flocks were everywhere2 but horses were a comparatively late introduction into ,egypt1 where they were as yet chiefly employed for war4 ,asses1 still so familiar to the traveller1 were the usual beasts of burden1 and were owned in great numbers by the rich1 although rash controversialists have pretended that1 as being unclean1 they were not tolerated in the land4 ,camels1 it is said1 are not to be found on the monuments1 but yet they were certainly known and possessed by ,egypt1 though there were many reasons why they should be held chiefly on the frontiers1 and perhaps in connection with the ,arabian mines and settlements4 ,upon all these in the field the plague should come4 ,the murrain still works havoc in the ,delta1 chiefly at the period1 beginning with ,december1 when the floods are down and the cattle are turned out into the pastures1 which would this year have been signally unwholesome4 ,it was not1 then1 the fact of a cattle plague which was miraculous1 but its severity1 its coming at an appointed time1 its assailing beasts of every kind1 and its exempting those of ,israel4 ,we are told that all the cattle of ,egypt died1 and yet that afterwards the hail 444 smote both man and beast 7ix4 #f1 #be74 ,it is an inconsistency very serious in the eyes of people who are too stupid or too uncandid to observe that1 just before1 the mischief was limited to those cattle which were in the field 7ver4 #c74 ,there were great stalls in suitable places1 to give them shelter during the inundations2 and all that had not yet been driven out to graze are expressly exempted from the plague4 ,much of ,pharaoh's own property perished1 but he was the last man in the country who would feel personal inconvenience by the loss1 and therefore nothing was more natural than that his selfish heart was heavy1 and he did not let the people go4 ,not even such an effort was needed as in the previous plague1 when we read that he made his heart heavy1 by a deliberate act4 ,there was nothing to indicate that he had now reached a crisis--that ,god ,himself in ,his judgment would henceforth make bold and resolute against crushing adversities the heart which had been obdurate against humanity1 against evidence1 against honour and plighted faith4 ,nothing is easier than to step over the frontier between great nations4 ,and in the moral world also the ,rubicon is passed1 the destiny of a soul is fixed1 sometimes without a struggle1 unawares4 ,instead of spiritual conflict1 there was intellectual curiosity4 ,pharaoh sent1 and behold there was not so much as one of the cattle of the ,israelites dead4 ,but the heart of ,pharaoh was heavy1 and he did not let the people go4 ,this inquiry into a phenomenon which was surprising indeed1 but yet quite unable to affect his action1 recalls the spiritual condition of ,herod1 who was conscience-stricken when first he heard of ,christ1 and said1 ,it is ,john whom ,i beheaded 7,mark vi4 #af71 but afterwards felt merely vulgar curiosity and desire to behold a sign of ,him4 ,in the case of ,pharaoh it was the next step to judicial infatuation4 ,when ,christ confronted ,herod1 ,he1 ,who had explained ,himself to ,pilate1 was absolutely silent4 ,and this warns us not to think that an interest in religious problems is itself of necessity religious4 ,one may understand all mysteries1 and yet it may profit him nothing4 ,and many a reprobate soul is controversial1 acute1 and keenly orthodox4 ,,the ,,sixth ,,plague4 ix4 #h-ab4 ,at the close of the second triplet1 as of the first1 stands a plague without a warning1 but not without the clearest connection between the blow and ,him who deals it4 ,to the ,jews ,egypt was a furnace in which they were being consumed--whether literally in human sacrifice1 or metaphorically in the hard labour which wasted them 7,deut4 iv4 #bj74 ,and now the brothers were commanded to fill both hands with ashes of the furnace and throw them upon the wind1#af either to symbolise the suffering which was to be spread wide over the land1 or because the ashes of human sacrifices were thus presented to their evil genius1 ,typhon4 ,if this were its meaning1 the irony was keen1 when at the same action a feverish inflammation breaking out in blains spread over all the nation4 ,but1 apart from any such reference to their cruel idolatry1 it was right that they should suffer in the flesh4 ,when the higher nature is dead1 there is no appeal so sharp and certain as to the physical sensibility4 ,and moreover1 there are other sins which have their root in the flesh besides sloth and bodily indulgence4 ,wrath and cruelty and pride are strangely stimulated and excited by self-indulgence4 ,not in vain does ,st4 ,paul describe a mind of the flesh1 and reckon among the fruits of the flesh not only uncleanness and drunkenness1 but1 just as truly1 strife1 jealousies1 wraths1 factions1 divisions1 heresies 7,col4 ii4 #ah2 ,gal4 v4 #ai1 #bj74 ,from such evil tempers1 stimulated by evil appetites1 the slaves of ,egypt had suffered bitterly2 and now the avenging rod fell upon the bodies of their tyrants4 ,and we may perhaps detect especial suffering1 certainly an especial triumph to be commemorated1 in the failure of the magicians even to stand before the king4 ,it is implied that they had done so until now1 and this confirms the belief that after the third plague they had not acknowledged ,jehovah1 but merely said in their defeat1 ,this is the finger of a god4 ,until now ,jannes and ,jambres 7two1 to rival the two brothers7 had withstood ,moses1 but now the contrast between the prophet and his victims writhing in their pain was too sharp for prejudice itself to overlook3 their folly was evident unto all men 7#b ,tim4 iii4 #h1 #i74 ,but it was not destined that ,pharaoh should yield even to so tremendous a coercion what he refused to moral influences2 and as ,jesus after ,his resurrection appeared not unto all the people 7hiding this crowning evidence from the eyes which had in vain beheld so much71 so the ,lord made strong the heart of ,pharaoh1 and he hearkened not unto them1 as the ,lord had spoken unto ,moses4 ,in this last expression is the explicit statement that it was now that the prediction attained fulfilment1 in the manner which we have discussed already4 ,but even this strength of heart did not reach the height of attempting any reprisals upon the torturers4 ,the sense of the supernatural was their defence3 ,moses was as a god unto ,pharaoh1 and ,aaron was his prophet4 ,in the narrative of this plague there is an expression which deserves attention for another reason4 ,the ashes1 it says1 shall become dust4 ,is there no controversy1 turning upon the too rigid and prosaic straining of a ,new ,testament construction1 which might be simplified by considering the ,hebrew use of language1 exemplified in such an assertion as ,it shall become dust1 and soon after1 ,it is the ,lord's passover8 ,do these announce transubstantiations8 ,did two handfuls of ashes literally become the blains upon the bodies of all the ,egyptians8 ,,the ,,seventh ,,plague4 ix4 #ac-ce4 ,the hardening of ,pharaoh's heart1 we have argued1 was not the debauching of his spirit1 but only the strengthening of his will4 ,wait on the ,lord and be of good courage2 ,be strong1 ,o ,zerubbabel1 saith the ,lord2 and be strong1 ,o ,joshua1 son of ,josadak the high priest2 and be strong1 all ye people 7,ps4 xxvii4 #ad2 ,hag4 ii4 #d71 are clear proofs that what was implied in this word was not wickedness1 but only that iron determination which his choice directed in a wicked channel4 ,and therefore it was no mockery1 no insincere appeal by one who had provided against the mischance of its succeeding1 when ,god again addressed ,himself to the reason1 and even to the rational fears of ,pharaoh4 ,he had only provided against a terror-stricken submission1 as wholly immoral and valueless1 as the ceasing to resist of one who has swooned through fright4 ,now1 to give such an one a stimulant and thus to enable him to exercise his volition1 would be different from inciting him to rebel4 ,the seventh plague1 then1 is ushered in by an expostulation more earnest1 resolute and minatory than attended any of the previous ones4 ,and this is the more necessary because human life is now for the first time at stake4 ,first the king is solemnly reminded that ,jehovah1 ,whom he no longer can refuse to know1 is the ,god of the ,hebrews1 has a claim upon their services1 and demands them4 ,in oppressing the nation1 therefore1 ,pharaoh usurped what belonged to the ,lord4 ,now1 this is the eternal charter of the rights of all humanity4 ,whoever encroaches on the just sphere of the free action of his neighbour deprives him1 to exactly the same extent1 of the power to glorify ,god by a free obedience4 ,the heart glorifies ,god by submission to so hard a lot1 but the co-operation of the whole body and soul and spirit does not visibly bear testimony to the regulating power of grace4 ,the oppressor may contend 7like some slave-owners7 that he guides his human property better than it would guide itself4 ,but one assertion he cannot make3 namely1 that ,god is receiving the loyal homage of a life spontaneously devoted2 that a man and not a machine is glorifying ,god in this body and spirit which are ,god's4 ,for the body is but a chattel4 ,this is why the ,christian doctrine of the religious equality of all men in ,christ carries with it the political assertion of the equal secular rights of the whole human race4 ,i must not transfer to myself the solemn duty of my neighbour to offer up to ,god the sacrifice not only of his chastened spirit but also of his obedient life4 ,and these words were also a lifelong admonition to every ,israelite4 ,he held his liberties from ,god4 ,he was not free to be violent and wanton1 and to say ,i am delivered to commit all these abominations4 ,the dignities of life were bound up with its responsibilities4 ,well1 it is not otherwise to-day4 ,as truly as ,moses1 the champions of our ,british liberties were earnest and ,god-fearing men4 ,not for leave to revel1 to accumulate enormous fortunes1 and to excite by their luxuries the envy and rage of neglected brothers1 while possessing more enormous powers to bless them than ever were entrusted to a class1--not for this our heroes bled on the field and on the scaffold4 ,tyrants rarely deny to rich men leave to be self-indulgent4 ,and self-indulgence rarely nerves men to heroic effort4 ,it is for the freedom of the soul that men dare all things4 ,and liberty is doomed wherever men forget that the true freeman is the servant of ,jehovah4 ,on these terms the first demand for a national emancipation was enforced4 ,and next1 ,pharaoh is warned that ,god1 who at first threatened to destroy his firstborn1 but had hitherto come short of such a deadly stroke1 had not1 as he might flatter himself1 exhausted ,his power to avenge4 ,pharaoh should yet experience all ,my plagues4 ,and there is a dreadful significance in the phrase which threatens to put these plagues1 with regard to others upon thy servants and upon thy people1 but with regard to ,pharaoh himself upon thine heart4 ,there it was that the true scourge smote4 ,thence came ruin and defeat4 ,his infatuation was more dreadful than hail in the cloud and locusts on the blast1 than the darkness at noon and the midnight wail of a bereaved nation4 ,for his infatuation involved all these4 ,the next assertion is not what the ,authorised ,version made it1 and what never was fulfilled4 ,it is not1 ,now ,i will stretch out ,my hand to smite thee and thy people with pestilence1 and thou shalt be cut off from the earth4 ,it says1 ,now ,i had done this1 as far as any restraint for thy sake is concerned1 but in very deed for this cause have ,i made thee to stand 7unsmitten71 for to show thee ,my power1 and that ,my name may be declared throughout all the earth 7vers4 #ae1 #af74 ,the course actually taken was more for the glory of ,god1 and a better warning to others1 than a sudden stroke1 however crushing4 ,and so we find1 many years after all this generation has passed away1 that a strangely distorted version of these events is current among the ,philistines in ,palestine4 ,in the days of ,eli1 when the ark was brought into the camp1 they said1 ,woe unto us6 who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods8 ,these are the gods that smote the ,egyptians with all manner of plagues in the wilderness 7#a ,sam4 iv4 #h74 ,and this1 along with the impression which ,rahab declared that the ,exodus and what followed it had made1 may help us to understand what a mighty influence upon the wars of ,palestine the scourging of ,egypt had1 how terror fell upon all the inhabitants of the land1 and they melted away 7,josh4 ii4 #i1 #aj74 ,and perhaps it may save us from the unconscious egoism which always deems that ,i myself shall not be treated quite as severely as ,i deserve1 to mark how the punishment of one affects the interests of all4 ,added to all this is a kind of half-ironical clemency1 an opportunity of escape if he would humble himself so far as to take warning even to a small extent4 ,the plague was to be of a kind especially rare in ,egypt1 and of utterly unknown severity--such hail as had not been in ,egypt since the day it was founded until now4 ,but he and his people might1 if they would1 hasten to bring in their cattle and all that they had in the field4 ,pharaoh1 after his sore experience of the threats of ,moses1 would find it a hard trial in any case1 whether to withdraw his property or to brave the stroke4 ,to him it was a kind of challenge4 ,to those of his subjects who had any proper feeling it was a merciful deliverance1 and a profoundly skilful education of their faith1 which began by an obedience probably hesitating1 but had few doubts upon the morrow4 ,we read that he who feared the ,lord among the servants of ,pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses2 and this is the first hint that the plagues1 viewed as discipline1 were not utterly vain4 ,the existence of others who feared ,jehovah beside the ,jews prepares us for the mixed multitude who came up along with them 7xii4 #ch71 and whose ill-instructed and probably very selfish adhesion was quite consistent with such sensual discontent as led the whole congregation into sin 7,num4 xi4 #d74 ,to make the connection between ,jehovah and the impending storm more obvious still1 ,moses stretched his rod toward heaven1 and there was hail1 and fire mingled with the hail1 such as slew man and beast1 and smote the trees1 and destroyed all the vegetation which had yet grown up4 ,the heavens1 the atmosphere1 were now enrolled in the conspiracy against ,pharaoh3 they too served ,jehovah4 ,in such a storm1 the terror was even greater than the peril4 ,when a great writer of our own time called attention to the elaborate machinery by which ,god in nature impresses man with the sense of a formidable power above1 he chose a thunderstorm as the most striking example of his meaning4 ,nothing appears to me more remarkable than the array of scenic magnificence by which the imagination is appalled1 in myriads of instances when the actual danger is comparatively small2 so that the utmost possible impression of awe shall be produced upon the minds of all1 though direct suffering is inflicted upon few4 ,consider1 for instance1 the moral effect of a single thunderstorm4 ,perhaps two or three persons may be struck dead within a space of a hundred square miles2 and their death1 unaccompanied by the scenery of the storm1 would produce little more than a momentary sadness in the busy hearts of living men4 ,but the preparation for the judgment1 by all that mighty gathering of the clouds2 by the questioning of the forest leaves1 in their terrified stillness1 which way the winds shall go forth2 by the murmuring to each other1 deep in the distance1 of the destroying angels before they draw their swords of fire2 by the march of the funeral darkness in the midst of the noonday1 and the rattling of the dome of heaven beneath the chariot wheels of death2--on how many minds do not these produce an impression almost as great as the actual witnessing of the fatal issue6 and how strangely are the expressions of the threatening elements fitted to the apprehensions of the human soul6 ,the lurid colour1 the long1 irregular1 convulsive sound1 the ghastly shapes of flaming and heaving cloud1 are all true and faithful in their appeal to our instinct of danger4--,ruskin1 ,stones of ,venice1 ,,iii4 #aig-h4 ,such a tempest1 dreadful anywhere1 would be most appalling of all in the serene atmosphere of ,egypt1 to unaccustomed spectators1 and minds troubled by their guilt4 ,accordingly we find that ,pharaoh was less terrified by the absolute mischief done than by the voices of ,god1 when1 unnerved for the moment1 he confessed at least that he had sinned this time 7a singularly weak repentance for his long and daring resistance1 even if we explain it1 this time ,i confess that ,i have sinned71 and went on in his terror to pour out orthodox phrases and professions with suspicious fluency4 ,the main point was the bargain which he proposed3 ,intreat the ,lord1 for there hath been enough of mighty thunderings and hail2 and ,i will let you go1 and ye shall stay no longer4 ,looking attentively at all this1 we discern in it a sad resemblance to some confessions of these latter days4 ,men are driven by affliction to acknowledge ,god3 they confess the offence which is palpable1 and even add that ,god is righteous and that they are not4 ,if possible1 they shelter themselves from lonely condemnation by general phrases1 such as that all are wicked2 just as ,pharaoh1 although he would have scoffed at the notion of any national volition except his own1 said1 ,i and my people are sinners4 ,above all1 they are much more anxious for the removal of the rod than for the cleansing of the guilt2 and if this can be accomplished through the mediation of another1 they have as little desire as ,pharaoh had for any personal approach to ,god1 ,whom they fear1 and if possible repel4 ,and by these signs1 every experienced observer expects that if they are delivered out of trouble they will forget their vows4 ,moses was exceedingly meek4 ,and therefore1 or else because the message of ,god implied that other plagues were to succeed this1 he consented to intercede1 yet adding the simple and dignified protest1 ,as for thee and thy people1 ,i know that ye will not yet fear ,jehovah ,god4#ag ,and so it came to pass4 ,the heart of ,pharaoh was made heavy1 and he would not let ,israel go4 ,looking back upon this miracle1 we are reminded of the mighty part which atmospheric changes have played in the history of the world4 ,snowstorms saved ,europe from the ,turk and from ,napoleon3 the wind played almost as important a part in our liberation from ,james1 and again in the defeat of the plans of the ,french ,revolution to invade us1 as in the destruction of the ,armada4 ,and so we read1 ,hast thou entered the treasuries of the snow8 or hast thou seen the treasuries of the hail1 which ,i have reserved against the time of trouble1 against the day of battle and war8 7,job xxxviii4 #bb-c74 ,,footnotes3 #af ,the passage in ,deuteronomy had not this event specially in mind1 or it would have used the same term for a furnace4 ,the word for ashes implies what can be blown upon the wind4 #ag ,except in one passage 7,gen4 ii4 #d to iii4 #bc7 these titles of ,deity are nowhere else combined in the books of ,moses4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,the ,,eighth ,,plague4 x4 #a-bj4 ,the ,lord would not command ,his servant again to enter the dangerous presence of the sullen prince1 without a reason which would sustain his faith3 ,for ,i have made heavy his heart4 ,the pronoun is emphatic3 it means to say1 ',his foolhardiness is ,my doing and cannot go beyond ,my will3 thou art safe4' ,and the same encouragement belongs to all who do the sacred will3 not a hair of their head shall truly perish1 since life and death are the servants of their ,god4 ,thus1 in the storm of human passion1 as of the winds1 ,he says1 ,it is ,i1 be not afraid2 making the wrath of man to praise ,him1 stilling alike the tumult of the waves and the madness of the people4 ,it is possible that even the merciful mitigations of the last plague were used by infatuated hearts to justify their wilfulness3 the most valuable crops of all had escaped2 so that these judgments1 however dire1 were not quite beyond endurance4 ,just such a course of reasoning deludes all who forget that the goodness of ,god leadeth to repentance4 ,besides the reasons already given for lengthening out the train of judgments1 it is added that ,israel should teach the story to posterity1 and both fathers and children should know that ,i am ,jehovah4 ,accordingly it became a favourite title--,the ,lord which brought thee up out of the land of ,egypt4 ,even the apostates under ,sinai would not reject so illustrious a memory3 their feast was nominally to ,jehovah2 and their idol was an image of the gods which brought thee up out of the land of ,egypt 7xxxii4 #d1 #e74 ,has our land no deliverances for which to be thankful8 ,instead of boastful self-assertion1 should we not say1 ,we have heard with our ears1 ,o ,god1 and our fathers have declared unto us1 the noble works that ,thou didst in their days and in the old time before them8 ,have we forgotten that national mercies call aloud for national thanksgiving8 ,and in the family1 and in the secret life of each1 are there no rescues1 no emancipations1 no enemies overcome by a hand not our own1 which call for reverent acknowledgment8 ,these things were our examples1 and are written for our admonition4 ,the reproof now spoken to ,pharaoh is sterner than any previous one4 ,there is no reasoning in it4 ,the demand is peremptory3 ,how long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself8 ,with it is a sharp and short command3 ,let ,my people go1 that they may serve ,me4 ,and with this is a detailed and tremendous threat4 ,it is strange1 in the face of the knowledge accumulated since the objection called for it1 to remember that once this narrative was challenged1 because locusts1 it was said1 are unknown in ,egypt4 ,they are mentioned in the inscriptions4 ,great misery was caused by them in #adfc1 and just three hundred years later ,niebuhr was himself at ,cairo during a plague of them4 ,equally arbitrary is the objection that ,joel predicted locusts such as there hath not been ever the like1 neither shall be any more after them1 even to the years of many generations 7ii4 #b71 whereas we read of these that before them there were no such locusts as they1 neither after them shall be such 7x4 #ad74 ,the objection is whimsical in its absurdity1 when we remember that ,joel spoke distinctly of ,zion and the holy mountain 7ii4 #a71 and ,exodus of the borders of ,egypt 7x4 #ad74 ,but it is true that locusts are comparatively rare in ,egypt2 so that while the meaning of the threat would be appreciated1 familiarity would not have steeled them against it4 ,the ravages of the locust are terrible indeed1 and coming just in time to ruin the crops which had escaped the hail1 would complete the misery of the land4 ,one speaks of the sudden change of colour by the disappearance of verdure where they alight as being like the rolling up of a carpet2 and here we read they shall cover the eye of the earth1--a phrase peculiar to the ,pentateuch 7ver4 #ae2 ,num4 xxii4 #e1 #aa72 and they shall eat the residue of that which has escaped1 444 and they shall fill thy houses1 and the 444 houses of all the ,egyptians1 which neither thy fathers nor thy fathers' fathers have seen4 ,after uttering the appointed warning1 ,moses abruptly left1 awaiting no negociations1 plainly regarding them as vain4 ,but now1 for the first time1 the servants of ,pharaoh interfered1 declared the country to be ruined1 and pressed him to surrender4 ,and yet it was now first that we read 7ver4 #a7 that their hearts were hardened as well as his4 ,for that is a hard heart that does not remonstrate against wrong1 however plainly ,god reveals ,his displeasure1 until new troubles are at hand1 and which even then has no regard for the wrongs of ,israel1 but only for the woes of ,egypt4 ,it is a hard heart1 therefore1 which intends to repent upon its deathbed2 for its motives are identical with these4 ,pharaoh's behaviour is that of a spoiled child1 who is indeed the tyrant most familiar to us4 ,he feels that he must yield1 or else why should the brothers be recalled8 ,and yet1 when it comes to the point1 he tries to play the master still1 by dictating the terms for his own surrender2 and breaks off the negociation rather than do frankly what he must feel that it is necessary to do4 ,moses laid his finger accurately upon the disease when he reproached him for refusing to humble himself4 ,and if his behaviour seem unnatural1 it is worth observation that ,napoleon1 the greatest modern example of proud1 intellectual1 godless infatuation1 allowed himself to be crushed at ,leipsic through just the same reluctance to do thoroughly and without self-deception what he found it necessary to consent to do4 ,napoleon1 says his apologist1 ,thiers1 at length determined to retreat--a resolution humbling to his pride4 ,unfortunately1 instead of a retreat frankly admitted 444 he determined on one which from its imposing character should not be a real retreat at all1 and should be accomplished in open day4 ,and this perversity1 which ruined him1 is traced back to the illusions of pride4 ,well1 it was quite as hard for the ,pharaoh to surrender at discretion1 as for the ,corsican to stoop to a nocturnal retreat4 ,accordingly1 he asks1 ,who are ye that shall go8 and when ,moses very explicitly and resolutely declares that they will all go1 with all their property1 his passion overcomes him1 he feels that to consent is to lose them for ever1 and he exclaims1 ,so be ,jehovah with you as ,i will let you go and your little ones3 look to it1 for evil is before you--that is to say1 ,your intentions are bad4 ,go ye that are men1 and serve the ,lord1 for that is what ye desire1--no more than that is implied in your demand1 unless it is a mere pretence1 under which more lurks than it avows4 ,but he and they have long been in a state of war3 menaces1 submissions1 and treacheries have followed each other fast1 and he has no reason to complain if their demands are raised4 ,moreover1 his own nation celebrated religious festivals in company with their wives and children1 so that his rejoinder is an empty outburst of rage4 ,and of a ,jewish feast it was said1 a little later1 ,thou shalt rejoice before the ,lord thy ,god1 thou and thy son and thy daughter1 and thy manservant and thy maidservant 444 and the stranger1 and the fatherless1 and the widow 7,deut4 xvi4 #aa74 ,there was no insincerity in the demand2 and although the suspicions of the king were naturally excited by the exultant and ever-rising hopes of the ,hebrews1 and the defiant attitude of ,moses1 yet even now there is as little reason to suspect bad faith as to suppose that ,israel1 once released1 could ever have resumed the same abject attitude toward ,egypt as before4 ,they would have come back victorious1 and therefore ready to formulate new demands2 already half emancipated1 and therefore prepared for the perfecting of the work4 ,and now1 at a second command as explicit as that which bade him utter the warning1 ,moses1 anxiously watched by many1 stretched out his hand over the devoted realm4 ,at the gesture1 the spectators felt that a fiat had gone forth4 ,but the result was strangely different from that which followed his invocation1 both of the previous and the following plague1 when we may believe that as he raised his hand1 the hail-storm burst in thunder1 and the curtain fell upon the sky4 ,now there only arose a gentle east wind 7unlike the exceeding strong west wind that followed71 but it blew steadily all that day and all the following night4 ,the forebodings of ,egypt would understand it well3 the prolonged period during which the curse was being steadily wafted toward them was an awful measure of the wide regions over which the power of ,jehovah reached2 and when it was morning1 the east wind brought the locusts1 that dreadful curse which ,joel has compared to a disciplined and devastating invader1 the army of the ,lord1 and the first woe that heralds the ,day of the ,lord in the ,apocalypse 7,joel ii4 #a-aa2 ,rev4 ix4 #a-aa74 ,the completeness of the ruin brought a swift surrender1 but it has been well said that folly is the wisdom which is only wise too late1 and1 let us add1 too fitfully4 ,if ,pharaoh had only submitted before the plague instead of after it6#ah ,if he had only respected himself enough to be faithful1 instead of being too vain really to yield6 ,it is an interesting coincidence that1 since he had this time defied the remonstrances of his advisers1 his confession of sin is entirely personal3 it is no longer1 ,i and my people are sinners1 but ,i have sinned against the ,lord your ,god1 and against you4 ,this last clause was bitter to his lips1 but the need for their intercession was urgent3 life and death were at stake upon the removal of this dense cloud of creatures which penetrated everywhere1 leaving everywhere an evil odour1 and of which a later sufferer complains1 ,we could not eat1 but we bit a locust2 nor open our mouths1 but locusts filled them4 ,therefore he went on to entreat volubly1 ,forgive1 ,i pray thee1 my sin only this once1 and intreat ,jehovah your ,god that ,he may take away from me this death only4 ,and at the prayer of ,moses1 the ,lord caused the breeze to veer and rise into a hurricane3 ,the ,lord turned an exceeding strong west wind4 ,now1 the locust can float very well upon an easy breeze1 and so it had been wafted over the ,red ,sea2 but it is at once beaten down by a storm1 and when it touches the water it is destroyed4 ,thus simply was the plague removed4 ,but the ,lord made strong ,pharaoh's heart1 and so1 his fears being conquered1 his own rebellious will went on upon its evil way4 ,he would not let ,israel go4 ,this narrative throws light upon a thousand vows made upon sick beds1 but broken when the sufferer recovers2 and a thousand prayers for amendment1 breathed in all the sincerity of panic1 and forgotten with all the levity of security4 ,it shows also1 in the hesitating and abortive half-submission of the tyrant1 the greater folly of many professing ,christians1 who will1 for ,christ's sake1 surrender all their sins except one or two1 and make any confession except that which really brings low their pride4 ,thoroughness1 decision1 depth1 and self-surrender1 needed by ,pharaoh1 are needed by every soul of man4 ,,the ,,ninth ,,plague4 x4 #ba-bi4 ,we have taken it as settled that the ,pharaoh of the ,exodus was ,menephtah1 the ,beloved of the ,god ,ptah4 ,if so1 his devotion to the gods throws a curious light upon his first scorn of ,jehovah1 and his long continued resistance2 and also upon the threat of vengeance to be executed upon the gods of ,egypt1 as if they were a resisting power4 ,but there is a special significance in the ninth plague1 when we connect it with ,menephtah4 ,in the ,tombs of the ,kings at ,thebes there is to be seen1 fresh and lifelike1 the admirably sculptured effigy of this king--a weak and cruel face1 with the receding forehead of his race1 but also their nose like a beak1 and their sharp chin4 ,over his head is the inscription-- ,lord of the ,two ,lands1 ,beloved of the ,god ,amen2 ,lord of ,diadems1 ,beloved of the ,god ,ptah3 ,crowned by ,amen with dominion of the world3 ,cherished by the ,sun in the great abode4 ,this formidable personage is delineated by the court sculptor with his hand stretched out in worship1 and under it is written ,he adores the ,sun3 he worships ,hor of the solar horizons4 ,the worship1 thus chosen as the most characteristic of this king1 either by himself or by some consummate artist1 was to be tested now4 ,could the sun help him8 or was it1 like so many minor forces of earth and air1 at the mercy of the ,god of ,israel8 ,there is a terrible abruptness about the coming of the ninth plague4 ,like the third and sixth1 it is inflicted unannounced2 and the parleying1 the driving of a bargain and then breaking it1 by which the eighth was attended1 is quite enough to account for this4 ,moreover1 the experience of every man teaches him that each method has its own impressiveness3 the announcement of punishment awes1 and a surprise alarms1 and when they are alternated1 every possible door of access to the conscience is approached4 ,if the heart of ,pharaoh was now beyond hope1 it does not follow that all his people were equally hardened4 ,what an effect was produced upon those courtiers who so earnestly supported the recent demand of ,moses1 when this new plague fell upon them unawares6 ,but not only is there no announcement3 the narrative is so concentrated and brief as to give a graphic rendering of the surprise and terror of the time4 ,not a word is wasted3-- ,the ,lord said unto ,moses1 ,stretch out thine hand toward heaven1 that there may be darkness over the land of ,egypt1 even darkness that may be felt4 ,and ,moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven2 and there was a thick darkness in all the land of ,egypt three days3 they saw not one another1 neither rose any from his place three days2 but all the children of ,israel had light in their dwellings 7vers4 #ba-c74 ,we are not told anything of the emotions of the king1 as the prophet strides into his presence1 and before the cowering court1 silently raises his hand and quenches the day4 ,we may infer his temper1 if we please1 from the frantic outbreak of menace and rage in which he presently warns the man whose coming is the same thing as calamity to see his face no more4 ,nothing is said1 again1 about the evil angels by which1 according to later narratives1 that long night was haunted4#ai ,and after all it is more impressive to think of the blank1 utter paralysis of dread in which a nation held its breath1 benumbed and motionless1 until vitality was almost exhausted1 and even ,pharaoh chose rather to surrender than to die4 ,as the people lay cowering in their fear1 there was plenty to occupy their minds4 ,they would remember the first dreadful threat1 not yet accomplished1 to slay their firstborn2 and the later assertion that if pestilence had not destroyed them1 it was because ,god would plague them with all ,his plagues4 ,they would reflect upon all their defeated duties1 and how the sun himself was now withdrawn at the waving of the prophet's hand4 ,and then a ghastly foreboding would complete their dread4 ,what was it that darkness typified1 in every ,oriental nation--nay1 in all the world8 ,death6 ,job speaks of ,the land of darkness and of the shadow of death2 ,a land of thick darkness1 as darkness itself2 ,a land of the shadow of death without any order1 ,and where the light is as darkness 7x4 #ba1 #bb74 ,with us1 a mortal sentence is given in a black cap2 in the ,east1 far more expressively1 the head of the culprit was covered1 and the darkness which thus came upon him expressed his doom4 ,thus they covered ,haman's face 7,esther vii4 #h74 ,thus to destroy the face of the covering that is cast over all peoples and the veil that is spread over all nations1 is the same thing as to swallow up death1 being the visible destruction of the embodied death-sentence 7,isa4 xxv4 #g1 #h74 ,and now this veil was spread over all the radiant land of ,egypt4 ,chill1 and hungry1 and afraid to move1 the worst horror of all that prolonged midnight was the mental agony of dire anticipation4 ,in other respects there had been far worse calamities1 but through its effect upon the imagination this dreadful plague was a fit prelude to the tenth1 which it hinted and premonished4 ,in the ,apocryphal ,book of ,wisdom there is a remarkable study of this plague1 regarded as retribution in kind4 ,it avenges the oppression of ,israel4 ,for when unrighteous men thought to oppress the holy nation1 they being shut up in their houses1 the prisoners of darkness1 and fettered with the bonds of a long night1 lay exiled from the eternal ,providence 7xvii4 #b74 ,it expresses in the physical realm their spiritual misery3 ,for while they supposed to lie hid in their secret sins1 they were scattered under a thick veil of forgetfulness 7ver4 #c74 ,it retorted on them the illusions of their sorcerers3 as for the illusions of art magick1 they were put down4444 ,for they1 that promised to drive away terrors and troubles from a sick soul1 were sick themselves of fear1 worthy to be laughed at 7vers4 #g1 #h74 ,in another place the ,egyptians are declared to be worse than the men of ,sodom1 because they brought into bondage friends and not strangers1 and grievously afflicted those whom they had received with feasting2 therefore even with blindness were these stricken1 as those were at the doors of the righteous man4 7xix4 #ad-ag74 ,and we may well believe that the long night was haunted with special terrors1 if we add this wise explanation3 ,for wickedness1 condemned by her own witness1 is very timorous1 and being pressed by conscience1 always forecasteth grievous things4 ,for--and this is a sentence of transcendent merit--fear is nothing else than a betrayal of the succours that reason offereth 7xvii4 #aa1 #ab74 ,therefore it is concluded that their own hearts were their worst tormentors1 alarmed by whistling winds1 or melodious song of birds1 or pleasing fall of waters1 for the whole world shined with clear light1 and none were hindered in their labour3 over them only was spread a heavy night1 an image of that darkness which should afterward receive them3 yet were they unto themselves more grievous than the darkness 7vers4 #bj1 #ba74 ,isaiah1 too1 who is full of allusions to the early history of his people1 finds in this plague of darkness an image of all mental distress and spiritual gloom4 ,we look for light1 but behold darkness2 for brightness1 but we walk in obscurity3 we grope for the wall like the blind1 yea1 we grope as those that have no eyes3 we stumble at noonday as in the twilight 7lix4 #aj74 ,here the sinful nation is reduced to the misery of ,egypt4 ,but if she were obedient she would enjoy all the immunities of her forefathers amid ,egyptian gloom3 ,then shall thy light rise in darkness and thy obscurity as the noonday 7lviii4 #aj72 ,darkness shall cover the earth1 and gross darkness the people1 but the ,lord shall arise upon thee1 and ,his glory shall be seen upon thee 7lx4 #b74 ,and1 indeed1 in the spiritual light which is sown for the righteous1 and the obscuration of the judgment of the impure1 this miracle is ever reproduced4 ,the history of ,menephtah is that of a mean and cowardly prince4 ,dreams forbade him to share the perils of his army2 a prophecy induced him to submit to exile1 until his firstborn was of age to recover his dominions for him2 and all we know of him is admirably suited to the character represented in this narrative4 ,he will now submit once more1 and this time every one shall go2 yet he cannot make a frank concession3 the flocks and herds 7most valuable after the ravages of the murrain and the hail7 must remain as a hostage for their return4 ,but ,moses is inflexible3 not a hoof shall be left behind2 and then the frenzy of a baffled autocrat breaks out into wild menaces2 ,get thee from me2 take heed to thyself2 see my face no more2 for in the day thou seest my face thou shalt die4 ,the assent of ,moses was grim3 the rupture was complete4 ,and when they once more met1 it was the king that had changed his purpose1 and on his face1 not that of ,moses1 was the pallor of impending death4 ,in the conduct of the prophet1 all through these stormy scenes1 we see the difference between a meek spirit and a craven one4 ,he was always ready to intercede2 he never reviles the ruler1 nor transgresses the limits of courtesy toward his superior in rank2 and yet he never falters1 nor compromises1 nor fails to represent worthily the awful ,power he represents4 ,in the series of sharp contrasts1 all the true dignity is with the servant of ,god1 all the meanness and the shame with the proud king1 who begins by insulting him1 goes on to impose on him1 and ends by the most ignominious of surrenders1 crowned with the most abortive of treacheries and the most abject of defeats4 ,,footnotes3 #ah ,oddly enough1 the same historian already quoted1 relating the story of the same day at ,leipsic1 says of ,napoleon's dialogue with ,m4 de ,merfeld1 that he used an expression which1 if uttered at the ,congress of ,prague1 would have changed his lot and ours4 ,unfortunately1 it was now too late4 #ai ,such is probably not the meaning in ,ps4 lxxviii4 #di 7see ,r4,v471 though from it the tradition may have sprung4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,the ,,last ,,plague ,,announced4 xi4 #a-aj4 ,the eleventh chapter is1 strictly speaking1 a supplement to the tenth3 the first verses speak1 as if in parenthesis1 of a revelation made before the ninth plague1 but held over to be mentioned in connection with the last1 which it now announces2 and the conversation with ,pharaoh is a continuation of the same in which they mutually resolved to see each other's face no more4 ,to account for the confidence of ,moses1 we are now told that ,god had revealed to him the close approach of the final blow1 so long foreseen4 ,in spite of seeming delays1 the hour of the promise had arrived2 in spite of his long reluctance1 the king should even thrust them out2 and then the order and discipline of their retreat would exhibit the advantages gained by expectation1 by promises ofttimes disappointed1 but always1 like a false alarm which tries the readiness of a garrison1 exhibiting the weak points in their organisation1 and carrying their preparations farther4 ,the command given already to the women 7iii4 #bb7 is now extended to them all--that they should ask of the terror-stricken people such portable things as1 however precious1 poorly requited their generations of unpaid and cruel toil4 7,it has been already shown that the word absurdly rendered borrow means to ask2 and is the same as when ,sisera asked water and ,jael gave him milk1 and when ,solomon asked wisdom1 and did not ask long life1 neither asked riches1 neither asked the life of his enemies47 ,they were now to claim such wages as they could carry off1 and thus the pride of ,egypt was presently dedicated to construct and beautify the tabernacle of ,jehovah4 ,we read that the people found favour with the ,egyptians1 who were doubtless overjoyed to come to any sort of terms with them2 moreover the man ,moses was very great in the land of ,egypt1 in the sight of ,pharaoh's servants1 and in the sight of the people4 ,this is no unbecoming vaunt3 it speaks only of the high place he held1 as ,god's deputy and herald2 and this tone of keen appreciation of the rank conceded him1 compared with the utter absence of any insistence upon any action of his own1 is evidence much rather of the authenticity of the work than the reverse4 ,by these demands expectation and faith were intensified2 while the tidings of such confidence on one side1 and such tame submission on the other1 goes far to explain the suspicions and the rage of ,pharaoh4 ,with this the narrative is resumed4 ,moses had said1 ,thou shalt see my face no more4 ,now he adds1 ,thus saith ,jehovah1 ,about midnight 7but not on that same night1 since four days of preparation for the passover were yet to come7 ,i will go out into the midst of ,egypt4 ,this1 then1 was the meaning of his ready consent to be seen no more3 ,jehovah ,himself1 ,who had dealt so dreadfully with them through other hands1 was now ,himself to come4 ,and all the firstborn of ,egypt shall die1 from the firstborn and viceroy of the king to the firstborn of the meanest of women1 and even of the cattle in their stalls4 7,it is surely a remarkable coincidence that ,menephtah's heroic son did actually sit upon his throne1 that inscriptions engraven during his life exhibit his name in the royal cartouche1 but that he perished early1 and long before his father47 ,and the wail of demonstrative ,oriental agony should be such as never was heard before4 ,but the children of ,israel should be distinguished and protected by their ,god4 ,and all these courtiers should come and bow down before ,moses 7who even then has the good feeling not to include the king himself in this abasement71 and instead of ,pharaoh's insulting ,get thee from me--see my face no more1 they should pray him saying1 ,go hence1 thou and thy people that follow thee4 ,and remembering the abject entreaties1 the infatuated treacheries1 and now this crowning insult1 he went out from ,pharaoh in hot anger4 ,he was angry and sinned not4 ,the ninth and tenth verses are a kind of summary3 the appeals to ,pharaoh are all over1 and henceforth we shall find ,moses preparing his own followers for their exodus4 ,and the ,lord 7had7 said unto ,moses1 ,pharaoh will not hearken unto you1 that ,my wonders may be multiplied in the land of ,egypt4 ,and ,moses and ,aaron did all these wonders before ,pharaoh2 and the ,lord made strong ,pharaoh's heart1 and he did not let the children of ,israel go out of his land4 ,in the ,gospel of ,st4 ,john there comes just such a period4 ,the record of miracle and controversy is at an end1 and ,jesus withdraws into the bosom of ,his intimate circle4 ,it is scarcely possible that the evangelist was unconscious of the influence of this passage when he wrote3 ,but though ,he had done so many signs before them1 yet they believed not on ,him1 that the word of ,isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled which he spoke1 ,lord1 who hath believed our report8444 ,for this cause they could not believe1 because that ,isaiah said again1 ,he hath blinded their eyes and hardened their heart1 lest they should see with their eyes and perceive with their heart1 and should turn1 and ,i should heal them 7,john xii4 #cg-dj74 ,this is the tragedy of ,egypt repeated in ,israel2 and the fact that the chosen seed is now the reprobate suffices1 if any doubt remain1 to prove that reprobation itself was not caprice1 but retribution4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,the ,,passover4 xii4 #a-bh4 ,we have now reached the birthday of the great ,hebrew nation1 and with it the first national institution1 the feast of passover1 which is also the first sacrifice of directly ,divine institution1 the earliest precept of the ,hebrew legislation1 and the only one given in ,egypt4 ,the ,jews had by this time learned to feel that they were a nation1 if it were only through the struggle between their champion and the head of the greatest nation in the world4 ,and the first aspect in which the feast of passover presents itself is that of a national commemoration4 ,this day was to be unto them the beginning of months2 and in the change of their calendar to celebrate their emancipation1 the device was anticipated by which ,france endeavoured to glorify the ,revolution4 ,all their reckoning was to look back to this signal event4 ,and this day shall be unto you for a memorial1 and ye shall keep it for a feast unto the ,lord2 throughout your generations ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever 7xii4 #ad74 ,it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand1 and for a memorial between thine eyes1 that the law of the ,lord may be in thy mouth1 for with a strong hand hath the ,lord brought thee out of ,egypt4 ,thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year 7xiii4 #i1 #aj74 ,now for the first time we read of the congregation of ,israel 7xii4 #c1 #f71 which was an assembly of the people represented by their elders 7as may be seen by comparing the third verse with the twenty-first72 and thus we discover that the heads of houses have been drawn into a larger unity4 ,the clans are knit together into a nation4 ,accordingly1 the feast might not be celebrated by any solitary man4 ,companionship was vital to it4 ,at every table one animal1 complete and undissevered1 should give to the feast a unity of sentiment2 and as many should gather around as were likely to leave none of it uneaten4 ,neither might any of it be reserved to supply a hasty ration amid the confusion of the predicted march4 ,the feast was to be one complete event1 whole and perfect as the unity which it expressed4 ,the very notion of a people is that of community in responsibilities1 joys1 and labours2 and the solemn law by virtue of which1 at this same hour1 one blow will fall upon all ,egypt1 must now be accepted by ,israel4 ,therefore loneliness at the feast of ,passover is by the law1 as well as in idea1 impossible to any ,jew4 ,every one can see the connection between this festival of unity and another1 of which it is written1 ,we1 being many1 are one body1 one loaf1 for we are all partakers of that one loaf4 ,now1 the sentiment of nationality may so assert itself1 like all exaggerated sentiments1 as to assail others equally precious4 ,in this century we have seen a revival of the ,spartan theories which sacrificed the family to the state4 ,socialism and the phalanstre have proposed to do by public organisation1 with the force of law1 what natural instinct teaches us to leave to domestic influences4 ,it is therefore worthy of notice that1 as the chosen nation is carefully traced by revelation back to a holy family1 so the national festival did not ignore the family tie1 but consecrated it4 ,the feast was to be eaten according to their fathers' houses2 if a family were too small1 it was to the neighbour next unto his house that each should turn for co-operation2 and the patriotic celebration was to live on from age to age by the instruction which parents should carefully give their children 7xii4 #c1 #bf1 xiii4 #h74 ,the first ordinance of the ,jewish religion was a domestic service4 ,and this arrangement is divinely wise4 ,never was a nation truly prosperous or permanently strong which did not cherish the sanctities of home4 ,ancient ,rome failed to resist the barbarians1 not because her discipline had degenerated1 but because evil habits in the home had ruined her population4 ,the same is notoriously true of at least one great nation to-day4 ,history is the sieve of ,god1 in which ,he continually severs the chaff from the grain of nations1 preserving what is temperate and pure and calm1 and therefore valorous and wise4 ,in studying the institution of the ,passover1 with its profound typical analogies1 we must not overlook the simple and obvious fact that ,god built ,his nation upon families1 and bade their great national institution draw the members of each home together4 ,the national character of the feast is shown further because no ,egyptian family escaped the blow4 ,opportunities had been given to them to evade some of the previous plagues4 ,when the hail was announced1 he that feared the word of the ,lord among the servants of ,pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the house2 and this renders the national solidarity1 the partnership even of the innocent in the penalties of a people's guilt1 the 'community' of a nation1 more apparent now4 ,there was not a house where there was not one dead4 ,the mixed multitude which came up with ,israel came not because they had shared his exemptions1 but because they dared not stay4 ,it was an object-lesson given to ,israel1 which might have warned all his generations4 ,and if there is hideous vice in our own land to-day1 or if the contrasts of poverty and wealth are so extreme that humanity is shocked by so much luxury insulting so much squalor1--if in any respect we feel that our own land1 considering its supreme advantages1 merits the wrath of ,god for its unworthiness1--then we have to fear and strive1 not through public spirit alone1 but as knowing that the chastisement of nations falls upon the corporate whole1 upon us and upon our children4 ,but if the feast of the ,passover was a commemoration1 it also claims to be a sacrifice1 and the first sacrifice which was ,divinely founded and directed4 ,this brings us face to face with the great question1 ,what is the doctrine which lies at the heart of the great institution of sacrifice8 ,we are not free to confine its meaning altogether to that which was visible at the time4 ,this would contradict the whole doctrine of development1 the intention of ,god that ,christianity should blossom from the bud of ,judaism1 and the explicit assertion that the prophets were made aware that the full meaning and the date of what they uttered was reserved for the instruction of a later period 7#a ,peter i4 #ab74 ,but neither may we overlook the first palpable significance of any institution4 ,sacrifices never could have been devised to be a blind and empty pantomime to whole generations1 for the benefit of their successors4 ,still less can one who believes in a genuine revelation to ,moses suppose that their primary meaning was a false one1 given in order that some truth might afterwards develop out of it4 ,what1 then1 might a pious and well-instructed ,israelite discern beneath the surface of this institution8 ,to this question there have been many discordant answers1 and the variance is by no means confined to unbelieving critics4 ,thus1 a distinguished living expositor says in connection with the ,paschal institution1 ,we speak not of blood as it is commonly understood1 but of blood as the life1 the love1 the heart1--the whole quality of ,deity4 ,but it must be answered that ,deity is the last suggestion which blood would convey to a ,jewish mind3 distinctly it is creature-life that it expresses2 and the ,new ,testament commentators make it plain that no other notion had even then evolved itself3 they think of the offering of the ,body of ,jesus ,christ1 not of ,his ,deity4#bj ,neither of this feast1 nor of that which the gospel of ,jesus has evolved from it1 can we find the solution by forgetting that the elements of the problem are1 not deity1 but a ,body and ,blood4 ,but when we approach the theories of rationalistic thinkers1 we find a perfect chaos of rival speculations4 ,we are told that the ,hebrew feasts were really agricultural--,harvest festivals1 and that the epithet ,passover had its origin in the passage of the sun into ,aries4 ,but this great festival had a very secondary and subordinate connection with harvest 7only the waving of a sheaf upon the second day7 while the older calendar which was displaced to do it honour was truly agricultural1 as may still be seen by the phrase1 ,the feast of ingathering at the end of the year1 when thou gatherest in thy labours out of the field 7,exod4 xxiii4 #af74 ,in dealing with unbelief we must look at things from the unbelieving angle of vision4 ,no sceptical theory has any right to invoke for its help a special and differentiating quality in ,hebrew thought4 ,reject the supernatural1 and the ,jewish religion is only one among a number of similar creations of the mind of man moving about in worlds unrecognised4 ,and therefore we must ask1 ,what notions of sacrifice were entertained1 all around1 when the ,hebrew creed was forming itself8 ,now1 we read that in the early days 444 a sacrifice was a meal4444 ,year after year1 the return of vintage1 corn-harvest1 and sheep-shearing brought together the members of the household to eat and drink in the presence of ,jehovah4444 ,when an honoured guest arrives there is slaughtered for him a calf1 not without an offering of the blood and fat to the ,deity 7,wellhausen1 ,israel1 p4 #gf74 ,of the sense of sin and propitiation the ancient sacrifices present few traces4444 ,an underlying reference of sacrifice to sin1 speaking generally1 was entirely absent4 ,the ancient sacrifices were wholly of a joyous nature--a merry-making before ,jehovah with music 7ibid41 p4 #ha74 ,we are at once confronted by the question1 ,where did the ,jewish nation come by such a friendly conception of their deity8 ,they had come out of ,egypt1 where human sacrifices were not rare4 ,they had settled in ,palestine1 where such idyllic notions must have been as strange as in modern ,ashantee4 ,and we are told that human sacrifices 7such as that of ,isaac and of ,jephthah's daughter7 belong to this older period 7p4 #fi74 ,are they joyous and festive8 are they not an endeavour1 by the offering up of something precious1 to reconcile a ,being ,who is estranged8 ,with our knowledge of what existed in ,israel in the period confessed to be historical1 and of the meaning of sacrifices all around in the period supposed to be mythical1 and with the admission that human sacrifices must be taken into account1 it is startling to be asked to believe that ,hebrew sacrifices1 with all their solemn import and all their freight of ,christian symbolism1 were originally no more than a gift to the ,deity of a part of some happy banquet4 ,it is quite plain that no such theory can be reconciled with the story of the first passover4 ,and accordingly this is declared to be non-historical1 and to have originated in the time of the later kings4 ,the offering of the firstborn is only the expression of thankfulness to the ,deity for fruitful flocks and herds4 ,if claim is also laid to the human firstborn1 this is merely a later generalisation 7,wellhausen1 p4 #hh74ba ,but this claim is by no means the only stumbling-block in the way of the theory1 serious a stumbling-block though it be4 ,how came the bright festival to be spoiled by bitter herbs and bread of affliction8 ,is it natural that a merry feast should grow more austere as time elapses8 ,do we not find it hard enough to prevent the most sacred festivals from reversing the supposed process1 and degenerating into revels8 ,and is not this the universal experience1 from ,san ,francisco to ,bombay8 ,why was the mandate given to sprinkle the door of every house with blood1 if the story originated after the feast had been centralised in ,jerusalem1 when1 in fact1 this precept had to be set aside as impracticable1 their homes being at a distance8 ,why1 again1 were they bidden to slaughter the lamb between the two evenings 7,exod4 xii4 #f7--that is to say1 between sunset and the fading out of the light--unless the story was written long before such numbers had to be dealt with that the priests began to slaughter early in the afternoon1 and continued until night8 ,why did the narrative set forth that every man might slaughter for his own house 7a custom which still existed in the time of ,hezekiah1 when the ,levites only slaughtered the passovers for those who were not ceremonially clean1 #b ,chron4 xxx4 #ag71 if there were no stout and strong historical foundation for the older method8 ,stranger still1 why was the original command invented1 that the lamb should be chosen and separated four days before the feast8 ,there is no trace of any intention that this precept should apply to the first passover alone4 ,it is somewhat unexpected there1 interrupting the hurry and movement of the narrative with an interval of quiet expectation1 not otherwise hinted at1 which we comprehend and value when discovered1 rather than anticipate in advance4 ,it is the very last circumstance which the ,priestly ,code would have invented1 when the time which could be conveniently spent upon a pilgrimage was too brief to suffer the custom to be perpetuated4 ,the selection of the lamb upon the tenth day1 the slaying of it at home1 the striking of the blood upon the door1 and the use of hyssop1 as in other sacrifices1 with which to sprinkle it1 whether upon door or altar2 the eating of the feast standing1 with staff in hand and girded loins2 the application only to one day of the precept to eat no leavened bread1 and the sharing in the feast by all1 without regard to ceremonial defilement1--all these are cardinal differences between the first passover and later ones4 ,can we be blind to their significance8 ,even a drastic revision of the story1 such as some have fancied1 would certainly have expunged every divergence upon points so capital as these4 ,nor could any evidence of the antiquity of the institution be clearer than its existence in a form1 the details of which have had to be so boldly modified under the pressure of the exigencies of the later time4 ,taking1 then1 the narrative as it stands1 we place ourselves by an effort of the historical imagination among those to whom ,moses gave his instructions1 and ask what emotions are excited as we listen4 ,certainly no light and joyous feeling that we are going to celebrate a feast1 and share our good things with our deity4 ,nay1 but an alarmed surprise4 ,hitherto1 among the admonitory and preliminary plagues of ,egypt1 ,israel had enjoyed a painless and unbought exemption4 ,the murrain had not slain their cattle1 nor the locusts devoured their land1 nor the darkness obscured their dwellings4 ,such admonitions they needed not4 ,but now the judgment itself is impending1 and they learn that they1 like the ,egyptians whom they have begun to despise1 are in danger from the destroying angel4 ,the first paschal feast was eaten by no man with a light heart4 ,each listened for the rustling of awful wings1 and grew cold1 as under the eyes of the death which was1 even then1 scrutinising his lintels and his doorposts4 ,and this would set him thinking that even a gracious ,god1 ,who had come down to save him from his tyrants1 discerned in him grave reasons for displeasure1 since his acceptance1 while others died1 was not of course4 ,his own conscience would then quickly tell him what some at least of those reasons were4 ,but he would also learn that the exemption which he did not possess by right 7although a son of ,abraham7 he might obtain through grace4 ,the goodness of ,god did not pronounce him safe1 but it pointed out to him a way of salvation4 ,he would scarcely observe1 so entirely was it a matter of course1 that this way must be of ,god's appointment and not of his own invention--that if he devised much more costly1 elaborate and imposing ceremonies to replace those which ,moses taught him1 he would perish like any ,egyptian who devised nothing1 but simply cowered under the shadow of the impending doom4 ,nor was the salvation without price4 ,it was not a prayer nor a fast which bought it1 but a life4 ,the conviction that a redemption was necessary if ,god should be at once just and a justifier of the ungodly sprang neither from a later hairsplitting logic1 nor from a methodising theological science2 it really lay upon the very surface of this and every offering for sin1 as distinguished from those offerings which expressed the gratitude of the accepted4 ,we have not far to search for evidence that the lamb was really regarded as a substitute and ransom4 ,the assertion is part and parcel of the narrative itself4 ,for1 in commemoration of this deliverance1 every firstborn of ,israel1 whether of man or beast1 was set apart unto the ,lord4 ,the words are1 ,thou shall cause to ,,pass ,,over unto the ,lord all that openeth the womb1 and every firstling which thou hast that cometh of a beast2 the males shall be the ,lord's 7xiii4 #ab74 ,what1 then1 should be done with the firstborn of a creature unfit for sacrifice8 ,it should be replaced by a clean offering1 and then it was said to be redeemed4 ,substitution or death was the inexorable rule4 ,every firstborn of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb1 and if thou wilt not redeem it1 then thou shalt break its neck4 ,the meaning of this injunction is unmistakable4 ,but it applies also to man3 ,all thy firstborn of man among thy sons thou shalt redeem4 ,and when their sons should ask ,what meaneth this8 they were to explain that when ,pharaoh hardened himself against letting them go from ,egypt1 the ,lord slew all the firstborn in the land2 444 therefore ,i sacrifice to the ,lord all that openeth the womb being males2 but all the firstborn of my sons ,i redeem 7xiii4 #ab-ae74 ,words could not more plainly assert that the lives of the firstborn of ,israel were forfeited1 that they were bought back by the substitution of another creature1 which died instead1 and that the transaction answered to the ,passover 7thou shalt cause to pass over unto the ,lord74 ,presently the tribe of ,levi was taken instead of all the firstborn of the children of ,israel4 ,but since there were two hundred and seventy-three of such firstborn children over and above the number of the ,levites1 it became necessary to redeem these2 and this was actually done by a cash payment of five shekels apiece4 ,of this payment the same phrase is used3 it is redemption-money--the money wherewith the odd number of them is redeemed 7,num4 iii4 #dd-ea74 ,the question at present is not whether modern taste approves of all this1 or resents it3 we are simply inquiring whether an ancient ,jew was taught to think of the lamb as offered in his stead4 ,and now let it be observed that this idea has sunk deep into all the literature of ,palestine4 ,the ,jews are not so much the beloved of ,jehovah as ,his redeemed--,thy people whom ,thou hast redeemed 7#a ,chron4 xvii4 #ba74 ,in fresh troubles the prayer is1 ,redeem ,israel1 ,o ,lord 7,ps4 xxv4 #bb71 and the same word is often used where we have ignored the allusion and rendered it ,deliver me because of mine enemies 444 deliver me from the oppression of men 7,ps4 lxix4 #ah1 cxix4 #acd74 ,and the future troubles are to end in a deliverance of the same kind3 ,the ransomed of the ,lord shall return and come with singing unto ,zion 7,isa4 xxxv4 #aj1 li4 #aa72 and at the last ,i will ransom them from the power of the grave 7,hos4 xiii4 #ad74 ,in all these places1 the word is the same as in this narrative4 ,it is not too much to say that if modern theology were not affected by this ancient problem1 if we regarded the creed of the ,hebrews simply as we look at the mythologies of other peoples1 there would be no more doubt that the early ,jews believed in propitiatory sacrifice than that ,phoenicians did4 ,we should simply admire the purity1 the absence of cruel and degrading accessories1 with which this most perilous and yet humbling and admonitory doctrine was held in ,israel4 ,the ,christian applications of this doctrine must be considered along with the whole question of the typical character of the history4 ,but it is not now premature to add1 that even in the ,old ,testament there is abundant evidence that the types were semi-transparent1 and behind them something greater was discerned1 so that after it was written ,bring no more vain oblations1 ,isaiah could exclaim1 ,the ,lord hath laid on ,him the iniquity of us all4 ,he was led as a lamb to the slaughter4 ,when ,thou shalt make ,his soul a trespass-offering ,he shall see ,his seed 7,isa4 i4 #ac1 liii4 #f1 #g1 #aj74 ,and the full power of this last verse will only be felt when we remember the statement made elsewhere of the principle which underlay the sacrifices3 the life 7or soul7 of the flesh is in the blood1 and ,i have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls2 for it is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life 7or soul--,lev4 xvii4 #aa1 ,r4,v47 ,it is even startling to read the two verses together3 ,thou shalt make ,his soul a trespass-offering2 ,the blood maketh atonement by reason of the soul 444 the soul of the flesh is in the blood4#bb ,it is still more impressive to remember that a ,servant of ,jehovah has actually arisen in ,whom this doctrine has assumed a form acceptable to the best and holiest intellects and consciences of ages and civilisations widely remote from that in which it was conceived4 ,another doctrine preached by the passover to every ,jew was that he must be a worker together with ,god1 must himself use what the ,lord pointed out1 and his own lintels and doorposts must openly exhibit the fact that he laid claim to the benefit of the institution of the ,lord ,jehovah's passover4 ,with what strange feelings1 upon the morrow1 did the orphaned people of ,egypt discover the stain of blood on the forsaken houses of all their emancipated slaves6 ,the lamb having been offered up to ,god1 a new stage in the symbolism is entered upon4 ,the body of the sacrifice1 as well as the blood1 is ,his3 ,ye shall eat it in haste1 it is the ,lord's passover 7ver4 #aa74 ,instead of being a feast of theirs1 which they share with ,him1 it is an offering of which1 when the blood has been sprinkled on the doors1 ,he permits ,his people1 now accepted and favoured1 to partake4 ,they are ,his guests2 and therefore ,he prescribes all the manner of their eating1 the attitude so expressive of haste1 and the unleavened bread of affliction and bitter herbs1 which told that the object of this feast was not the indulgence of the flesh but the edification of the spirit1 a feast unto the ,lord4 ,and in the strength of this meat they are launched upon their new career1 freemen1 pilgrims of ,god1 from ,egyptian bondage to a ,promised ,land4 ,it is now time to examine the chapter in more detail1 and gather up such points as the preceding discussion has not reached4 7,ver4 #a47 ,the opening words1 ,jehovah spake unto ,moses and ,aaron in the land of ,egypt1 have all the appearance of opening a separate document1 and suggest1 with certain other evidence1 the notion of a fragment written very shortly after the event1 and afterwards incorporated into the present narrative4 ,and they are1 in the same degree1 favourable to the authenticity of the book4 7,ver4 #b47 ,the commandment to link their emancipation with a festival1 and with the calendar1 is the earliest example and the sufficient vindication of sacred festivals1 which1 even yet1 some persons consider to be superstitious and judaical4 ,but it is a strange doctrine that the ,passover deserved honour better than ,easter does1 or that there is anything more servile and unchristian in celebrating the birth of all the hopes of all mankind than in commemorating one's own birth4 7,ver4 #e47 ,the selection of a lamb for a sacrifice so quickly became universal1 that there is no trace anywhere of the use of a kid in place of it4 ,the alternative is therefore an indication of antiquity1 while the qualities required--innocent youth and the absence of blemish1 were sure to suggest a typical significance4 ,for1 if they were merely to enhance its value1 why not choose a costlier animal8 ,various meanings have been discovered in the four days during which it was reserved2 but perhaps the true object was to give time for deliberation1 for the solemnity and import of the institution to fill the minds of the people2 time also for preparation1 since the night itself was one of extreme haste1 and prompt action can only be obtained by leisurely anticipation4 ,we have ,scriptural authority for applying it to the ,antitype1 ,who also was foredoomed1 the ,lamb slain from the foundation of the world 7,rev4 xiii4 #h74 ,but now it has to be observed that throughout the poetic literature the people is taught to think of itself as a flock of sheep4 ,thou leddest ,thy people like a flock by the hand of ,moses and ,aaron 7,ps4 lxxvii4 #bj72 ,we are ,thy people and the sheep of ,thy pasture 7,ps4 lxxix4 #ac72 ,all we like sheep have gone astray 7,isa4 liii4 #f72 ,ye1 ,o ,my sheep1 the sheep of ,my pasture1 are men 7,ezek4 xxxiv4 #ca72 ,the ,lord of hosts hath visited ,his flock 7,zech4 x4 #c74 ,all such language would make more easy the conception that what replaced the forfeited life was in some sense1 figuratively1 in the religious idea1 a kindred victim4 ,one who offered a lamb as his substitute sang ,the ,lord is my shepherd4 ,i have gone astray like a lost sheep 7,ps4 xxiii4 #a1 cxix4 #agf74 7,ver4 #c1 #f47 ,very instructive it is that this first sacrifice of ,judaism could be offered by all the heads of houses4 ,we have seen that the ,levites were presently put into the place of the eldest son1 but also that this function was exercised down to the time of ,hezekiah by all who were ceremonially clean1 whereas the opposite holds good1 immediately afterwards1 in the great passover of ,josiah 7#b ,chron4 xxx4 #ag1 xxxv4 #aa74 ,it is impossible that this incongruity could be devised1 for the sake of plausibility1 in a narrative which rested on no solid basis4 ,it goes far to establish what has been so anxiously denied--the reality of the centralised worship in the time of ,hezekiah4 ,and it also establishes the great doctrine that priesthood was held not by a superior caste1 but on behalf of the whole nation1 in whom it was theoretically vested1 and for whom the priest acted1 so that they were a nation of priests4 7,ver4 #h47 ,the use of unleavened bread is distinctly said to be in commemoration of their haste--for thou camest out of ,egypt in haste 7,deut4 xvi4 #c7--;but it does not follow that they were forced by haste to eat their bread unleavened at the first4 ,it was quite as easy to prepare leavened bread as to provide the paschal lamb four days previously4 ,we may therefore seek for some further explanation1 and this we find in the same verse in ,deuteronomy1 in the expression bread of affliction4 ,they were to receive the meat of passover with a reproachful sense of their unworthiness3 humbly1 with bread of affliction and with bitter herbs4 ,moreover1 we learn from ,st4 ,paul that unleavened bread represents simplicity and truth2 and our ,lord spoke of the leaven of the ,pharisees and of ,herod 7,mark viii4 #ae74 ,and this is not only because leaven was supposed to be of the same nature as corruption4 ,we ourselves always mean something unworthy when we speak of mixed motives1 possible though it be to act from two motives1 both of them high-minded4 ,now1 leaven represents mixture in its most subtle and penetrating form4 ,the paschal feast did not express any such luxurious and sentimental religionism as finds in the story of the cross an easy joy1 or even a delicate and pleasing stimulus for the softer emotions1 a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice1 and playeth well on an instrument4 ,no1 it has vigour and nourishment for those who truly hunger1 but its bread is unfermented1 and it must be eaten with bitter herbs4 7,ver4 #i47 ,many ,jewish sacrifices were sodden1 but this had to be roast with fire4 ,it may have been to represent suffering that this was enjoined4 ,but it comes to us along with a command to consume all the flesh1 reserving none and rejecting none4 ,now1 though boiling does not mutilate1 it dissipates2 a certain amount of tissue is lost1 more is relaxed1 and its cohesion rendered feeble2 and so the duty of its complete reception is accentuated by the words not sodden at all with water4 ,nor should it be a barbarous feast1 such as many idolatries encouraged3 true religion civilises2 eat not of it at all raw4 7,ver4 #aj47 ,nor should any of it be left until the morning4 ,at the first celebration1 with a hasty exodus impending1 this would have involved exposure to profanation4 ,in later times it might have involved superstitious abuses4 ,and therefore the same rule is laid down which the ,church of ,england has carried on for the same reasons into the ,communion feast--that all must be consumed4 ,nor can we fail to see an ideal fitness in the precept4 ,of the gift of ,god we may not select what gratifies our taste or commends itself to our desires2 all is good2 all must be accepted2 a partial reception of ,his grace is no valid reception at all4 7,ver4 #ab47 ,in describing the coming wrath1 we understand the inclusion equally of innocent and guilty men1 because it is thus that all national vengeance operates2 and we receive the benefits of corporate life at the cost1 often heavy1 of its penalties4 ,the animal world also has to suffer with us2 the whole creation groaneth together now1 and all expects together the benefit of our adoption hereafter4 ,but what were the judgments against the idols of ,egypt1 which this verse predicts1 and another 7,num4 xxxiii4 #d7 declares to be accomplished8 ,they doubtless consisted chiefly in the destruction of sacred animals1 from the beetle and the frog to the holy ox of ,apis--from the cat1 the monkey1 and the dog1 to the lion1 the hippopotamus1 and the crocodile4 ,in their overthrow a blow was dealt which shook the whole system to its foundation2 for how could the same confidence be felt in sacred images when all the sacred beasts had once been slain by a rival invisible ,spiritual ,being6 ,and more is implied than that they should share the common desolation3 the text says plainly1 of men and beasts the firstborn must die1 but all of these4 ,the difference in the phrase is obvious and indisputable2 and in its fulfilment all ,egypt saw the act of a hostile and victorious deity4 7,ver4 #ac47 ,and the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are4 ,that it was a token to the destroying angel we see plainly2 but why to them8 ,is it enough to explain the assertion1 with some1 as meaning1 upon their behalf8 ,rather let us say that the publicity1 the exhibition upon their doorposts of the sacrifice offered within1 was not to inform and guide the angel1 but to edify the people4 ,they should perform an open act of faith4 ,their houses should be visibly set apart4 ,with the mouth confession 7of faith7 is made unto salvation1 unto that deliverance from a hundred evasions and equivocations1 and as many inward doubts and hesitations1 which comes when any decisive act is done1 when the die is cast and the ,rubicon crossed4 ,a similar effect upon the mind1 calming and steadying it1 was produced when the ,israelite carried out the blood of the lamb1 and by sprinkling it upon the doorpost formally claimed his exemption1 and returned with the consciousness that between him and the imminent death a visible barrier interposed itself4 ,will any one deny that a similar help is offered to us of the later ,church in our many opportunities of avowing a fixed and personal belief8 ,whoever refuses to comply with an unholy custom because he belongs to ,christ1 whoever joins heartily in worship at the cost of making himself remarkable1 whoever nerves himself to kneel at the ,holy ,table although he feels himself unworthy1 that man has broken through many snares2 he has gained assurance that his choice of ,god is a reality3 he has shown his flag2 and this public avowal is not only a sign to others1 but also a token to himself4 ,but this is only half the doctrine of this action4 ,what he should thus openly avow was his trust 7as we have shown7 in atoning blood4 ,and in the day of our peril what shall be our reliance8 ,that our doors are trodden by orthodox visitants only8 that the lintels are clean1 and the inhabitants temperate and pure8 or that the ,blood of ,christ has cleansed our conscience8 ,therefore 7ver4 #bb7 the blood was sprinkled with hyssop1 of which the light and elastic sprays were admirably suited for such use1 but which was reserved in the ,law for those sacrifices which expiated sin 7,lev4 xiv4 #di2 ,num4 xix4 #ah1 #ai74 ,and therefore also none should go forth out of his house until the morning1 for we are not to content ourselves with having once invoked the shelter of ,god3 we are to abide under its protection while danger lasts4 ,and 7ver4 #bc7 upon the condition of this marking of their doorposts the ,lord should pass over their houses4 ,the phrase is noteworthy1 because it recurs throughout the narrative1 being employed nine times in this chapter2 and because the same word is found in ,isaiah1 again in contrast with the ruin of others1 and with an interesting and beautiful expansion of the hovering poised notion which belongs to the word4#bc ,repeated commandments are given to parents to teach the meaning of this institution to their children1 7xii4 #bf1 xiii4 #h74 ,and there is something almost cynical in the notion of a later mythologist devising this appeal to a tradition which had no existence at all2 enrolling1 in support of his new institutions1 the testimony 7which had never been borne7 of fathers who had never taught any story of the kind4 ,on the other hand1 there is something idyllic and beautiful in the minute instruction given to the heads of families to teach their children1 and in the simple words put into their mouths1 ,it is because of that which the ,lord did for me when ,i came forth out of ,egypt4 ,it carries us forward to these weary days when children scarcely see the face of one who goes out to labour before they are awake1 and returns exhausted when their day is over1 and who himself too often needs the most elementary instruction1 these heartless days when the teaching of religion devolves1 in thousands of families1 upon the stranger who instructs1 for one hour in the week1 a class in ,sunday-school4 ,the contrast is not reassuring4 ,when all these instructions were given to ,israel1 the people bowed their heads and worshipped4 ,the bones of most of them were doomed to whiten in the wilderness4 ,they perished by serpents and by the destroyer2 they fell in one day three-and-twenty thousand1 because they were discontented and rebellious and unholy4 ,and yet they could adore the gracious ,giver of promises and ,slayer of foes4 ,they would not obey1 but they were quite ready to accept benefits1 to experience deliverance1 to become the favourites of heaven1 to march to ,palestine4 ,so are too many fain to be made happy1 to find peace1 to taste the good word of ,god and the powers of the age to come1 to go to heaven4 ,but they will not take up a cross4 ,they will murmur if the well is bitter1 if they have no flesh but only angels' food1 if the goodly land is defended by powerful enemies4 ,on these terms1 they cannot be ,christ's disciples4 ,it is apparently the mention of a mixed multitude1 who came with ,israel out of ,egypt1 which suggests the insertion1 in a separate and dislocated paragraph1 of the law of the passover concerning strangers 7vers4 #ch1 #dc-di74 ,an alien was not to eat thereof3 it belonged especially to the covenant people4 ,but who was a stranger8 ,a slave should be circumcised and eat thereof2 for it was one of the benignant provisions of the law that there should not be added1 to the many severities of his condition1 any religious disabilities4 ,the time would come when all nations should be blessed in the seed of ,abraham4 ,in that day the poor would receive a special beatitude2 and in the meantime1 as the first indication of catholicity beneath the surface of an exclusive ritual1 it was announced1 foremost among those who should be welcomed within the fold1 that a slave should be circumcised and eat the passover4 ,and if a sojourner desired to eat thereof1 he should be mindful of his domestic obligations3 all his males should be circumcised along with him1 and then his disabilities were at an end4 ,surely we can see in these provisions the germ of the broader and more generous welcome which ,christ offers to the world4 ,let it be added that this admission of strangers had been already implied at verse #ai2 while every form of coercion was prohibited by the words a sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat of it1 in verse #de4 ,,the ,,tenth ,,plague4 xii4 #bi-cf4 ,and now the blow fell4 ,infants grew cold in their mothers' arms2 ripe statesmen and crafty priests lost breath as they reposed3 the wisest1 the strongest and the most hopeful of the nation were blotted out at once1 for the firstborn of a population is its flower4 ,pharaoh ,menephtah had only reached the throne by the death of two elder brethren1 and therefore history confirms the assertion that he rose up1 when the firstborn were dead2 but it also justifies the statement that his firstborn died1 for the gallant and promising youth who had reconquered for him his lost territories1 and who actually shared his rule and sat upon the throne1 ,menephtah ,seti1 is now shown to have died early1 and never to have held an independent sceptre4 ,we can imagine the scene4 ,suspense and terror must have been wide spread2 for the former plagues had given authority to the more dreadful threat1 the fulfilment of which was now to be expected1 since all negotiations between ,moses and ,pharaoh had been formally broken off4 ,strange and confident movements and doubtless menacing expressions among the ,hebrews would also make this night a fearful one1 and there was little rest for those who feared the ,lord among the servants of ,pharaoh4 ,these1 knowing where the danger lay1 would watch their firstborn well1 and when the ashy change came suddenly upon a blooming face1 and they raised the wild cry of ,eastern bereavement1 then others awoke to the same misery4 ,from remote villages and lonely hamlets the clamour of great populations was echoed back2 and when1 under midnight skies in which the strong wind of the morrow was already moaning1 the awestruck people rushed into their temples1 there the corpses of their animal deities glared at them with glassy eyes4 ,thus the cup which they had made their slaves to drink was put in larger measure to their own lips at last1 and not infants only were snatched away1 but sons around whom years of tenderness had woven stronger ties2 and the loss of their bondsmen1 from which they feared so much national weakness1 had to be endured along with a far deadlier drain of their own life-blood4 ,the universal wail was bitter1 and hopeless1 and full of terror even more than woe2 for they said1 ,we be all dead men4 ,without the consolation of ministering by sick beds1 or the romance and gallant excitement of war1 there was not a house where there was not one dead1 and this is said to give sharpness to the statement that there was a great cry in ,egypt4 ,then came such a moment as the ,hebrew temperament keenly enjoyed1 when the sons of them that oppressed them came bending unto them1 and all they that despised them bowed themselves down at the soles of their feet4 ,pharaoh sent at midnight to surrender everything that could possibly be demanded1 and in his abject fear added1 and bless me also2 and the ,egyptians were urgent on them to begone1 and when they demanded the portable wealth of the land1--a poor ransom from a vanquished enemy1 and a still poorer payment for generations of forced labour1--the ,lord gave them favour 7is there not a saturnine irony in the phrase87 in the sight of the ,egyptians1 so that they let them have what they asked4 ,and they spoiled the ,egyptians4 ,by this analogy ,st4 ,augustine defended the use of heathen learning in defence of ,christian truth4 ,clogged by superstitions1 he said1 it contained also liberal instruction1 and truths even concerning ,god--gold and silver which they did not themselves create1 but dug out of the mines of ,god's providence1 and misapplied4 ,these we should reclaim1 and apply to ,christian use 7,de ,doct4 ,chr41 #fj1 #fa74 ,and the main lesson of the story lies so plainly upon the surface that one scarcely needs to state it4 ,what ,god requires must ultimately be done2 and human resistance1 however stubborn and protracted1 will only make the result more painful and more signal at the last4 ,now1 every concern of our obscure daily lives comes under this law as surely as the actions of a ,pharaoh4 ,,the ,,exodus4 xii4 #cg-db4 ,the children of ,israel journeyed from ,rameses to ,succoth4 ,already1 at the outset of their journey1 controversy has had much to say about their route4 ,much ingenuity has been expended upon the theory which brought their early journey along the ,mediterranean coast1 and made the overthrow of the ,egyptians take place in that ,serbonian bog where armies whole have sunk4 ,but it may fairly be assumed that this view was refuted even before the recent identification of the sites of ,rameses and ,pi-hahiroth rendered it untenable4 ,how came these trampled slaves1 who could not call their lives their own1 to possess the cattle which we read of as having escaped the murrain1 and the number of which is here said to have been very great8 ,just before ,moses returned1 and when the ,pharaoh of the ,exodus appears upon the scene1 we are told that their cry came up unto ,god1 444 and ,god heard their groaning1 and ,god remembered ,his covenant 444 and ,god saw the children of ,israel1 and ,god took knowledge of them 7ii4 #bc74 ,may not this verse point to something unrecorded1 some event before their final deliverance8 ,the conjecture is a happy one that it refers to their share in the revolt of subject races which drove ,menephtah for twelve years out of his northern territories4 ,if so1 there was time for a considerable return of prosperity2 and the retention or forfeiture of their chattels when they were reconquered would depend very greatly upon circumstances unknown to us4 ,at all events1 this revolt is evidence1 which is amply corroborated by history and the inscriptions1 of the existence of just such a discontented and servile element in the population as the mixed multitude which came out with them repeatedly proved itself to be4 ,but here we come upon a problem of another kind4 ,how long was ,israel in the house of bondage8 ,can we rely upon the present ,hebrew text1 which says that their sojourning which they sojourned in ,egypt1 was four hundred and thirty years4 ,and it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years1 even the selfsame day it came to pass1 that all the hosts of the ,lord came out of the land of ,egypt 7xii4 #dj1 #da74 ,certain ancient versions have departed from this text4 ,the ,septuagint reads1 ,the sojourning of the children of ,israel which they sojourned in ,egypt and in the land of ,canaan1 was four hundred and thirty years2 and the ,samaritan agrees with this1 except that it has the sojourning of the children of ,israel and of their fathers4 ,the question is1 which reading is correct8 ,must we date the four hundred and thirty years from ,abraham's arrival in ,canaan1 or from ,jacob's descent into ,egypt8 ,for the shorter period there are two strong arguments4 ,the genealogies in the ,pentateuch range from four persons to six between ,jacob and the ,exodus1 which number is quite unable to reach over four centuries4 ,and ,st4 ,paul says of the covenant with ,abraham that the law which came four hundred and thirty years after 7i4e4 after the time of ,abraham7 could not disannul it 7,gal4 iii4 #ag74 ,this reference by ,st4 ,paul is not so decisive as it may appear1 because he habitually quotes the ,septuagint1 even where he must have known that it deviates from the ,hebrew1 provided that the deviation does not compromise the matter in hand4 ,here1 he was in nowise concerned with the chronology1 and had no reason to perplex a ,gentile church by correcting it4 ,but it was a different matter with ,st4 ,stephen1 arguing his case before the ,hebrew council4 ,and he quotes plainly and confidently the prediction that the seed of ,abraham should be four hundred years in bondage1 and that one nation should entreat them evil four hundred years 7,acts vii4 #f74 ,again1 this is the clear intention of the words in ,genesis 7xv4 #ac74 ,and as to the genealogies1 we know them to have been cut down1 so that seven names are omitted from that of ,ezra1 and three at least from that of our ,lord ,himself4 ,certainly when we consider the great population implied in an army of six hundred thousand adult men1 we must admit that the longer period is inherently the more probable of the two4 ,but we can only assert with confidence that just when their deliverance was due it was accomplished1 and they who had come down a handful1 and whom cruel oppression had striven to decimate1 came forth1 no undisciplined mob1 but armies moving in organised and regulated detachments3 the ,lord did bring the children of ,israel forth by their hosts 7ver4 #ea74 ,and the children of ,israel went up armed out of the land of ,egypt 7xiii4 #ah74 ,,footnotes3 #bj ,though of course the ,person ,whose ,body was thus offered is ,divine 7,acts xx4 #bh71 and this gives inestimable value to the offering4 #ba ,here the sceptical theorists are widely divided among themselves4 ,kuenen has discussed this whole theory1 and rejected it as irreconcilable with what the ,old ,testament itself asserts in justification of this sacrifice4 ,and he is driven to connect it with the notion of atonement4 ,jahveh appears as a severe being who must be propitiated with sacrifices4 ,he has therefore to introduce the notion of human sacrifice1 in order to get rid of the connection with the penal death of the ,egyptians1 and of the miraculous1 which this example would establish4 7,religion of ,israel1 ,eng4 ,trans41 i41 #bci1 #bdj47 #bb ,the astonishing significance of this declaration would only be deepened if we accepted the theories now so fashionable1 and believed that the later passage in ,isaiah was the fruit of a period when the full-blown ,priestly ,code was in process of development out of the small body of legislation contained in ,lev4 xvii4--xxvi4 ,what a strange time for such a spiritual application of sacrificial language6 #bc ,so that it is used equally of the slow action of the lame1 and of the lingering movements of the false prophets when there was none to answer 7#b ,sam4 iv4 #d2 #a ,kings xviii4 #bf74 ,the ,lord of ,hosts shall come down to fight upon ,mount ,zion4444 ,as birds flying1 so will the ,lord of ,hosts protect ,jerusalem2 ,he will ,,pass ,,over and preserve it 7,isa4 xxxi4 #d1 #e74 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,the ,,law ,,of ,,the ,,firstborn4 xiii4 #a4 ,much that was said in the twelfth chapter is repeated in the thirteenth4 ,and this repetition is clearly due to a formal rehearsal1 made when all their hosts had mustered in ,succoth after their first march2 for ,moses says1 ,remember this day1 in which ye came out 7ver4 #c74 ,already it had been spoken of as a day much to be remembered1 and for its perpetuation the ordinance of the ,passover had been founded4 ,but now this charge is given as a fit prologue for the remarkable institution which follows--the consecration to ,god of all unblemished males who are the firstborn of their mothers--for such is the full statement of what is claimed4 ,in speaking to ,moses the ,lord says1 ,sanctify unto ,me all the firstborn 444 it is ,mine4 ,but ,moses addressing the people advances gradually1 and almost diplomatically4 ,first he reminds them of their deliverance1 and in so doing he employs a phrase which could only have been used at the exact stage when they were emancipated and yet upon ,egyptian soil3 ,by strength of hand the ,lord brought you out from this place 7ver4 #c74 ,then he charges them not to forget their rescue1 in the dangerous time of their prosperity1 when the ,lord shall have brought them into the land which ,he swore to give them2 and he repeats the ordinance of unleavened bread4 ,and it is only then that he proceeds to announce the permanent consecration of all their firstborn--the abiding doctrine that these1 who naturally represent the nation1 are for its unworthiness forfeited1 and yet by the grace of ,god redeemed4 ,god1 ,who gave all and pardons all1 demands a return1 not as a tax which is levied for its own sake1 but as a confession of dependence1 and like the silk flag presented to the sovereign1 on the anniversaries of the two greatest of ,english victories1 by the descendants of the conquerors1 who hold their estates upon that tenure4 ,the firstborn1 thus dedicated1 should have formed a sacred class1 a powerful element in ,hebrew life enlisted on the side of ,god4 ,for these1 as we have already seen1 the ,levites were afterwards substituted 7,num4 iii4 #dd71 and there is perhaps some allusion to this change in the direction that all the firstborn of man thou shalt redeem 7ver4 #ac74 ,but yet the demand is stated too broadly and imperatively to belong to that later modification3 it suits exactly the time to which it is attributed1 before the tribe of ,levi was substituted for the firstborn of all4 ,they are ,mine1 said ,jehovah1 ,who needed not1 that night1 to remind them what ,he had wrought the night before4 ,it is for precisely the same reason1 that ,st4 ,paul claims all souls for ,god3 ,ye are not your own1 ye are bought with a price2 therefore glorify ,god with your bodies and with your spirits1 which are ,god's4 ,and besides the general claim upon us all1 each of us should feel1 like the firstborn1 that every special mercy is a call to special gratitude1 to more earnest dedication4 ,i beseech you1 by the mercies of ,god1 that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice 7,rom4 xii4 #a74 ,there is a tone of exultant confidence in the words of ,moses1 very interesting and curious4 ,he and his nation are breathing the free air at last4 ,the deliverance that has been given makes all the promise that remains secure4 ,as one who feels his pardon will surely not despair of heaven1 so ,moses twice over instructs the people what to do when ,god shall have kept the oath which ,he swore1 and brought them into ,canaan1 into the land flowing with milk and honey4 ,then they must observe ,his passover4 ,then they must consecrate their firstborn4 ,and twice over this emancipator and lawgiver1 in the first flush of his success1 impresses upon them the homely duty of teaching their households what ,god had done for them 7vers4 #h1 #ad2 cf4 xii4 #bf74 ,this1 accordingly1 the ,psalmist learned1 and in his turn transmitted4 ,he heard with his ears and his fathers told him what ,god did in their days1 in the days of old4 ,and he told the generation to come the praises of ,jehovah1 and ,his strength1 and ,his wondrous works 7,ps4 xliv4 #a1 lxxviii4 #d74 ,but it is absurd to treat these verses1 as ,kuenen does1 as evidence that the story is mere legend3 transmitted from mouth to mouth1 it gradually lost its accuracy and precision1 and adopted all sorts of foreign elements4 ,to prove which1 we are gravely referred to passages like this4 7,religion of ,israel1 i4 #bb1 ,eng4 ,vers47 ,the duty of oral instruction is still acknowledged1 but this does not prove that the narrative is still unwritten4 ,from the emphatic language in which ,moses urged this double duty1 too much forgotten still1 of remembering and showing forth the goodness of ,god1 sprang the curious custom of the wearing of phylacteries4 ,but the ,jews were not bidden to wear signs and frontlets3 they were bidden to let hallowed memories be unto them in the place of such charms as they had seen the ,egyptians wear1 for a sign unto thee1 upon thine hand1 and for a frontlet between thine eyes1 that the law of the ,lord may be in thy mouth 7ver4 #i74 ,such language is frequent in the ,old ,testament1 where mercy and truth should be bound around their necks2 their fathers' commandments should be tied around their necks1 bound on their fingers1 written on their hearts2 and ,sion should clothe herself with her converts as an ornament1 and gird them upon her as a bride doth 7,prov4 iii4 #c1 vi4 #ba1 vii4 #c2 ,isa4 xlix4 #ah74 ,but human nature still finds the letter of many a commandment easier than the spirit1 a ceremony than an obedient heart1 penance than penitence1 ashes on the forehead than a contrite spirit1 and a phylactery than the gratitude and acknowledgment which ought to be unto us for a sign on the hand and a frontlet between the eyes4 ,we have already observed the connection between the thirteenth verse and the events of the previous night4 ,but there is an interesting touch of nature in the words the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb4 ,it was afterwards rightly perceived that all unclean animals should follow the same rule2 but why was only the ass mentioned8 ,plainly because those humble journeyers had no other beast of burden4 ,horses pursued them presently1 but even the ,egyptians of that period used them only in war4 ,the trampled ,hebrews would not possess camels4 ,and thus again1 in the tenth commandment1 when the stateliest of their cattle is specified1 no beast of burden is named with it but the ass3 ,thou shalt not covet 444 his ox nor his ass4 ,it is an undesigned coincidence of real value2 a phrase which would never have been devised by legislators of a later date2 a frank and unconscious evidence of the genuineness of the story4 ,some time before this1 a new and fierce race1 whose name declared them to be emigrants1 had thrust itself in among the tribes of ,canaan--a race which was long to wage equal war with ,israel1 and not seldom to see his back turned in battle4 ,they now held all the south of ,palestine1 from the brook of ,egypt to ,ekron 7,josh4 xv4 #d1 #dg74 ,and if ,moses in the flush of his success had pushed on by the straight and easy route into the promised land1 the first shock of combat with them would have been felt in a few weeks4 ,but ,god led them not by the way of the ,philistines1 though that was near1 for ,god said1 ,lest peradventure the people repent them when they see war1 and they return to ,egypt 7ver4 #ag74 ,from this we learn two lessons4 ,why did not ,he1 ,who presently made strong the hearts of the ,egyptians to plunge into the bed of the sea1 make the hearts of ,his own people strong to defy the ,philistines8 ,the answer is a striking and solemn one4 ,neither ,god in the ,old ,testament1 nor ,god manifested in the flesh1 is ever recorded to have wrought any miracle of spiritual advancement or overthrow4 ,thus the ,egyptians were but confirmed in their own choice3 their decision was carried further4 ,and even ,saul of ,tarsus was illuminated1 not coerced3 he might have disobeyed the heavenly vision4 ,he was not an insincere man suddenly coerced into earnestness1 nor a coward suddenly made brave4 ,in the moral world1 adequate means are always employed for the securing of desired effects4 ,love1 gratitude1 the sense of danger and of grace1 are the powers which elevate characters4 ,and persons who live in sensuality1 fraud1 or falsehood1 hoping to be saved some day by a sort of miracle of grace1 ought to ponder this truth1 which may not be the gospel now fashionable1 but is unquestionably the statement of a ,scriptural fact3 in the moral sphere1 ,god works by means and not by miracle4 ,a free life1 the desert air1 the rejection of the unfit by many visitations1 and the growth of a new generation amid thrilling events1 in a soul-stirring region1 and under the pure influences of the law1--these were necessary before ,israel could cross steel with the warlike children of the ,philistines2 and even then1 it was not with them that he should begin4 ,the other lesson we learn is the tender fidelity of ,god1 ,who will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able to bear4 ,he led them aside into the desert1 whither ,he still in mercy leads very many who think it a heavy judgment to be there4 ,,the ,,bones ,,of ,,joseph4 xiii4 #ai4 ,it is certain that ,moses1 in the days of his greatness1 must often have mused by the sepulchre of the one ,israelite before himself who held high rank in ,egypt4 ,the knowledge that ,joseph's elevation was providential must have helped him at that time1 now many years ago1 to think rightly of his own4 ,and now we read that ,moses took the bones of ,joseph with him4 ,in the ,epistle to the ,hebrews 7xi4 #bb7 it is recorded as the most characteristic example of the faith of the patriarch1 that instead of desiring to be carried1 like his father1 at once to ,canaan1 he made mention of the departure of the children of ,israel1 and gave commandment concerning his bones4 ,to him ,egypt was no longer an alien land4 ,there only he had known honour without envy1 and happiness without betrayal4 ,there his bones could rest in quiet2 but not for ever4 ,personal elevation1 which had not rent the cord between him and his unworthy family1 could still less sever the bands between him and the sacred race4 ,let him sleep in ,egypt while his grave there was honoured3 let the remembrance of him be kept fresh1 to protect awhile his kindred2 and when the predicted days of evil came1 let his ashes share the neglect and dishonour of his people1 if only they would remember his remains when the ,lord would lead them forth4 ,this confidence in their emancipation was his faith--which meant1 here as always1 not a clear view of truth1 but an assuring grasp of it4 ,he had straitly sworn the children of ,israel saying1 ,god will surely visit you2 and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you4 ,many a ,christian might well envy a confidence so practical1 so thoroughly realised1 entering so naturally into the tissue of his thoughts and calculations4 ,and their actual remembrance of him goes to show that the tradition of his faith had never completely died out1 but was among the influences which kept alive the nation's hope4 ,and as the people bore his honoured ashes through the desert1 these being dead spoke of bygone times1 they linked the present and the past together1 they deepened the national consciousness that ,israel was a favoured people1 called to no common destiny1 sustained by no common promises1 pressing toward no common goal4 ,if ,israel had been wise1 they would have thought of him1 the ,israelite in heart1 though glittering in the splendours of ,egypt2 and would have considered well that as little as men detected his secret life from his appearance1 so little could theirs be judged4 ,to the eye1 they were free from the foreign trammels in which he was seemingly entangled1 yet many of them in heart turned back to all which strove in vain to bind his affections down4 ,the lesson holds good to-day4 ,many a modern religionist looks askance at the worldliness of high office and rank and state2 little dreaming that the world he censures is strong in his own ambitious and self-asserting spirit1 and is overcome by the gentle and tranquil spirit of hundreds of those whom he condemns4 ,bearing this hallowed burden1 which might easily have become an object of superstitious regard1 the nation moved from ,succoth to ,etham on the edge of the wilderness4 ,and with them a ,presence moved which rebuked all others1 however venerable4 ,the ,lord went before them4 ,it has already been pointed out that throughout the early history of this nation1 just come out of an idolatrous land1 and too ready to lapse back into superstition1 ,god never reveals ,himself except in fire4 ,to ,abraham and to ,jacob ,he appeared in human form1 and again to ,joshua2 but in the interval1 never4 ,so now they see ,him by day in a pillar of cloud to guide them on the way1 and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light4 ,the glory of the nation was that manifested ,presence1 lacking which1 ,moses besought ,him to carry them up no farther4 ,nothing in the ,exodus is more impressive1 and it sank deep into the national heart4 ,many centuries afterwards1 the ideal of a golden age was that the ,lord should create over the whole habitation of ,mount ,zion1 and over her assemblies1 a cloud of smoke by day1 and the shining of a flaming fire by night 7,isa4 iv4 #e74 ,but it has been well observed that1 amid the various allusions to it in ,hebrew poetry1 not one treats it as modern literature has done1 with an eye to its marvellous sublimity and picturesque effects3 ,by day1 along the astonished lands ,the cloudy pillar glided slow3 ,by night1 ,arabia's crimsoned sands ,returned the fiery column's glow4 ,the ,hebrew poetry is vivid and passionate1 but all its concerns are human or divine--,god1 and the life of man4 ,it is not artistic1 but inspired4 ,the modern poet is delighting in the scenic effect2 the ancient chronicler was wholly occupied with the overshadowing power of ,god4#bd ,,footnotes3 #bd ,hutton's ,essays1 ,vol4 ii41 ,literary3 ,the ,poetry of the ,old ,test4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,the ,,red ,,sea4 xiv4 #a-ca4 ,it would seem that the ,israelites recoiled before a frontier fortress of ,egypt at ,khetam 7,etham74 ,this is probable1 whatever theory of the route of the ,exodus one may adopt2 and it is still open to every reader to adopt almost any theory he pleases1 provided that two facts are borne in mind3 viz41 first1 that the narrative certainly means to describe a miraculous interference1 not superseding the forces of nature1 but wielding them in a fashion impossible to man2 and second1 that the phrase translated ,red ,sea#be 7xiii4 #ah1 xv4 #d7 is the same which is confessed by all persons to have that meaning in chap4 xxiii4 #ca1 and in ,numbers xxi4 #d and xxxiii4 #aj4 ,checked1 without loss or with it1 they were bidden to turn back1 and encamp at ,pi-hahiroth1 between ,migdol and the sea4 ,and since ,migdol is simply a watch-tower 7there were several in the ,holy ,land1 including that which gave her name to ,mary ,magdal-ene71 we are to infer that from thence their inexplicable movements were signalled back to ,pharaoh4 ,it was the natural signal for all the wild passions of a baffled and half-ruined tyrant to leap into flame4 ,we are scarcely able to imagine the mental condition of men who conceived that a ,god ,who had dealt out death and destruction might be far from invincible from another side4 ,but ages after this1 a campaign was planned upon the ingenious theory that ,jehovah is a god of the hills but ,he is not a god of the valleys 7#a ,kings xx4 #bh72 and plenty of people who would scorn this simple notion are still of opinion that ,he is a ,god of eternity and can save them from hell1 but a little falsehood and knavery are much better able to save them from want in the meanwhile4 ,nay1 there are many excellent persons who are not at all of opinion that the prince of this world has been dethroned4 ,therefore1 when his enemies recoiled from his fortresses and wandered away into the wilderness of ,egypt1 entangling themselves hopelessly between the sea1 the mountains1 and his own strongholds1 it might well appear to ,pharaoh that ,jehovah was not a warlike deity1 that he himself had now found out the weak point of his enemies1 and could pursue and overtake and satisfy his lust upon them4 ,there is a significant emphasis in the song of ,miriam's triumph--,jehovah is a man of war4 ,at all events1 it was through an imperfect sense of the universal and practical importance of ,jehovah as a factor not to be neglected in his calculations1 through exactly the same error which misleads every man who postpones religion1 or limits the range of its influence in his daily life1--it was thus1 and not through any rarer infatuation1 that ,pharaoh made ready six hundred chosen chariots and all the chariots of ,egypt1 and captains over all of them4 ,and his court was of the same mind1 saying1 ,what is this that we have done1 that we have let ,israel go from serving us8 ,these words are hard to reconcile with the strange notion that until now a return after three days was expected1 despite the torrent of blood which rolled between them1 and the demands by which the ,israelitish women had spoiled the ,egyptians4 ,upon this theory it is not their own error1 but the bad faith of their servants1 which they should have cried out against4 ,at the sight of the army1 a panic seized the servile hearts of the fugitives4 ,first they cried out unto the ,lord4 ,but how possible it is1 without any real faith1 to address to ,heaven the mere clamours of our alarm1 and to mistake natural agitation for earnestness in prayer1 we learn by the reproaches with which1 after thus crying to the ,lord1 they assailed ,his servant4 ,were there no graves in that land of superb sepulchres--that land1 now1 of universal mourning8 ,would ,god that they had perished with the firstborn6 ,why had they been treated thus8 ,had they not urged ,moses to let them alone1 that they might serve the ,egyptians8 ,and yet these men had lately1 for the very promise of so much emancipation as they now enjoyed1 bowed their heads in adoring thankfulness4 ,as it was their fear which now took the form of supplication1 so then it was their hope which took the form of praise4 ,and we1 how shall we know whether that in us which seems to be religious gladness and religious grief1 is mere emotion1 or is truly sacred8 ,by watching whether worship and love continue1 when emotion has spent its force1 or has gone round1 like the wind1 to another quarter4 ,how did ,moses feel when this outcry told him of the unworthiness and cowardice of the nation of his heart8 ,much as we feel1 perhaps1 when we see the frailties and failures of converts in the mission-field1 and the lapse of the intemperate who have seemed to be reclaimed for ever4 ,we thought that perfection was to be reached at a bound4 ,now we think that the whole work was unreal4 ,both extremes are wrong3 we have much to learn from the failures of that ancient church1 in which was the germ of hero1 psalmist1 and prophet1 which was indeed the church in the wilderness1 and whose many relapses were so tenderly borne with by ,god and ,his messenger4 ,the settled faith of ,moses1 and the assurances which he could give the agitated people1#bf contrast nobly with their alarm4 ,but his confidence also had its secret springs in prayer1 for the ,lord said to him1 ,wherefore criest thou unto ,me8 speak unto the children of ,israel that they go forward4 ,the words are remarkable on two accounts4 ,can prayer ever be out of place8 ,not if we mean a prayerful dependent mental attitude toward ,god4 ,but certainly1 yes1 if ,god has already revealed that for which we still importune ,him1 and we are secretly disquieted lest ,his promise should fail4 ,it is misplaced if our own duty has to be done1 and we pass the golden moments in inactivity1 however pious4 ,christ spoke of men who should leave their gift before the altar1 unpresented1 because of a neglected duty which should be discharged4 ,and perhaps there are men who pray for the conversion of the heathen1 or of friends at home1 to whom ,god says1 ,wherefore criest thou unto ,me8 because their money and their faithful efforts must be given1 as ,moses must arouse himself to lead the people forward1 and to stretch his wand over the sea4 ,and again the forces of nature are on the side of ,god3 the strong wind makes the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over4 ,history has no scene more picturesque than this wild night march1 in the roar of tempest1 amid the flying foam which baptized them unto ,moses1#bg while the glimmering waters stood up like a rampart to protect their flanks2 the full moon of passover above them1 shown and hidden as the swift clouds raced before the storm1 while high and steadfast overhead1 unshaken by the fiercest blast1 illumined by a mysterious splendour1 stood the vast cloud which veiled like a curtain their whole host from the pursuer4 ,this it was1 and the experience of such protection that the ,egyptians1 overawed1 came not near them1 which gave them courage to enter the bed of the sea2 and as they trod the strange road they found that not only were the waters driven off the surface1 but the sands were left firm to traverse4 ,but when the blind fury of ,pharaoh1 hardened against everything but the sense that his prey was escaping1 sent his army along the same track1 and this after long delay1 at a crisis when every moment was priceless1 then a new element of terrible sublimity was added4 ,through the pillar of cloud and fire ,jehovah looked forth on the ,egyptian host1 as they pressed on behind1 unable to penetrate the supernatural gloom1 cold fear creeping into every heart1 while the chariot wheels laboured heavily in the wet sand4 ,in that direful vision at last the question was answered1 ,who is ,jehovah1 that ,i should let ,his people go8 ,now it was the turn of those who said ,israel is entangled in the land1 the wilderness hath shut them in1 themselves to be taken in a worse net4 ,for at that awful gaze the iron curb of military discipline gave way2 their labouring chariots1 the pride and defence of the nation1 were forsaken2 and a wild cry broke out1 ,let us fly from the face of ,israel1 for ,jehovah--,he who plagued us--fighteth for them against the ,egyptians4 ,but their humiliation came too late1--for in the morning watch1 at a natural time for atmospheric changes1 but in obedience to the rod of ,moses1 the furious wind veered or fell1 and the sea returned to its accustomed limits2 and first1 as the sands beneath became saturated1 the chariots were overturned and the mail-clad charioteers went down like lead1 and then the hissing line of foam raced forward and closed around and over the shrieking mob which was the pride and strength of ,egypt only an hour before4 ,but1 as the story repeats twice over1 with a very natural and glad reiteration1 the children of ,israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea1 and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand1 and on their left 7ver4 #bi1 cf4 #bb74 ,,on ,,the ,,shore4 xiv4 #cj1 #ca4 ,after the haste and agitation of their marvellous deliverance the children of ,israel seem to have halted for awhile at the only spot in the neighbourhood where there is water1 known as the ,ayoun ,musa or springs of ,moses to this day4 ,there they doubtless brought into some permanent shape their rudimentary organisation4 ,there1 too1 their impressions were given time to deepen4 ,they saw the ,egyptians dead on the sea-shore1 and realised that their oppression was indeed at an end1 their chains broken1 themselves introduced into a new life1--baptized unto ,moses4 ,they reflected upon the difference between all other deities and the ,god of their fathers1 ,who1 in that deadly crisis1 had looked upon them and their tyrants out of the fiery pillar4 ,they feared ,jehovah1 and they believed in ,jehovah and in ,his servant ,moses4 ,they believed in ,jehovah4 ,this expression is noteworthy1 because they had all believed in ,him already4 ,by faith 'they' forsook ,egypt4 ,by faith 'they' kept the passover and the sprinkling of blood4 ,by faith 'they' passed through the ,red ,sea4 ,but their former trust was poor and wavering compared with that which filled their bosoms now4 ,so the disciples followed ,jesus because they believed on ,him2 yet when ,his first miracle manifested forth ,his glory1 ,his disciples believed on ,him there4 ,and again they said1 ,by this we believe that ,thou camest forth from ,god4 ,and after the resurrection ,he said1 ,because thou hast seen ,me thou hast believed 7,john ii4 #aa1 xvi4 #cj1 xx4 #bi74 ,faith needs to be edified by successive experiences1 as the enthusiasm of a recruit is converted into the disciplined valour of the veteran4 ,from each new crisis of the spiritual life the soul should obtain new powers4 ,and that is a shallow and unstable religion which is content with the level of its initial act of faith 7however genuine and however important71 and seeks not to go from strength to strength4 ,,footnotes3 #be ,the ,sea of ,zuph1 or reeds1 the word being used of the reeds in which ,moses was laid by his mother and found by ,pharaoh's daughter 7ii4 #c1 #e71 rendered flags in the ,revised ,version4 #bf ,but his assurance is1 ,the ,lord shall fight for you1 and ye shall hold your peace4 ,when ,wellhausen would summarise the work of ,moses1 he tells us that he taught them to regard self-assertion against the ,egyptians as an article of religion 7,history1 p4 #dcj74 ,it would be impossible1 within the compass of so many words1 more completely to miss the remarkable characteristic which differentiates this whole narrative from all other revolutionary movements4 ,expectancy and dependence here take the place of self-assertion4 #bg ,not the adults only2 nor yet by immersion1 whether in the rain-cloud or the surf4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,the ,,song ,,of ,,moses4 xv4 #a-bb4 ,during this halt they prepared that great song of triumph which ,st4 ,john heard sung by them who had been victorious over the beast1 standing by the sea of glass1 having the harps of ,god4 ,for by that calmer sea1 triumphant over a deadlier persecution1 they still found their adoration and joy expressed in this earliest chant of sacred victory4 ,because all holy hearts give like thanks to ,him ,who sitteth upon the throne1 therefore deep answers unto deep1 and every great crisis in the history of the ,church has legacies for all time and for eternity2 and therefore the triumphant song of ,moses the servant of ,god enriches the worship of heaven1 as the penitence and hope and joy of ,david enrich the worship of the ,church on earth 7,rev4 xv4 #c74 ,like all great poetry1 this song is best enjoyed when it is neither commented upon nor paraphrased1 but carefully read and warmly felt4 ,there are circumstances and lines of thought which it is desirable to point out1 but only as a preparation1 not a substitute1 for the submission of a docile mind to the influence of the inspired poem itself4 ,it is unquestionably archaic4 ,the parallelism of ,hebrew verse is already here1 but the structure is more free and unartificial than that of later poetry2 and many ancient words1 and words of ,egyptian derivation1 authenticate its origin4 ,so does the description of ,miriam1 in the fifteenth verse1 as the prophetess1 the sister of ,aaron4 ,in what later time would she not rather have been called the sister of ,moses8 ,but from the lonely youth who found ,aaron and ,miriam together as often as he stole from the palace to his real home--the lonely man who regained both together when he returned from forty years of exile1 and who sometimes found them united in opposition to his authority 7,num4 xii4 #a1 #b7--;from ,moses alone the epithet is entirely natural4 ,it is also noteworthy that ,philistia is mentioned first among the foes who shall be terrified 7ver4 #ad1 ,r4,v471 because ,moses still expected the invasion to break first on them4 ,but the unbelieving fears of ,israel changed the route1 so that no later poet would have set them in the forefront of his song4 ,thus also the terror of the ,edomites is anticipated1 although in fact they sturdily refused a passage to ,israel through their land 7,num4 xx4 #bj74 ,all this authenticates the song1 which thereupon establishes the miraculous deliverance that inspired it4 ,the song is divided into two parts4 ,up to the end of the twelfth verse it is historical3 the remainder expresses the high hopes inspired by this great experience4 ,nothing now seems impossible3 the fiercest tribes of ,palestine and the desert may be despised1 for their own terror will suffice to melt them2 and ,israel may already reckon itself to be guided into the holy habitation 7ver4 #ac74 ,the former part is again subdivided1 by a noble and instinctive art1 into two very unequal sections4 ,with amplitude of triumphant adoration1 the first ten verses tell the same story which the eleventh and twelfth compress into epigrammatical vigour and terseness4 ,to appreciate the power of the composition1 one should read the fourth1 fifth1 and sixth verses1 and turn immediately to the twelfth4 ,each of these three divisions closes in praise1 and as in the ,israel in ,egypt1 it was probably at these points that the voices of ,miriam and the women broke in1 repeating the first verse of the ode as a refrain 7vers4 #a and #ba74 ,it is the earliest recognition of the place of women in public worship4 ,and it leads us to remark that the whole service was responsive4 ,moses and the men are answered by ,miriam and the women1 bearing timbrels in their hands2 for although instrumental music had been sorely misused in ,egypt1 that was no reason why it should be excluded now4 ,those who condemn the use of instruments in ,christian worship virtually contend that ,jesus has1 in this respect1 narrowed the liberty of the ,church1 and that a potent method of expression1 known to man1 must not be consecrated to the honour of ,god4 ,and they make the present time unlike the past1 and also unlike what is revealed of the future state4 ,moreover there was movement1 as in very many ancient religious services1 within and without the pale of revelation4#bh ,such dances were generally slow and graceful2 yet the motion and the clang of metal1 and the vast multitudes congregated1 must be taken into account1 if we would realise the strange enthusiasm of the emancipated host1 looking over the blue sea to ,egypt1 defeated and twice bereaved1 and forward to the desert wilds of freedom4 ,the poem is steeped in a sense of gratitude4 ,in the great deliverance man has borne no part4 ,it is ,jehovah ,who has triumphed gloriously1 and cast the horse and charioteer--there was no rider--into the sea4 ,and this is repeated again and again by the women as their response1 in the deepening passion of the ode4 ,with the breath of ,his nostrils the waters were piled up4444 ,he blew with ,his wind and the sea covered them4 ,and such is indeed the only possible explanation of the ,exodus1 so that whoever rejects the miracle is beset with countless difficulties4 ,one of these is the fact that ,moses1 their immortal leader1 has no martial renown whatever4 ,hebrew poetry is well able to combine gratitude to ,god with honour to the men of ,zebulun who jeopardised their lives unto the death1 to ,jael who put her hand to the nail1 to ,saul and ,jonathan who were swifter than eagles and stronger than lions4 ,joshua and ,david can win fame without dishonour to ,god4 ,why is it that here alone no mention is made of human agency1 except that1 in fact1 at the outset of their national existence1 they were shown1 once for all1 the direct interposition of their ,god8 ,from gratitude springs trust3 the great lesson is learned that man has an interest in the ,divine power4 ,my strength and song is ,jah1 says the second verse1 using that abbreviated form of the covenant name ,jehovah1 which ,david also frequently associated with his victories4 ,and ,he is become my salvation4 ,it is the same word as when1 a little while ago1 the trembling people were bidden to stand still and see the salvation of ,god4 ,they have seen it now4 ,now they give the word ,salvation for the first time to the ,lord as an appellation1 and as such it is destined to endure4 ,the ,psalmist learns to call ,him so1 not only when he reproduces this verse word for word 7,ps4 cxviii4 #ad71 but also when he says1 ,he only is my rock and my salvation 7lxii4 #b71 and prays1 ,before ,ephraim1 ,benjamin1 and ,manasseh1 come for salvation to us 7lxxx4 #b74 ,and the same title is known also to ,isaiah1 who says1 ,behold ,god is my salvation1 and ,be ,thou their arm every morning1 our salvation also in the time of trouble 7,isa4 xii4 #b1 xxxiii4 #b74 ,the progress is natural from experience of goodness to appropriation3 ,he has helped me3 ,he gives ,himself to me2 and from that again to love and trust1 for ,he has always been the same3 my father1 not my ancestors in general1 but he whom ,i knew best and remember most tenderly1 found ,him the same ,helper4 ,and then love prompts to some return4 ,my goodness extendeth not to ,him1 yet my voice can honour ,him2 ,i will praise ,him1 ,i will exalt ,his name4 ,now1 this is the very spirit of evangelical obedience1 the life-blood of the new dispensation racing in the veins of the old4 ,where praise and exaltation are a spontaneous instinct1 there is loyal service and every good work1 not rendered by a hireling but a child4 ,had ,he not said1 ,israel is ,my son8 ,from exultant gratitude and trust1 what is next to spring8 ,that which is reproachfully called anthropomorphism1 something which indeed easily degenerates into unworthy notions of a ,god limited by such restraints or warped by such passions as our own1 yet which is after all a great advance towards true and holy thoughts of ,him ,who made man after ,his image and in ,his likeness4 ,human affection cannot go forth to ,god without believing that like affection meets and responds to it4 ,if ,he is indeed the best and purest1 we must think of ,him as sharing all that is best and purest in our souls1 all that we owe to ,his inspiring ,spirit4 ,so through the thunder comes a human voice1 ,saying ',o heart ,i made1 a heart beats here4' ,if ever any religion was sternly jealous of the ,divine prerogatives1 profoundly conscious of the incommunicable dignity of the ,lord our ,god ,who is one ,lord1 it was the ,jewish religion4 ,yet when ,jesus was charged with making ,himself ,god1 ,he could appeal to the doctrine of their own ,scripture--that the judges of the people exercised so divine a function1 and could claim such divine support1 that ,god ,himself spoke through them1 and found representatives in them4 ,is it not written in your law1 ,i said ,ye are gods8 7,john x4 #cd74 ,not in vain did ,he appeal to such scriptures--and there are many such--to vindicate ,his doctrine4 ,for man is never lifted above himself1 but ,god in the same degree stoops towards us1 and identifies ,himself with us and our concerns4 ,who then shall limit ,his condescension8 ,what ground in reason or revelation can be taken up for denying that it may be perfect1 that it may develop into a permanent union of ,god with the creature whom ,he inspired with ,his own breath8 ,it is by such steps that the ,old ,testament prepared ,israel for the ,incarnation4 ,since the ,incarnation we have actually needed help from the other side1 to prevent us from humanising our conceptions over-much4 ,and this has been provided in the ever-expanding views of ,his creation given to us by science1 which tell us that if ,he draws nigh to us it is from heights formerly undreamed of4 ,now1 such a step as we have been considering is taken unawares in the bold phrase ,jehovah is a man of war4 ,for in the original1 as in the ,english1 this includes the assertion ,jehovah is a man4 ,of course it is only a bold figure4 ,but such a figure prepares the mind for new light1 suggesting more than it logically asserts4 ,the phrase is more striking when we remember that remarkable peculiarity of the ,exodus and its revelations which has been already pointed out4 ,elsewhere ,god appears in human likeness4 ,to ,abraham it was so1 just before1 and to ,manoah soon afterwards4 ,ezekiel saw upon the likeness of the throne the likeness of the appearance of a man 7,ezek4 i4 #bf74 ,but ,israel saw no similitude1 only he heard a voice4 ,this was obviously a safeguard against idolatry4 ,and it makes the words more noteworthy1 ,jehovah is a man of war1 marching with us1 our champion1 into the battle4 ,and we know ,him as our fathers knew ,him not1--,jehovah is ,his name4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the poem next describes the overthrow of the enemy3 the heavy plunge of men in armour into the deeps1 the arm of the ,lord dashing them in pieces1 ,his fire consuming them1 while the blast of ,his nostrils is the storm which piles up the waters1 solid as a wall of ice1 congealed in the heart of the sea4 ,then the singers exultantly rehearse the short panting eager phrases1 full of greedy expectation1 of the enemy breathless in pursuit--a passage well remembered by ,deborah1 when her triumphant song closed by an insulting repetition of the vain calculations of the mother of ,sisera and her wise ladies4 ,the eleventh verse is remarkable as being the first announcement of the holiness of ,god4 ,who is like unto ,thee1 glorious in holiness8 ,and what does holiness mean8 ,the ,hebrew word is apparently suggestive of brightness1 and the two ideas are coupled by ,isaiah 7x4 #ag73 ,the ,light of ,israel shall be for a fire1 and his ,holy ,one for a flame4 ,there is indeed something in the purity of light1 in its absolute immunity from stain--no passive cleanness1 as of the sand upon the shore1 but intense and vital--and in its remoteness from the conditions of common material substances1 that well expresses and typifies the lofty and awful quality which separates holiness from mere virtue4 ,god is called the ,holy ,one because ,he is altogether pure1 the clear and spotless ,light2 so that in the idea of the holiness of ,god there are embodied the absolute moral purity and perfection of the ,divine nature1 and ,his unclouded glory 7,keil1 ,pent41 ii4 #ii74 ,in this thought there is already involved separation1 a lofty remoteness4 ,and when holiness is attributed to man1 it never means innocence1 nor even virtue1 merely as such4 ,it is always a derived attribute3 it is reflected upon us1 like light upon our planet2 and like consecration1 it speaks not of man in himself1 but in his relation to ,god4 ,it expresses a kind of separation to ,god1 and thus it can reach to lifeless things which bear a true relation to the ,divine4 ,the seventh day is thus hallowed4 ,it is the very name of the ,holy ,place1 the ,sanctuary4 ,and the ground where ,moses was to stand unshod beside the burning bush was pronounced holy1 not by any concession to human weakness1 but by the direct teaching of ,god4 ,very inseparable from all true holiness is separation from what is common and unclean4 ,holy men may be involved in the duties of active life2 but only on condition that in their bosom shall be some inner shrine1 whither the din of worldliness never penetrates1 and where the lamp of ,god does not go out4 ,it is a solemn truth that a kind of inverted holiness is known to ,scripture4 ,men sanctify themselves 7it is this very word71 and purify themselves to go into the gardens1 444 eating swine's flesh and the abomination and the mouse 7,isa4 lxvi4 #ag74 ,the same word is also used to declare that the whole fruit of a vineyard sown with two kinds of fruit shall be forfeited 7,deut4 xxii4 #i71 although the notion there is of something unnatural and therefore interdicted1 which notion is carried to the utmost extreme in another derivative from the same root1 expressing the most depraved of human beings4 ,just so1 the ,greek word anathema means both consecrated and marked out for wrath 7,luke xxi4 #e2 #a ,cor4 xvi4 #bb3 the difference in form is insignificant47 ,and so again our own tongue calls the saints devoted1 and speaks of the devoted head of the doomed sinner1 being aware that there is a separation in sin as really as in purity4 ,the gods of the heathen1 like ,jehovah1 claimed an appropriate holiness1 sometimes unspeakably degraded4 ,they too were separated1 and it was through long lines of sphinxes1 and many successive chambers1 that the ,egyptian worshipper attained the shrine of some contemptible or hateful deity4 ,the religion which does not elevate depresses4 ,but the holiness of ,jehovah is noble as that of light1 incapable of defilement4 ,who among the gods is like ,thee 444 glorious in holiness8 ,and ,israel soon learned that the worshipper must become assimilated to his ,ideal3 ,ye shall be holy men unto ,me 7xxii4 #ca74 ,it is so with us4 ,jesus is separated from sinners4 ,and we are to go forth unto ,him out of the camp1 bearing ,his reproach 7,heb4 vii4 #bf1 xiii4 #ac74 ,the remainder of the song is remarkable chiefly for the confidence with which the future is inferred from the past4 ,and the same argument runs through all ,scripture4 ,as ,moses sang1 ,thou shalt bring them in and plant them in the mountain of ,thine inheritance1 because ,thou stretchedst out ,thy right hand1 the earth#bi swallowed their enemies1 so ,david was sure that goodness and mercy should follow him all the days of his life1 because ,god was already leading him in green pastures and beside still waters4 ,and so ,st4 ,paul1 knowing in ,whom he had believed1 was persuaded that ,he was able to keep his deposit until that day 7#b ,tim4 i4 #ab74 ,so should pardon and ,scripture and the means of grace reassure every doubting heart2 for if the ,lord were pleased to kill us1 ,he would not have 444 showed us all these things 7,judg4 xiii4 #bc74 ,and in theory1 and in good hours1 we confess that this is so4 ,but after our song of triumph1 if we come upon bitter waters we murmur2 and if our bread fail1 we expect only to die in the wilderness4 ,,shur4 xv4 #bb-g4 ,from the ,red ,sea the ,israelites marched into the wilderness of ,shur--a general name1 of ,egyptian origin1 for the district between ,egypt and ,palestine1 of which ,etham1 given as their route in ,numbers 7xxxiii4 #h71 is a subdivision4 ,the rugged way led over stone and sand1 with little vegetation and no water4 ,and the three days' journey to ,marah1 a distance of thirty-three miles1 was their first experience of absolute hardship1 for not even the curtain of miraculous cloud could prevent them from suffering keenly by heat and thirst4 ,it was a period of disillusion4 ,fond dreams of ease and triumphant progress1 with every trouble miraculously smoothed away1 had naturally been excited by their late adventure4 ,their song had exulted in the prospect that their enemies should melt away1 and be as still as a stone4 ,but their difficulties did not melt away4 ,the road was weary4 ,they found no water4 ,they were still too much impressed by the miracle at the ,red ,sea1 and by the mysterious ,presence overhead1 for open complaining to be heard along the route2 but we may be sure that reaction had set in1 and there was many a sinking heart1 as the dreary route stretched on and on1 and they realised that1 however romantic the main plan of their journey1 the details might still be prosaic and exacting4 ,they sang praises unto ,him4 ,they soon forgat ,his works4 ,aching with such disappointments1 at last they reached the waters of ,marah1 and they could not drink1 for they were bitter4 ,and if ,marah be indeed ,huwara1 as seems to be agreed1 the waters are still the worst in all the district4 ,it was when the relief1 so confidently expected1 failed1 and the term of their sufferings appeared to be indefinitely prolonged1 that their self-control gave way1 and they murmured against ,moses1 saying1 ,what shall we drink8 ,and we may be sure that wherever discontent and unbelief are working secret mischief to the soul1 some event1 some disappointment or temptation1 will find the weak point1 and the favourable moment of attack1 just as the seeds of disease find out the morbid constitution1 and assail it4 ,now1 all this is profoundly instructive1 because it is true to the universal facts of human nature4 ,when a man is promoted to unexpected rank1 or suddenly becomes rich1 or reaches any other unlooked-for elevation1 he is apt to forget that life cannot1 in any position1 be a romance throughout1 a long thrill1 a whole song at the top note of the voice4 ,affection itself has a dangerous moment1 when two united lives begin to realise that even their union cannot banish aches and anxieties1 weariness and business cares4 ,well for them if they are content with the power of love to sweeten what it cannot remove1 as loyal soldiers gladly sacrifice all things for the cause1 and as ,israel should have been proud to endure forced marches under the cloudy banner of its emancipating ,god4 ,as neither rank nor affection exempts men from the dust and tedium of life1 or from its disappointments1 so neither does religion4 ,when one is made happy he expects life to be only a triumphal procession towards ,paradise1 and he is startled when now for a season1 if need be1 he is in heaviness through manifold temptations4 ,yet ,christ prayed not that we should be taken out of the world4 ,we are bidden to endure hardness as good soldiers1 and to run with patience the race which is set before us2 and these phrases indicate our need of the very qualities wherein ,israel failed4 ,as yet the people murmured not ostensibly against ,god1 but only against ,moses4 ,but the estrangement of their hearts is plain1 since they made no appeal to ,god for relief1 but assailed ,his agent and representative4 ,yet they had not because they asked not1 and relief was found when ,moses cried unto the ,lord4 ,their leader was faithful in all his house2 and instead of upbraiding his followers with their ingratitude1 or bewailing the hard lot of all leaders of the multitude1 whose popularity neither merit nor service can long preserve unclouded1 he was content to look for sympathy and help where we too may find it4 ,we read that the ,lord showed him a tree1 which when he had cast into the waters1 the waters were made sweet4 ,in this we discern the same union of ,divine grace with human energy and use of means1 as in all medicine1 and indeed all uses of the divinely enlightened intellect of man4 ,it would have been easy to argue that the waters could only be healed by miracle1 and if ,god wrought a miracle what need was there of human labour8 ,there was need of obedience1 and of the co-operation of the human will with the divine4 ,we shall see1 in the case of the artificers of the tabernacle1 that ,god inspires even handicraftsmen as well as theologians--being indeed the universal ,light1 the ,giver of all good1 not only of ,bibles1 but of rain and fruitful seasons4 ,but the artisan must labour1 and the farmer improve the soil4 ,shall we say with the fathers that the tree cast into the waters represents the cross of ,christ8 ,at least it is a type of the sweetening and assuaging influences of religion--a new element1 entering life1 and as well fitted to combine with it as medicinal bark with water1 making all wholesome and refreshing to the disappointed wayfarer1 who found it so bitter hitherto4 ,the ,lord was not content with removing the grievance of the hour2 ,he drew closer the bonds between ,his people and ,himself1 to guard them against another transgression of the kind3 there ,he made for them a statute and an ordinance1 and there ,he proved them4 ,it is pure assumption to pretend that this refers to another account of the giving of the ,jewish law1 inconsistent with that in the twentieth chapter1 and placed at ,marah instead of ,sinai4#cj ,it is a transaction which resembles much rather the promises given 7and at various times1 although confusion and repetition cannot be inferred7 to ,abraham and ,jacob 7,gen4 xii4 #a-c1 xv4 #a1 #ah-ba1 xvii4 #a-ad1 xxii4 #ae-ah1 xxviii4 #ac-ae1 xxxv4 #aj-ab74 ,he said1 ,if thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the ,lord thy ,god1 and wilt do that which is right in ,his eyes1 and wilt give ear to ,his commandments1 and wilt keep all ,his statutes1 ,i will put none of the diseases upon thee which ,i have put upon the ,egyptians1 for ,i am the ,lord which healeth thee4 ,it is a compact of obedient trust on one side1 and protection on the other4 ,if they felt their own sinfulness1 it asserted that ,he who had just healed the waters could also heal their hearts4 ,from the connection between these is perhaps derived the comparison between human hearts and a fountain of sweet water or bitter 7,jas4 iii4 #aa74 ,but certainly the promised protection takes an unexpected shape4 ,what in their circumstances leads to this specific offer of exemption from certain foul diseases--the boil of ,egypt1 and the emerods1 and the scurvy1 and the itch1 whereof thou canst not be healed 7,deut4 xxviii4 #bg78 ,how does this meet the case8 ,doubtless by reminding them that there are better exemptions than from hardship1 and worse evils than privations4 ,if they do not realise this at the spiritual level1 at least they can appreciate the threat that ,he will bring upon thee again all the diseases of ,egypt which thou wast afraid of 7,deut4 xxviii4 #fj74 ,to be even a luxurious and imperial race1 but infected by repulsive and hopeless ailments1 is not a desirable alternative4 ,now1 such evils1 though certainly not in each individual1 yet in a race1 are the punishments of non-natural conditions of life1 such as make the blood run slowly and unhealthily1 and charge it with impure deposits4 ,it was ,god who put them upon the ,egyptians4 ,if ,israel would follow ,his guidance1 and accept a somewhat austere destiny1 then the desert air and exercise1 and even its privations1 would become the efficacious means for their exemption from the scourges of indulgence4 ,a time arrived when they looked back with remorse upon crimes which forfeited their immunity1 when the ,lord said1 ,i have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of ,egypt2 your young men have ,i slain with the sword 7,amos iv4 #aj74 ,but it is a significant fact that at this day1 after eighteen hundred years of oppression1 hardship1 and persecution1 of the ghetto and the old-clothes trade1 the ,hebrew race is proverbially exempt from repulsive and contagious disease4 ,they also certainly do enjoy immunity from the ravages of cholera1 fever and smallpox in a remarkable degree4 ,their blood seems to be in a different condition from that of other people4444 ,they seem less receptive of disease caused by blood poisoning than others 7,journal of ,victoria ,institute1 xxi4 #cjg74 ,imperfect as was their obedience1 this covenant at least has been literally fulfilled to them4 ,it is by such means that ,god is wont to reward ,his children4 ,most commonly the seal of blessing from the skies is not rich fare1 but bread and fish by the lake side with the blessing of ,christ upon them2 not removal from the desert1 but a closer sense of the protection and acceptance of ,heaven1 the nearness of a loving ,god1 and with this1 an elevation and purification of the life1 and of the body as well as of the soul4 ,not in vain has ,st4 ,paul written ,the ,lord for the body4 ,nor was there ever yet a race of men who accepted the covenant of ,god1 and lived in soberness1 temperance and chastity1 without a signal improvement of the national physique1 no longer unduly stimulated by passion1 jaded by indulgence1 or relaxed by the satiety which resembles but is not repose4 ,from ,marah and its agitations there was a journey of but a few hours to ,elim1 with its twelve fountains and seventy palm trees--a fair oasis1 by which they encamped and rested1 while their flocks spread far and wide over a grassy and luxuriant valley4 ,the picture is still true to the ,christian life1 with the ,palace ,beautiful just beyond the lions1 and the ,delectable ,mountains next after ,doubting ,castle4 ,,footnotes3 #bh ,there is no warrant in the use of ,scripture for ,stanley's assertion that the word translated dances should be rendered guitars4 7,smith's ,dict4 of ,bible1 ,article ,miriam47 #bi ,this is to be taken literally2 it does not mean the waves1 but the quicksands in which they drave heavily1 and which1 when steeped in the returning waters1 engulfed them4 #cj ,wellhausen1 ,israel1 p4 #dci4 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,murmuring ,,for ,,food4 xvi4 #a-ad4 ,the ,israelites were now led farther away from all the associations of their accustomed life4 ,from the waters and the palms of ,elim they marched deeper into the savage recesses of the desert1 haunted by fierce and hostile tribes1 such as presently hung upon their rear-guard and cut off their stragglers 7,deut4 xxv4 #ah74 ,nor had they quite emerged from the shadow of their old oppressions1 since ,egyptian garrisons were scattered1 though sparsely1 through this district1 in which gems and copper were obtained4 ,here1 cut off from all natural modes of sustenance1 the hearts of the people failed them4 ,such is the frequent experience of renewed souls1 when privilege and joy are followed by trouble from without or from within1 and the peace of ,god is broken by the strife of tongues1 by mental perplexities1 by temptations1 by physical pain4 ,it is quite as wonderful that paltry disturbances should mar for us the life divine1 when once that life has become a realised experience1 as that men who moved under the shadow of the marvellous cloud could be agitated by fear for their supplies4 ,and of this our experience1 what befel ,israel is not a mere type or symbol1 it is a case in point1 a parallel example4 ,for it also meant the breaking-in of the flesh upon the spirit1 the refusal of fallen nature to rise above earthly wants and cravings even in the light of trust and acceptance1 the self-assertion of the baser instincts1 and the sacrifice to them of the higher life4 ,we recognise the herd of slaves1 from whence it must perplex the unbeliever to remember that the seed of immortal heroism and prophetic insight and apostolic service was yet to ripen1 in their poor desire1 if they must perish1 to perish well fed rather than emancipated 7ver4 #c74 ,most people1 we may fear1 would choose to live enslaved rather than to die free men4 ,but there is a special meanness in their regret1 since die they must1 that they had not died satiated1 like the firstborn whom ,god had slain3 ,would that we had died by the hand of ,jehovah in the land of ,egypt1 when we sat by the flesh-pots and when we ate bread to the full1 for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger4 ,and to-day1 among those who scorn them1 how many are far less ambitious of dying holy and pure than rich1 famous or powerful1 having glutted their vanity if not their appetite4 ,in the sight of angels this is not a much loftier aim2 and the apostle reckoned among the works of the flesh1 emulation as well as drunkenness 7,gal4 v4 #ai-ba74 ,tertullian draws a striking contrast between ,israel1 just now baptized into ,moses1 but caring more for appetite than for ,god1 and ,christ1 after ,his baptism1 also in the desert1 fasting forty days4 ,the ,lord figuratively retorted upon ,israel ,his reproach 7,baptism1 xx47 ,we are not to suppose that but for their complaining ,god would have suffered them to hunger1 although ,moses declared that the reason why flesh should be given to them in the evening1 and in the morning bread to the full1 is for that the ,lord heareth your murmurings4 ,but there would have been some difference in the time of the grant1 to ripen their faith1 some more direct manifestation of ,his grace1 to reward their patience1 if unbelief had not precipitated ,his design4 ,thus the disciples1 when they awakened ,jesus in the storm1 received the rescue for which they clamoured1 but forfeited some higher experience which would have crowned a serener confidence3 ,wherefore did ye doubt8 ,israel receives what is best in the circumstances1 rather than the ideal best1 now made unsuitable by their impatience and infidelity4 ,but while the ,lord discontinued the test of need and penury1 which had proved to be too severe a discipline1 ,he substituted the test of fulness4 ,for we read that the removal of their suspense and anxiety by the gift of manna from heaven was to prove them whether they will walk in ,my laws or no 7ver4 #d74 ,and in so doing it was seen that worldly and unthankful natures are not to be satisfied2 that the disloyal at heart will complain1 however favoured4 ,for the children of ,israel wept again and said1 ,who will give us flesh to eat8 ,we remember the fish which we did eat in ,egypt for nought1 the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlick3 but now our soul is dried away2 there is nothing at all3 we have nought save this manna to look to 7,num4 xi4 #d-f74 ,onions and garlick were more satisfactory to gross appetites than angels' food4 ,at this point we learn that what is called prosperity may indeed be a result of spiritual failure2 that ,god may sometimes abstain from strong measures with a soul because what ought to mould would only crush2 and may grant them their hearts' lust1 yet send leanness withal into their souls4 ,perhaps we are allowed to be comfortable because we are unfit to be heroic4 ,and we also learn1 when prosperous1 to remember that plenty1 equally with want1 has its moral aspect4 ,the ,lord tries fortunate men1 whether they will be grateful and obedient1 trusting in ,him and not in uncertain riches1 or whether they will forget ,him who has done so great things for them1 and so perish in calm weather-- ,like ships that have gone down at sea ,when heaven was all tranquillity4 ,there is an experiment being tried upon the soul1 curious1 slow1 little-suspected1 but incessant1 in the giving of daily bread4 ,in promising relief1 ,god required of them obedience and self-control4 ,they were to respect the ,sabbath1 and make provision in advance for its requirements4 ,and this direction1 given before the ,mount of the ,lord was reached1 has an important bearing upon the question whether the ,fourth ,commandment was the first institution of a holy day--whether1 except as a ,church ordinance1 the duty of sabbath-keeping has no support beyond the ceremonial law4 ,for that the ,lord hath 7already7 given you the ,sabbath1 therefore ,he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days 7ver4 #bi74 ,while conveying the promise of relief1 ,moses and ,aaron rebuked the people1 whose murmurs against them were in reality murmurs against ,god1 since they were but ,his agents1 and ,he had been visibly their ,leader4 ,and the same rebuke applies1 for exactly the same reason1 to many a modern complaint against the weather1 against what people call their luck1 against a thousand provoking things in which the only possible provocation must come directly from heaven4 ,it is because our religion is so shallow1 and our consciousness of ,god in ,his world so dim and rudimentary1 that we utter such complaints idly1 to relieve our feelings1 and hear them spoken without a shock4 ,such dulness is not to be removed by sounder views of doctrine1 but by a more vivid realisation of ,god4 ,the ,israelites knew by what hand they should have fallen if they had died in ,egypt2 yet in fact they forgot their true ,captain1 and upbraided their mortal leaders4 ,so do we confess that afflictions arise not out of the ground1 yet lose the impress of divinity upon our daily lives1 while we ought1 like ,moses1 to endure as seeing ,him who is invisible4 ,as our ,lord was in the habit of asking for some confession1 or demanding some small co-operation from those ,he was about to bless1 so the smoking flax of ,hebrew faith is tended3 it is a promise1 and not the actual relief1 which calms them4 ,there is a curious difference in the manner of the communications now made to the people4 ,first of all the two brothers unite their energies to hush their outcries3 ,at evening ye shall know that ,jehovah is your leader from ,egypt1 and in the morning ye shall behold ,his glory2 and what are we1 that ye murmur against us8 ,then ,moses affirms1 with all the energy of his chieftainship1 that in the evening they shall eat flesh1 and in the morning bread to the full4 ,again he asks them ,what are we8 and more sternly and directly charges them with murmuring against ,jehovah4 ,and this is a good example of the true meaning of his meekness4 ,he is fiery enough1 but not for his own greatness2 rather because he feels his littleness1 and that the offence is entirely against ,god1 does he resent their conduct2 absence of self-assertion is his meekness1 and thus we read of it when ,miriam and ,aaron spake against him1 declaring that they were commissioned as well as he 7,num4 xii4 #c74 ,finally1 when order was restored1 and some mysterious manifestation was at hand1 he resumed the solemn and formal usage of conveying his orders through his brother1 and in cold1 compact1 impressive words1 said unto ,aaron1 ,say unto all the congregation of the children of ,israel1 ,come near before the ,lord1 for ,he hath heard your murmurings4 ,all this is very dignified and natural4 ,and so is--what after ages could scarcely have invented--the impressive reticence of what follows4 ,they looked toward the wilderness1 and behold1 the glory of the ,lord appeared in the cloud4 ,were they not then intended to come near8 and was it as they turned their faces to draw nigh that the ,vision revealed itself and stopped them8 ,and what was the untold sight which they beheld8 ,the narrative belongs to a primitive age2 it is quite unlike the elaborate symbolisms of ,ezekiel and ,daniel1 or even of ,isaiah1 but yet this undescribed1 mystic and solitary glory is not less sublime than the train which covered the ,temple-floor1 while1 hovering above it1 reverent seraphim veiled their faces and their feet1 or the terrible crystal and the wheels of dreadful height1 or the throne of flame whence issued a fiery stream1 and before which thousands of thousands and myriads of myriads stood 7,isa4 vi4 #b2 ,ezek4 i4 #bb1 #ah2 ,dan4 vii4 #i1 #aj74 ,but the point to observe is that it is different1 more primitive1 an undefined and lonely vision of awe well fitted for the desert wilds and for the gaze of men whose hearts must not be misled by the likeness of anything in heaven or earth2 the glory of the ,lord appearing in the cloud 7most probably1 but not of necessity1 the cloud which guided them71 and in the direction whence they were so fain to turn away4 ,no later inventor would have known how to say so little1 much less to make that little harmonise so exactly with the lessons meant to be suggested by the wild and solemn solitudes into which they were now plunged4 ,and now the ,lord ,himself repeats the promise of relief1 but first solemnly announces that ,he is not heedless of their ill-behaviour while ,he tolerates it4 ,the question is suggested1 although not asked1 ,how long will ,his forbearance last8 ,well for them if they learn the lesson1 and know that ,i am ,jehovah your ,god1 mindful of their needs1 entitled to their fealty4 ,in the evening1 therefore1 came a flight of quails2 and in the morning they found a small round thing1 small as the hoar-frost1 upon the ground4 ,,manna4 xvi4 #ae-cf4 ,the manna which miraculously supplied the wants of ,israel was to them an utterly strange food1 the use of which they had to learn4 ,thus it was another means of severing their habitual course of life and association of ideas from their degraded past4 ,and while we may not press too far the assertion that it was the corn of heaven and angels' food 7i4e4 the bread of the mighty--,psalm lxxviii4 #bd-e1 ,r4,v471 yet the narrative shows1 even without help from later scriptures1 that it was calculated to sustain their energies and yet to leave their appetites unstimulated and unpampered4 ,for they were now called to purer joys than those of the senses--to liberty1 a divine vocation1 the presence of ,god1 the revelation of ,his law and the unfolding of ,his purposes4 ,failing to rise to these heights1 they fell far1 murmured again1 and perished by the destroyer1 not merely to avenge the petulance of an hour1 but for all that it betrayed1 for treason to their vocation and radical inability to even comprehend its meaning4 ,in the language of modern science1 it answered to ,nature's rejection of the unfit4 ,their calling was thus1 though under very different forms1 that which the apostles found so hard1 yet did not quite refuse3 it was to mind the things of ,god and not the things of men4 ,it is well known that the manna of the ,israelites bore some resemblance to a natural product of the wilderness1 still exuded by certain plants during the coolness of the night1 and formerly more plentiful than now1 when all vegetation has been ruthlessly swept away by the ,bedouin4 ,but the differences are much greater than the resemblance4 ,the natural product is a drug1 and not a food2 it is gathered only during some weeks of summer2 it is not liable to speedy corruption1 nor could there be any reason for preserving a specimen of this common product in the ark2 it could not have sufficed1 however aided by their herds and flocks1 to feed one in a hundred of the ,hebrew multitudes1 even during the season of its production2 nor could it have ceased on the same day when they ate the first ripe corn of ,canaan4 ,and yet the resemblance is suggestive4 ,unbelievers find1 in the links which connect most of our ,scripture miracles with nature1 in the undefined and gradual transition from one to the other1 as from a temperate day to night1 an excuse for denying that they are miraculous at all4 ,but the instructed believer finds a confirmation of his faith4 ,he reflects that when ,fancy begins to toy with the supernatural1 she spurns nature from her3 the trammels under which she has long chafed are hateful to her1 and she flies from them to the utmost extreme4 ,it could not be thus with ,him by whom the system of the world was framed4 ,he will not wantonly interfere with ,his own plan4 ,he will regard nature as an elastic band to stretch1 rather than as a chain to break4 ,if ,he will multiply food1 in the ,new ,testament1 that is no reason why ,his disciples should fare more delicately than ,providence intended for them3 they shall still eat barley loaves and fish4 ,and so the winds help to overthrow ,pharaoh and to bring the quails2 and when a new thing has to be created1 it approaches in its general idea to one of the few natural products of that inhospitable region4 ,now let it be supposed for a moment that the supply of manna had never ceased1 so that until this day men could every morning gather a day's ration off the ground4 ,such continuance of the provision would not make it any the less a gift2 but only a more lavish boon4 ,and yet it would clearly cease to be regarded as miraculous1 an exception to the course of nature1 miscalled her laws1 since men do strive to subvert the miracle by representing that such manna1 however scantily1 may still be found4 ,and this may expose the folly of a wish1 probably sometimes felt by all men1 that some miracle had actually been perpetuated1 so that we could strengthen our faith at pleasure by looking upon an exhibition of divine power4 ,in truth1 no marvel could excel that which annually multiplies the corn beneath the clod1 and by the process of decay in springtime feeds the world in autumn4 ,only its steady recurrence throws a veil over our eyes2 and it is a vain conceit that the same web would not be woven by use between man and the ,worker of any other marvel that was perpetuated4 ,already the earth is full of the goodness of the ,lord1 for all who have eyes to see4 ,it is also to be observed that the manna was not given to teach the people sloth4 ,they were obliged to gather it early1 before the sun was hot4 ,they had still to endure weary marches1 and the care of their flocks and herds4 ,and1 in curious harmony with the manner of all the gifts of nature1 the manna sent from heaven had yet to be prepared by man3 bake that which ye will bake1 and seethe that which ye will seethe4 ,thus ,god1 by natural means and by the sweat of our brow1 gives us our daily bread2 and all knowledge1 art and culture are ,his gifts1 although elaborated by the brain and heart of generations whom ,he taught4 ,moreover1 there was a protest against the grasping1 unbelieving temper which cannot trust ,god with to-morrow1 but longs to have much goods laid up4 ,that is the temper which forfeits the smile of ,god1 and grinds the faces of the poor1 to make an ignoble provision for the future4 ,how often1 since the time of ,moses1 has the unblessed accumulation become hateful6 ,how often1 since the time of ,st4 ,james1 the rust of such possession has eaten the flesh like fire6 ,men would be far more generous1 the difference between wealth and poverty would be less portentous1 and the resources of religion and charity less crippled1 if we lived in the spirit of the ,lord's prayer1 desirous of the advance of the kingdom1 but not asking to be given to-morrow's bread until to-morrow4 ,that lesson was taught by the manner of the dispensation of the manna1 but the covetousness of ,israel would not learn it4 ,the people actually strove to be dishonest in their enjoyment of a miracle4 ,it is no wonder that ,moses was wroth with them4 ,among the strange properties of their supernatural food not the least curious was this3 that when they came to measure what they had collected1 and compare it with what ,moses had bidden1#ca the most eager and able-bodied had nothing over1 and the feeblest had no lack4 ,every real worker was supplied1 and none was glutted4 ,this result is apparently miraculous4 ,st4 ,paul's use of it does not1 as some have supposed1 represent it as a result of ,hebrew benevolence1 sharing with the weak the more abundant supplies of the strong3 the miracle is not cited as an example of charity1 but of that practical equality1 divinely approved1 which ,christian charity should reproduce2 the ,christian ,church is bidden to do voluntarily what was done by miracle in the wilderness3 your abundance being a supply at this present time for their want1 that their abundance also may become a supply for your want1 that there may be equality2 as it is written1 ,he that gathered much had nothing over1 and he that gathered little had no lack 7#b ,cor4 viii4 #ae74 ,it is quite in vain to appeal to this passage in favour of socialistic theories4 ,in the first place it applies only to the necessities of existence2 and even granting that the state should enforce the principle to which it points1 the duty would not extend beyond a liberal poor rate4 ,when contributions were afterwards demanded for the sanctuary1 there is no trace of a dead level in their resources3 the rulers gave the gems and spices and oil1 some brought gold1 with some were found blue and linen and skins1 and others had acacia-wood to offer 7xxxv4 #bb-d74 ,in the second place1 this arrangement was only temporary2 and while the soil of ,canaan was distinctly claimed for the ,lord1 the enjoyment of it by individuals was secured1 and perpetuated in their families1 by stringent legislation4 ,now1 land is the kind of property which socialists most vehemently assail2 but persons who appeal to ,exodus must submit to the authority of ,judges4 ,socialism1 therefore1 and its coercive measures1 find no more real sanction here than in the ,church of ,jerusalem1 where the property of ,ananias was his own1 and the price of it in his own power4 ,but yet it is highly significant that in both ,testaments1 as the ,church of ,god starts upon its career1 an example should be given of the effacing of inequalities1 in the one case by miracle1 in the other by such a voluntary movement as best becomes the gospel4 ,is not such a movement1 large and free1 the true remedy for our modern social distractions and calamities8 ,would it not be wise and ,christ-like for the rich to give1 as ,st4 ,paul taught the ,corinthians to give1 what the law could never wisely exact from them8 ,would not self-denial1 on a scale to imply real sacrifice1 and fulfilling in spirit rather than letter the apostle's aspiration for equality1 secure in return the enthusiastic adhesion to the rights of property of all that is best and noblest among the poor8 ,when will the world1 or even the ,church1 awaken to the great truth that our politics also need to be steeped in ,christian feeling--that humanity requires not a revolution but a pentecost--that a millennium cannot be enacted1 but will dawn whenever human bosoms are emptied of selfishness and lust1 and filled with brotherly kindness and compassion8 ,such1 and no more1 was the socialism which ,st4 ,paul deduced from the equality in the supply of manna4 ,,spiritual ,,meat4 xvi4 #ae-cf4 ,since the journey of ,israel is throughout full of sacred meaning1 no one can fail to discern a mystery in the silent ceaseless daily miracle of bread-giving4 ,but we are not left to our conjectures4 ,st4 ,paul calls manna spiritual meat1 not because it nourished the higher life 7for the eaters of it murmured for flesh1 and were not estranged from their lust71 but because it answered to realities of the spiritual world 7#a ,cor4 x4 #c74 ,and ,christ ,himself said1 ,it was not ,moses that gave you the bread out of heaven1 but ,my ,father giveth you the true ,bread from heaven1 making manna the type of sustenance which the soul needs in the wilderness1 and which only ,god can give 7,john vi4 #cb74 ,we note the time of its bestowal4 ,the soul has come forth out of its bondage4 ,perhaps it imagines that emancipation is enough3 all is won when its chains are broken3 there is to be no interval between the ,egypt of sin and the ,promised ,land of milk and honey and repose4 ,instead of this serene attainment1 it finds that the soul requires to be fed1 and no food is to be seen1 but only a wilderness of scorching heat1 dry sand1 vacancy1 and hunger4 ,old things have passed away1 but it is not yet realised that all things have become new4 ,religion threatens to become a vast system for the removal of accustomed indulgences and enjoyments1 but where is the recompense for all that it forbids8 ,the soul cries out for food3 well for it if the cry be not faithless1 nor spoken to earthly chiefs alone6 ,there is a noteworthy distinction between the gift of manna and every other recorded miracle of sustenance4 ,in ,eden the fruit of immortality was ripening upon an earthly tree4 ,the widow of ,zarephath was fed from her own stores4 ,the ravens bore to ,elijah ordinary bread and flesh2 and if an angel fed him1 it was with a cake baken upon coals4 ,christ ,himself was content to multiply common bread and fish1 and even after ,his resurrection gave ,his apostles the fare to which they were accustomed4 ,thus they learned that the divine life must be led amid the ordinary conditions of mortality4 ,even the incarnation of ,deity was wrought in the likeness of sinful flesh4 ,but yet the incarnation was the bringing of a new life1 a strange and unknown energy1 to man4 ,and here1 almost at the beginning of revelation1 is typified1 not the homely conditions of the inner life1 but its unearthly nature and essence4 ,here is no multiplication of their own stores1 no gift1 like the quails1 of such meat as they were wont to gather4 ,they asked ,what is it8 ,and this teaches the ,christian that his sustenance is not of this world4 ,they were fed with manna which they knew not 444 to make them know that man doth not live by bread only1 but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of ,god doth man live 7,deut4 viii4 #c74 ,the root of worldliness is not in this indulgence or that1 in gay clothing or an active career2 but in the soul's endeavour to draw its nourishment from things below4 ,and spirituality belongs not to an uncouth vocabulary1 nor to the robes of any confraternity1 to rigid rules or austere deportment2 it is the blessedness of a life nourished upon the bread of heaven1 and doomed to starve if that bread be not bestowed4 ,let not the wealthy find an insuperable bar to spirituality in his condition1 nor the poor suppose that indigence cannot have its treasure upon earth2 but let each man ask whence come his most real and practical impulses and energies upon life's journey4 ,if these flow from even the purest earthly source--love of wife or child1 anything else than communion with the ,father of spirits1 this is not the bread of life1 and can no more nourish a pilgrim towards eternity than the husks which swine eat4 ,there is no mistaking the doctrine of the ,new ,testament as to what this bread may be4 ,by prayer and faith1 by ordinances and sacraments rightly used1 the manna may be gathered2 but ,jesus ,himself is the ,bread of life1 ,his ,flesh is meat indeed and ,his ,blood is drink indeed1 and ,he gives ,his ,flesh for the life of the world4 ,christ is the ,vine1 and we are the branches1 fruitful only by the sap which flows from ,him4 ,as there are diseases which cannot be overcome by powerful drugs1 but by a generous and wholesome dietary1 so is it with the diseases of the soul--pride1 anger1 selfishness1 falsehood1 lust4 ,as the curse of sin is removed by the faith which appropriates pardon1 so its power is broken by the steady personal acceptance of ,christ2 and our ,bread and ,wine are ,his new humanity1 given to us1 until ,he becomes the second ,father of the race1 which is begotten again in ,him4 ,an easy temper is not ,christian meekness2 dislike to witness pain is not ,christian love4 ,all our goodness must strike root deeper than in the sensibilities1 must be nourished by the communication to us of the mind which was in ,christ ,jesus4 ,and this food is universally given1 and universally suitable4 ,the strong and the weak1 the aged chieftain and little children1 ate and were nourished4 ,no stern decree excluded any member of the visible ,church in the wilderness from sharing the bread from heaven3 they did eat the same spiritual meat1 provided only that they gathered it4 ,their part was to be in earnest in accepting1 and so is ours2 but if we fail1 whom shall we blame except ourselves8 ,in the mystery of its origin1 in the silent and secret mode of its descent from above1 in the constancy of its bestowal1 and in its suitability for all the camp1 for ,moses and the youngest child1 the manna prefigured ,christ4 ,every day a fresh supply had to be laid up1 and nothing could be held over from the largest hoard4 ,so it is with us3 we must give ourselves to ,christ for ever1 but we must ask ,him daily to give ,himself to us4 ,the richest experience1 the purest aspiration1 the humblest self-abandonment that was ever felt1 could not reach forward to supply the morrow4 ,past graces will become loathsome if used instead of present supplies from heaven4 ,and the secret of many a scandalous fall is that the unhappy soul grew self-confident3 unlike ,st4 ,paul1 he reckoned that he had already attained2 and thereupon the graces in which he trusted became corrupt and vile4 ,the constant supply was not more needful than it was abundant4 ,the manna lay all around the camp3 the ,bread of ,life is ,he who stands at our door and knocks4 ,alas for those who murmur for grosser indulgences6 ,israel demanded and obtained them2 but while the flesh was in their nostrils the angel of the ,lord went forth and smote them4 ,is there no plague any longer for the perverse8 ,what are the discords that convulse families1 the uncurbed passions to which nothing is sacred1 the jaded appetite and weary discontent which hates the world even as it hates itself8 what but the judgment of ,god upon those who despise ,his provision1 and must needs gratify themselves8 ,be it our happiness1 as it is our duty1 to trust ,him to prepare our table before us1 while ,he leads us to ,his ,holy ,land4 ,the ,lord of the ,sabbath already taught ,his people to respect ,his day4 ,upon it no manna fell2 and we shall hereafter see the bearing of this incident upon the question whether the ,sabbath is only an ordinance of ,judaism4 ,meanwhile they who went out to gather had a sharp lesson in the difference between faith1 which expects what ,god has promised1 and presumption1 which hopes not to lose much by disobeying ,him4 ,lastly1 an omer of manna was to be kept throughout all generations1 before the ,testimony4 ,grateful remembrance of past mercies1 temporal as well as spiritual1 was to connect itself with the deepest and most awful mysteries of religion4 ,so let it be with us4 ,the bitter proverb that eaten bread is soon forgotten must never be true of the ,christian4 ,he is to remember all the way that the ,lord his ,god hath led him4 ,he is bidden to forget not all ,his benefits1 ,who forgiveth all thine iniquities1 ,who healeth all thy diseases 444 ,who satisfieth thy mouth with good things4 ,so foolish is the slander that religion is too transcendental for the common life of man4 ,,footnotes3 #ca ,the omer of this passage is not mentioned elsewhere in ,scripture3 it is known to have been the one-hundredth part of the homer with which careless readers sometimes confuse it1 and its capacity is variously estimated1 from somewhat under half a gallon to somewhat above three-quarters4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,,meribah4 xvii4 #a-g4 ,the people1 miraculously fed1 are therefore called to exhibit more confidence in ,god than hitherto1 because much is required of him to whom much is given4 ,they have now to plunge deeper into the wilderness2 and after two stages which ,exodus omits 7,num4 xxxiii4 #ab1 #ac71 and just as they approach the mount of ,god1 they find themselves without water4 ,even the ,son of ,man ,himself was led into the wilderness next after the descent of the ,spirit1 and the avowal by the voice of ,god2 nor is any true ,christian to marvel if his seasons of special privilege are succeeded by special demands upon his firmness4 ,one finds himself conjecturing1 very often1 what nobler history1 what grander analogies between type and antitype1 what more gracious and lavish interpositions might have instructed us1 if only the type had been less woefully imperfect--if ,israel had been trustful as ,moses was1 and the crude material had not marred the design4 ,it would be more practical and edifying to reflect how often we ourselves1 like ,israel1 might have learned and exemplified deep things of the grace of ,god1 when all we really exhibited was the well-worn lesson of human frailty and divine forbearance4 ,in the story of our ,lord1 it has been observed that before the ,pharisees directly assailed ,himself1 they found fault with ,his disciples who fasted not1 or accosted them concerning ,him ,who ate with sinners4 ,and so here the people really tempted ,god1 but openly strove with ,moses1 and with ,aaron too1 for the verb is a plural one3 ,give ye water 7ver4 #b74 ,but as ,aaron is merely an agent and spokesman1 the chief value of this tacit allusion to him1 besides proving his fidelity1 is to refute the notion that he sinks into comparative obscurity only after the sin of the golden calf4 ,already his position is one to be indicated rather than expressed2 and ,moses said1 ,why do ye quarrel with me8 wherefore do ye try the ,lord8 ,but the frenzy rose higher3 it was he1 and not a higher ,one1 who had brought them out of ,egypt2 the upshot of it would only be to kill us1 and our children1 and our cattle1 with thirst4 ,look closely at this expression1 and a curious significance discloses itself4 ,was it mere covetousness1 the spirit of the ,jew ,shylock lamenting in one breath his daughter and his ducats1 which introduced the cattle along with the children into this complaint of dying men8 ,shylock himself1 when death actually looked him in the face1 readily sacrificed his fortune4 ,nor is it credible that a large number of people1 really believing that a horrible death was imminent1 would have spent any complaints upon their property4 ,the language is exactly that of angry exaggeration4 ,they have come through straits quite as desperate1 and they know it well4 ,it is not the fear of death1 but the painful delay of rescue1 the discomfort and misery of their condition in the meanwhile1 the contrast between their sufferings and their own conception of the rights of the favourites of heaven1 which is audible in this complaint4 ,and thus their ,trial and ,quarrel are admirably epitomised in the phrase ,is ,jehovah among us or not8 a phrase which has often since been in the heart1 if not upon the lips1 of men who had supposed the life divine to be one long holiday1 the pilgrimage an excursion1 when without are fightings and within fears1 when they have great sorrow and heaviness in their hearts4 ,because ,god is not a ,judge1 but a ,father1 the murmurs of ,israel do not prevent ,him from showing mercy4 ,accordingly1 when ,moses prays1 he is bidden to go on before the people1 bringing certain of their elders along with him for witnesses of the marvel that was to follow4 ,such is the ,divine method4 ,as soon as unbelief and discontent estranged the ,jews of the ,new ,testament from ,christ1 ,he would not vulgarise ,his miracles1 nor do many mighty works among the unbelieving4 ,after ,his resurrection ,he appeared not unto all the people1 but unto witnesses chosen before4 ,and as the ,jews were chosen to bear witness to ,him among the nations1 so were these elders now to bear witness among the ,jews1 who might without their testimony have fallen into some such rationalising theory as that of ,tacitus1 who says that ,moses discovered a fountain by examining a spot where wild asses lay4 ,with these witnesses1 he is bidden to go to a rock in ,horeb 7so nearly had these murmurers approached the scene of the most awful of all manifestations of ,him whose presence they debated71 and there ,god was to stand before them upon the rock1 making ,his universal presence a localised consciousness in their experience4 ,a true religion is progressive3 every stage of it leans on the past and sustains the future2 and so ,moses must bring with him the rod1 wherewith thou smotest the river4 ,the dullest can see the fitness of this allusion4 ,among all the wonders which the shepherd's wand had wrought1 the mastery over the ,nile1 the plague which inflicted an unwonted thirst upon the inhabitants of that well-watered field of ,zoan1 was most to the purpose now4 ,to kill and to make alive are the functions of the same ,being1 and ,he ,who spoiled the ,egyptian river will now refresh ,his heritage that is weary4 ,at the touch of the prophetic wand the waters poured forth which thenceforth supplied them through all their desert wanderings4 ,reserving the symbolic meaning of this event for a future study1 we have to remember meanwhile the warning which the apostle here discovered4 ,all the people drank of the rock1 yet with many of them ,god was not pleased4 ,privilege is one thing--acceptance is quite another2 and it shall be more tolerable at last for ,sodom and ,gomorrah than for nations1 churches and men1 who were content to resemble soil that drinketh in the rain that cometh upon it oft1 and yet to remain unfruitful4 ,already the conduct of ,israel was such that the place was named from human worthlessness rather than ,divine beneficence4 ,too often1 it is the more conspicuous part of the story of the relations of ,god and man4 ,,amalek4 xvii4 #h-af4 ,nothing can be more natural1 to those who remember the value of a fountain in the ,east1 than that ,amalek should swoop down from his own territories upon ,israel1 as soon as this abundant river tempted his cupidity4 ,this unprovoked attack of a kindred nation leads to another advance in the education of the people4 ,they had hitherto been the sheep of ,god3 now they must become ,his warriors4 ,at the ,red ,sea it was said to them1 ,stand still1 and see the salvation of the ,lord 444 the ,lord shall fight for you1 and ye shall hold your peace 7xiv4 #ac74 ,but it is not so now4 ,just as the function of every true miracle is to lead to a state of faith in which miracles are not required2 just as a mother reaches her hand to a tottering infant1 that presently the boy may go alone1 so the ,lord fought for ,israel1 that ,israel might learn to fight for the ,lord4 ,the herd of slaves who came out of ,egypt could not be trusted to stand fast in battle2 and what a defeat would have done with them we may judge by their outcries at the very sight of ,pharaoh4 ,but now they had experience of ,divine succour1 and had drawn the inspiring breath of freedom4 ,and so it was reasonable to expect that some chosen men of them at least will be able to endure the shock of battle4 ,and if so1 it was a matter of the last importance to develop and render conscious the national spirit1 a spirit so noble in its unselfish readiness to die1 and in its scorn of such material ills as anguish and mutilation compared with baseness and dishonour1 that the re-kindling of it in seasons of peril and conflict is more than half a compensation for the horrors of a battle-field4 ,we do not now inquire what causes avail to justify the infliction and endurance of those horrors4 ,probably they will vary from age to age2 and as the ties grow strong which bind mankind together1 the rupture of them will be regarded with an ever-deepening shudder1--just as ,england to-day would certainly refuse to make war upon our ,american kinsmen for a provocation which 7rightly or wrongly7 she would not endure from ,russians4 ,but the point to be observed is that war cannot be inherently immoral1 since ,god instructed in war the first nation that ,he ever trained1 not using its experience of ,his immediate interpositions to supersede all need of human strife1 but to make valiant soldiers1 and adding some of the most precious lessons of all their later experience on the battle-field and by the sword4 ,now1 it assuredly cannot be shown that anything in itself immoral is fostered and encouraged by the ,old ,testament4 ,slavery and divorce1 which it was not yet possible to extirpate1 were hampered1 restricted1 and reduced to a minimum1 being suffered because of the hardness of 'their' hearts 7,matt4 xix4 #h74 ,the wildest assailant of the ,pentateuch will scarcely pretend that it fosters and incites either divorce or slavery1 as1 beyond all question1 it encourages the martial ardour of the ,jews4 ,and yet war1 though permissible1 and in certain circumstances necessary1 is only necessary as the lesser of two evils2 it is not in itself good4 ,solomon1 not ,david1 could build the temple of the ,lord2 and ,isaiah sharply contrasts the ,messiah with even that providentially appointed conqueror1 the only pagan who is called by ,god ,my anointed1 in that the one comes upon rulers as upon mortar1 and as the potter treadeth clay1 but the ,other breaks not a bruised reed1 nor quenches the smoking flax 7,isa4 xli4 #be1 xlii4 #c1 xlv4 #a74 ,the ideal of humanity is peace1 and also it is happiness1 but war may not yet have ceased to be a necessity of life1 sometimes as ruinous to evade as any other form of suffering4 ,another necessity of national development is the advancement of capable men4 ,the empire of ,napoleon would assuredly have withered1 if only because its chief was as jealous of commanding genius as he was ready to advance and patronise capacity of the second order4 ,it is a maxim that true greatness finds worthy colleagues and successors1 and rejoices in them4 ,and while the guidance of ,jehovah is to be assumed throughout1 it is significant that the first mention of the splendid commander and godly judge1 during all whose days and the days of his contemporaries ,israel served ,jehovah1 comes not in any express revelation or commandment of ,god2 but the narrative relates that ,moses said unto ,joshua1 ,choose out men for us and go out1 fight with ,amalek3 to-morrow ,i will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of ,god in my hand4 ,they are the words of one who had noted him already as a man in whom is the ,spirit 7,num4 xxvii4 #ah71 of one also who had unlearned1 in the experience now of eighty years1 the desire of glittering achievement and martial fame1 who knew that the deepest fountains of real power are hidden1 and was content that another should lead the headlong and victorious charge1 if only it were his to hold1 upon the top of the hill1 the rod of ,god4 ,once it was his own rod3 with it the exiled shepherd controlled the sheep of his master2 that it should be the medium of the miraculous had appeared to be an additional miracle1 but now it was the very rod of ,god1 nor was any cry to heaven more eloquent and better grounded than simply the reaching toward the skies1 in long1 steady1 mute appeal1 of that symbol of all ,his dealings with them--the plaguing of ,egypt1 the recession of the tide and its wild return1 the bringing of water from the rock4 ,was all to be in vain8 ,should the wild boar waste the vine just brought out of ,egypt before ever it reached the appointed vineyard8 ,and we also should be able to plead with ,god the noble works that ,he hath done in our time4 ,for us also there ought to be such experience as worketh hope4 ,as long as the exertion was possible even to the heroic force which age had not abated1 ,moses thus prayed for his people2 for the gesture was a prayer1 and a grand one1 and must not be criticised otherwise than as the act of a poetic and primitive genius1 whose institutions throughout are full of spiritual import4 ,while he did this1 ,israel prevailed2 but the slow progress of the victory reminds us of these dreary centuries during which we are just able to discern some gradual advance of the kingdom of ,christ on earth1 but no rout1 no collapse of evil4 ,and why was this8 ,because the sustaining and permanent energy was not to flow from the prayers of one1 however holy and however eminent2 three men were together in the mountain1 and the co-operation of them all was demanded2 so that only when ,aaron and ,hur supported the sinking hand of their chief was the decisive victory given4 ,now1 the lesson from all this does not concern the ,high-priestly intercession of our ,lord1 for the office of ,moses is consistently distinguished from the priesthood4 ,nor can the notion be tolerated that if our ,lord requires mortal co-operation before asking and being given the heathen for ,his heritage1 which is obviously the case1 the reason can be at all expressed by that weakness which needed support4 ,no1 the ,lord our ,priest is also ,himself the dispenser of victory4 ,to ,him all power is given on earth1 and to ,him it is our duty to appeal for the triumph of ,his own cause4 ,and here and there1 doubtless1 a ,christian heart is fervent and faithful in its intercessions4 ,to these1 unknown1 unsuspected by the combatants in the heat of battle1--to humble saints1 some of them bed-ridden1 ignorant1 poverty-stricken1 despised1 holy souls who have no controversial skill1 no missionary calling1 but who possess the grace habitually to convert their wishes into prayers1--to such1 perhaps1 it is due that the idols of ,india and ,china are now bowing down4 ,and when they cease to be a minority in so doing1 when those who now criticise learn to sustain their flagging energies1 we shall see a day of the ,lord4 ,observe1 however1 that as the active exertion of the host does not displace the silence of intercession1 neither is it displaced itself3 ,joshua really bore his part in the discomfiture of ,amalek and his host4 ,and so it is always4 ,the development of human energy to the uttermost is a part of the design of ,him ,who gave a task even to unfallen man4 ,let none suppose that to labour is 7sufficiently and by itself7 to pray2 but also let none idly persuade himself that while energies and responsibilities are his1 to pray is sufficiently to labour4 ,thus it came to pass that ,israel won its first victory in battle4 ,another step was taken toward the fulfilment of the promise to ,abraham to make of him a great nation2 and also toward the gradual transference of the national faith from a passive reliance in ,divine interposition to an abiding confidence in ,divine help4 ,let it be clearly understood that this latter is the nobler and the more mature faith4 ,with martial ardour1 ,god took care to inculcate the sense of national responsibility1 without which warriors become no more than brigands4 ,so it was with ,amalek3 he had not been attacked or even menaced2 he had marched out from his own territories to assail an innocent and kindred race 7then came ,amalek ver4 #h71 and his attack had been cruel and cowardly1 he smote the hindmost1 all that were feeble and in the rear1 when they were faint and weary1 and he feared not ,god 7,deut4 xxv4 #ah74 ,against all such tactics the wrath of ,god was denounced when1 because of them1 ,amalek was doomed to total extirpation4 ,moses now built an altar1 to imprint on the mind of the people this new lesson4 ,and he called it1 ,the ,lord is my ,banner1 a title which called the nation at once to valour and to obedience1 which asserted that they were an army1 but a consecrated one4 99 99 99 99 99 ,now let us ask whether this simple story is at all the kind of thing which legend or myth would have created1 for the first martial exploit of ,israel4 ,the obscure part played by ,moses is not what we would expect2 nor1 even as a mediator1 is the position of one whose arms must be held up a very romantic conception4 ,if the object is to inspire the ,jews for later struggles with more formidable foes1 the story is ill-contrived1 for we read of no surprising force of ,amalek1 and no inspiriting exploit of ,joshua4 ,everything is as prosaic as the real course of events in this poor world is wont to be4 ,and on that account it is all the more useful to us who live prosaic lives1 and need the help of ,god among prosaic circumstances4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,,jethro4 xviii4 #a-bg4 ,the defeat of ,amalek is followed by the visit of ,jethro2 the opposite pole of the relation between ,israel and the nations1 the coming of the ,gentiles to his brightness4 ,and already that is true which repeats itself all through the history of the ,church1 that much secular wisdom1 the art of organisation1 the structure and discipline of societies1 may be drawn from the experience and wisdom of the world4 ,moses was under the special guidance of ,god1 as really as any modern enthusiast can claim to be4 ,when he turned for aid or direction to heaven1 he was always answered4 ,and yet he did not think scorn of the counsel of his kinsman4 ,and although eighty years had not dimmed the fire of his eyes1 nor wasted his strength1 he neglected not the warning which taught him to economise his force2 not to waste on every paltry dispute the attention and wisdom which could govern the new-born state4 ,jethro is the kinsman1 and probably the brother-in-law of ,moses2 for if he were the father-in-law1 and the same as ,reuel in the second chapter1 why should a new name be introduced without any mark of identification8 ,when he hears of the emancipation of ,israel from ,egypt1 he brings back to ,moses his two sons and ,zipporah1 who had been sent away1 after the angry scene at the circumcision of the younger1 and before he entered ,egypt with his life in his hand4 ,now he was a great personage1 the leader of a new nation1 and the conqueror of the proudest monarch in the world4 ,with what feelings would the wife and husband meet8 ,we are told nothing of their interview1 nor have we any reason to qualify the unfavourable impression produced by the circumstances of their parting1 by the schismatic worship founded by their grandchildren1 and by the loneliness implied in the very names of ,gershom and ,eliezer--,a-stranger-there1 and ,god-a-,help4 ,but the relations between ,moses and ,jethro are charming1 whether we look at the obeisance rendered to the official minister of ,god by him whom ,god had honoured so specially1 by the prosperous man to the friend of his adversity1 or at the interest felt by the priest of ,midian in all the details of the great deliverance of which he had heard already1 or his joy in a ,divine manifestation1 probably not in all respects according to the prejudices of his race1 or his praise of ,jehovah as greater than all gods1 yea1 in the thing wherein they dealt proudly against them 7ver4 #aa1 ,r4,v474 ,the meaning of this phrase is either that the gods were plagued in their own domains1 or that ,jehovah had finally vanquished the ,egyptians by the very element in which they were most oppressive1 as when ,moses himself had been exposed to drown4 ,there is another expression1 in the first verse1 which deserves to be remarked4 ,how do the friends of a successful man think of the scenes in which he has borne a memorable part8 ,they chiefly think of them in connection with their own hero4 ,and amid all the story of the ,exodus1 in which so little honour is given to the human actor1 the one trace of personal exultation is where it is most natural and becoming2 it is in the heart of his relative3 ,when ,jethro 444 heard of all that the ,lord had done for ,moses and for ,israel4 ,we are told1 with marked emphasis1 that this ,midianite1 a priest1 and accustomed to act as such with ,moses in his family1 took a burnt-offering and sacrifices for ,god2 and ,aaron came1 and all the elders of ,israel1 to eat bread with ,moses' father-in-law before ,god4 ,nor can we doubt that the writer of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 who laid such stress upon the subordination of ,abraham to ,melchizedek1 would have discerned in the relative position of ,jethro and ,aaron another evidence that the ascendency of the ,aaronic priesthood was only temporary4 ,we shall hereafter see that priesthood is a function of redeemed humanity1 and that all limitations upon it were for a season1 and due to human shortcoming4 ,but for this very reason 7if there were no other7 the chief priest could only be ,he ,who represents and embodies all humanity1 in ,whom is neither ,jew nor ,greek1 barbarian1 ,scythian1 bond nor free1 because ,he is all and in all4 ,in the meantime1 here is recognised1 in the history of ,israel1 a ,gentile priesthood4 ,and1 as at the passover1 so now1 the sacrifice to ,god is partaken of by ,his people1 who are conscious of acceptance by ,him4 ,happy was the union of innocent festivity with a sacramental recognition of ,god4 ,it is the same sentiment which was aimed at by the primitive ,christian ,church in her feasts of love1 genuine meals in the house of ,god1 until licence and appetite spoiled them1 and the apostle asked ,have ye not houses to eat and drink in8 7#a ,cor4 xi4 #bb74 ,shall there never come a time when the victorious and pure ,church of the latter days shall regain what we have forfeited1 when the doctrine of the consecration of what is called secular life shall be embodied again in forms like these8 ,it speaks to us meanwhile in a form which is easily ridiculed 7as in ,lamb's well-known essay71 and yet singularly touching and edifying if rightly considered1 in the asking for a blessing upon our meals4 ,on the morrow1 ,jethro saw ,moses1 all day long1 deciding the small matters and great which needed already to be adjudicated for the nation4 ,he who had striven1 without a commission1 himself to smite the ,egyptian and lead out ,israel1 is the same self-reliant1 heroic1 not too discreet person still4 ,but the true statesman and administrator is he who employs to the utmost all the capabilities and energies of his subordinates4 ,and ,jethro made a deep mark in history when he taught ,moses the distinction between the lawgiver and the judge1 between him who sought from ,god and proclaimed to the people the principles of justice and their form1 and him who applied the law to each problem as it arose4 ,it is supposed1 and with probability1 writes ,kalisch 7in loco71 that ,alfred the ,great1 who was well versed in the ,bible1 based his own ,saxon constitution of sheriffs in counties1 etc41 on the example of the ,mosaic division 7comp4 ,bacon on ,english ,government1 i4 #gj74 ,and thus it may be that our own nation owes its free institutions almost directly to the generous interest in the well-being of his relative1 felt by an ,arabian priest1 who cherished1 amid the growth of idolatries all around him1 the primitive belief in ,god1 and who rightly held that the first qualifications of a capable judge were ability1 and the fear of ,god1 truthfulness and hatred of unjust gain4 ,we learn from ,deuteronomy 7i4 #i-ae71 that ,moses allowed the people themselves to elect these officials1 who became not only their judges but their captains4 ,from the whole of this narrative we see clearly that the intervention of ,god for ,israel is no more to be regarded as superseding the exercise of human prudence and common-sense1 than as dispensing with valour in the repulse of ,amalek1 and with patience in journeying through the wilderness4 ,,the ,,typical ,,bearings ,,of ,,the ,,history4 ,we are now about to pass from history to legislation4 ,and this is a convenient stage at which to pause1 and ask how it comes to pass that all this narrative is also1 in some sense1 an allegory4 ,it is a discussion full of pitfalls4 ,countless volumes of arbitrary and fanciful interpretation have done their worst to discredit every attempt1 however cautious and sober1 at finding more than the primary signification in any narrative4#cb ,and whoever considers the reckless1 violent and inconsistent methods of the mystical commentators may be forgiven if he recoils from occupying the ground which they have wasted1 and contents himself with simply drawing the lessons which the story directly suggests4 ,but the ,new ,testament does not warrant such a surrender4 ,it tells us that leaven answers to malice1 and unleavened bread to sincerity2 that at the ,red ,sea the people were baptized2 that the tabernacle and the altar1 the sacrifice and the priest1 the mercy-seat and the manna1 were all types and shadows of abiding ,christian realities4 ,it is more surprising to find the return of the infant ,jesus connected with the words ,when ,israel was a child then ,i loved him1 and ,i called ,my son out of ,egypt1--for it is impossible to doubt that the prophet was here speaking of the ,exodus1 and had in mind the phrase ,israel is ,my son1 ,my firstborn3 let ,my son go1 that he may serve ,me 7,matt4 i4 #ae2 ,hos4 xi4 #a2 ,exod4 iv4 #bb74 ,how are such passages to be explained8 ,surely not by finding a superficial resemblance between two things1 and thereupon transferring to one of them whatever is true of the other4 ,no thought can attain accuracy except by taking care not to confuse in this way things which superficially resemble each other4 ,but no thought can be fertilising and suggestive which neglects real and deep resemblances1 resemblances of principle as well as incident1 resemblances which are due to the mind of ,god or the character of man4 ,in the structure and furniture of the tabernacle1 and the order of its services1 there are analogies deliberately planned1 and such as every one would expect1 between religious truth shadowed forth in ,judaism1 and the same truth spoken in these latter days unto us in the ,son4 ,but in the emancipation1 the progress1 and alas6 the sins and chastisements of ,israel1 there are analogies of another kind1 since here it is history which resembles theology1 and chiefly secular things which are compared with spiritual4 ,but the analogies are not capricious2 they are based upon the obvious fact that the same ,god ,who pitied ,israel in bondage sees1 with the same tender heart1 a worse tyranny4 ,for it is not a figure of speech to say that sin is slavery4 ,sin does outrage the will1 and degrade and spoil the life4 ,the sinner does obey a hard and merciless master4 ,if his true home is in the kingdom of ,god1 he is1 like ,israel1 not only a slave but an exile4 ,is ,god the ,god of the ,jew only8 for otherwise ,he must1 being immutable1 deal with us and our tyrant as ,he dealt with ,israel and ,pharaoh4 ,if ,he did not1 by an exertion of omnipotence1 transplant them from ,egypt to their inheritance at one stroke1 but required of them obedience1 co-operation1 patient discipline1 and a gradual advance1 why should we expect the whole work and process of grace to be summed up in the one experience which we call conversion8 ,yet if ,he did1 promptly and completely1 break their chains and consummate their emancipation1 then the fact that grace is a progressive and gradual experience does not forbid us to reckon ourselves dead unto sin4 ,if the region through which they were led1 during their time of discipline1 was very unlike the land of milk and honey which awaited the close of their pilgrimage1 it is not unlikely that the same ,god will educate his later ,church by the same means1 leading us also by a way that we know not1 to humble and prove us1 that ,he may do us good at the latter end4 ,and if ,he marks1 by a solemn institution1 the period when we enter into covenant relations with ,himself1 and renounce the kingdom and tyranny of ,his foe1 is it marvellous that the apostle found an analogy for this in the great event by which ,god punctuated the emancipation of ,israel1 leading them out of ,egypt through the sea depths and beneath the protecting cloud8 ,if privilege1 and adoption1 and the ,divine good-will1 did not shelter them from the consequences of ingratitude and rebellion1 if ,he spared not the natural branches1 we should take heed lest ,he spare not us4 ,such analogies are really arguments1 as solid as those of ,bishop ,butler4 ,but the same cannot be maintained so easily of some others4 ,when that is quoted of our ,lord upon the cross which was written of the paschal lamb1 a bone shall not be broken 7,exod4 xii4 #df1 ,john xix4 #cf71 we feel that the citation needs to be justified upon different grounds4 ,but such grounds are available4 ,he was the true ,lamb of ,god4 ,for ,his sake the avenger passes over all ,his followers4 ,his flesh is meat indeed4 ,and therefore1 although no analogy can be absolutely perfect1 and the type has nothing to declare that ,his blood is drink indeed1 yet there is an admirable fitness1 worthy of inspired record1 in the consummating and fulfilment in ,him1 and in ,him alone of three sufferers1 of the precept ,a bone of ,him shall not be broken4 ,it may not be an express prophecy which is brought to pass1 but it is a beautiful and appropriate correspondence1 wrought out by ,providence1 not available for the coercion of sceptics1 but good for the edifying of believers4 ,and so it is with the calling of the ,son out of ,egypt4 ,unquestionably ,hosea spoke of ,israel4 ,but unquestionably too the phrase ,my ,son1 ,my ,firstborn is a startling one4 ,here is already a suggestive difference between the monotheism of the ,old ,testament and the austere jealous logical orthodoxy of the ,koran1 which protests ,it is not meet for ,god to have any ,son1 ,god forbid 7,sura xix4 #cf74 ,jesus argued that such a rigid and lifeless orthodoxy as that of later ,judaism1 ought to have been scandalised1 long before it came to consider ,his claims1 by the ancient and recognised inspiration which gave the name of gods to men who sat in judgment as the representatives of ,heaven4 ,he claimed the right to carry still further the same principle--namely1 that deity is not selfish and incommunicable1 but practically gives itself away1 in transferring the exercise of its functions4 ,from such condescension everything may be expected1 for ,god does not halt in the middle of a path ,he has begun to tread4 ,but if this argument of ,jesus were a valid one 7and the more it is examined the more profound it will be seen to be71 how significant will then appear the term ,my ,son1 as applied to ,israel6 ,in condescending so far1 ,god almost pledged ,himself to the ,incarnation1 being no dealer in half measures1 nor likely to assume rhetorically a relation to mankind to which in fact ,he would not stoop4 ,every ,christian feels1 moreover1 that it is by virtue of the grand and final condescension that all the preliminary steps are possible4 ,because ,abraham's seed was one1 that is ,christ1 therefore ye 7all7 if ye are ,christ's1 are ,abraham's seed1 heirs according to promise 7,gal4 iii4 #af1 #bi74 ,but when this great harmony comes to be devoutly recognised1 a hundred minor and incidental points of contact are invested with a sacred interest4 ,no doctrinal injury would have resulted1 if the ,child ,jesus had never left the ,holy ,land4 ,no infidel could have served his cause by quoting the words of ,hosea4 ,nor can we now cite them against infidels as a prophecy fulfilled4 ,but when ,he does return from ,egypt our devotions1 not our polemics1 hail and rejoice in the coincidence4 ,it reminds us1 although it does not demonstrate1 that ,he who is thus called out of ,egypt is indeed the ,son4 ,the sober historian cannot prove anything1 logically and to demonstration1 by the reiterated interventions in history of atmospheric phenomena4 ,and yet no devout thinker can fail to recognise that ,god has reserved the hail against the time of trouble and war4 ,in short1 it is absurd and hopeless to bid us limit our contemplation1 in a divine narrative1 to what can be demonstrated like the propositions of ,euclid4 ,we laugh at the ,french for trying to make colonies and constitutions according to abstract principles1 and proposing1 as they once did1 to reform ,europe after the ,chinese manner4 ,well1 religion also is not a theory3 it is the true history of the past of humanity1 and it is the formative principle in the history of the present and the future4 ,and hence it follows that we may dwell with interest and edification upon analogies1 as every great thinker confesses the existence of truths1 which never can be proved4 ,in the meantime it is easy to recognise the much simpler fact1 that these things happened unto them by way of example1 and they were written for our admonition4 ,,footnotes3 #cb ,take as an example the assertion of ,bunyan that the sea in the ,revelation is a sea of glass1 because the laver in the tabernacle was made of the brazen looking-glasses of the women4 7,solomon's ,temple1 xxxvi4 #a47 ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,,at ,,sinai4 xix4 #a-be4 ,in the third month from the ,exodus1 and on the selfsame day 7which addition fixes the date precisely71 the people reached the wilderness of ,sinai4 ,this answers fairly to the date of ,pentecost1 which was afterwards connected by tradition with the giving of the law4 ,and therefore ,pentecost was the right time for the gift of the ,holy ,ghost1 bringing with ,him the law of the spirit of life in ,christ ,jesus1 and that freedom from servile ,jewish obedience which is not attained by violating law1 but by being imbued in its spirit1 by the love which is the fulfilling of the law4 99 99 99 99 99 ,there is among the solemn solitudes of ,sinai a wide amphitheatre1 reached by two converging valleys1 and confronted by an enormous perpendicular cliff1 the ,ras ,sufsfeh--a natural altar1 before which the nation had room to congregate1 awed by the stern magnificence of the approach1 and by the intense loneliness and desolation of the surrounding scene1 and thus prepared for the unparalleled revelation which awaited them4 ,it is the manner of ,god to speak through nature and the senses to the soul4 ,we cannot imagine the youth of the ,baptist spent in ,nazareth1 nor of ,jesus in the desert4 ,elijah1 too1 was led into the wilderness to receive the vision of ,god1 and the agony of ,jesus was endured at night1 and secluded by the olives from the paschal moon4 ,it is by another application of the same principle that the settled ,jewish worship was bright with music and splendid with gold and purple2 and the notion that the sublime and beautiful in nature and art cannot awaken the feelings to which religion appeals1 is as shallow as the notion that when these feelings are awakened all is won4 ,what happens next is a protest against this latter extreme4 ,awe is one thing3 the submission of the will is another4 ,and therefore ,moses was stopped when about to ascend the mountain1 there to keep the solemn appointment that was made when ,god said1 ,this shall be the token unto thee that ,i have sent thee3 ,when thou hast brought forth the people out of ,egypt1 ye shall serve ,god upon this mountain 7iii4 #ab74 ,his own sense of the greatness of the crisis perhaps needed to be deepened4 ,certainly the nation had to be pledged1 induced to make a deliberate choice1 now first1 as often again1 under ,joshua and ,samuel1 and when ,elijah invoked ,jehovah upon ,carmel4 7,josh4 xxiv4 #bd2 #a ,sam4 xii4 #ad2 #a ,kings xviii4 #ba1 #ci47 ,it is easy to speak of pledges and formal declarations lightly1 but they have their warrant in many such ,scriptural analogies1 nor should we easily find a church1 careful to deal with souls1 which has not employed them in some form1 whether after the ,anglican and ,lutheran fashion1 by confirmation1 or in the less formal methods of other ,protestant communions1 or even by delaying baptism itself until it becomes1 for the adult in ,christian lands1 what it is to the convert from false creeds4 ,therefore the ,lord called to ,moses as he climbed the steep1 and offered through him a formal covenant to the people4 ,thus shalt thou say to the house of ,jacob1#cc and tell the children of ,israel3 ,ye have seen what ,i did unto the ,egyptians1 and how ,i bare you on eagles' wings1 and brought you unto ,myself4 ,the appeal is to their personal experience and their gratitude3 will this be enough8 will they accept ,his yoke1 as every convert must1 not knowing what it may involve1 not yet having ,his demands specified and ,his commandments before their eyes1 content to believe that whatever is required of them will be good1 because the requirement is from ,god8 ,thus did ,abraham1 who went forth1 not knowing whither1 but knowing that he was divinely guided4 ,now1 therefore1 if ye will obey ,my voice indeed and keep ,my covenant1 then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto ,me from among all peoples2 for all the earth is ,mine1 and ye shall be unto ,me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation4 ,thus ,god conveys to them1 more explicitly than hitherto1 the fact that ,he is the universal ,lord1 not ruling one land or nation only1 nor1 as the ,pentateuch is charged with teaching1 their tutelary deity among many others4 ,thus also the seeds are sown in them of a wholesome and rational self-respect1 such as the ,psalmist felt1 who asked ,what is man1 that ,thou art mindful of him8 yet realised that such mindfulness gave to man a real dignity1 made him but little lower than the angels1 and crowned him with glory and honour4 ,abolish religion1 and mankind will divide into two classes1--one in which vanity1 unchecked by any spiritual superior1 will obey no restraints of law1 and another of which the conscious pettiness will aspire to no dignity of holiness1 and shrink from no dishonour of sin4 ,it is only the presence of a loving ,god which can unite in us the sense of humility and greatness1 as having nothing and yet possessing all things1 and valued by ,god as ,his peculiar treasure4#cd ,and with a reasonable self-respect should come a noble and yet sober dignity--,ye shall be a kingdom of priests1 a dynasty 7for such is the meaning7 of persons invested with royal and also with priestly rank4 ,this was spoken just before the law gave the priesthood into the hands of one tribe2 and thus we learn that ,levi and ,aaron were not to supplant the nation1 but to represent it4 ,now1 this double rank is the property of redeemed humanity3 we are a kingdom and priests unto ,god4 ,yet the laity of the ,corinthian ,church were rebuked for a self-asserting and mutinous enjoyment of their rank3 ,ye have reigned as kings without us2 and others there were in this ,christian dispensation who perished in the gainsaying of ,korah 7#a ,cor4 iv4 #h2 ,jude #aa74 ,if the words ,he hath made us a kingdom and priests furnish any argument against the existence of an ordained ministry now1 then there should have been no ,jewish priesthood1 for the same words are here4 ,and is it supposed that this assertion only began to be true when the apostles died8 ,certainly there is a kind of self-assertion in the ministry which they condemn4 ,but if they are opposed to its existence1 alas for the ,pastoral ,epistles6 ,it was because the function belonged to all1 that no man might arrogate it who was not commissioned to act on behalf of all4 ,but while the individual may not assert himself to the unsettling of church order1 the privilege is still common property4 ,all believers have boldness to enter into the holiest place of all4 ,all are called upon to rule for ,god over a few things1 to establish a kingdom of ,god within1 and thus to receive a crown of life1 and to sit with ,jesus upon ,his throne4 ,the very honours by which ,israel was drawn to ,god are offered to us all1 as it is written1 ,we are the circumcision1 ,we are ,abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise 7,phil4 iii4 #c2 ,gal4 iii4 #bi74 ,to this appeal the nation responded gladly4 ,they could feel that indeed they had been sustained by ,god as the eagle bears her young--not grasping them in her claws1 like other birds1 but as if enthroned between her wings1 and sheltered by her body1 which interposed between the young and any arrow of the hunter4 ,thus1 say the ,rabbinical interpreters1 did the pillar of cloud intervene between ,israel and the ,egyptians4 ,if the image were to be pressed so far1 we could now find a much closer analogy for the eagle preferring itself to be pierced rather than to witness the death of its young 7,kalisch74 ,but far more tender1 and very touching in its domestic homeliness1 is the metaphor of ,him ,whose discourses teem with allusions to the ,old ,testament1 yet ,who preferred to compare ,himself to a hen gathering her chickens under her wing4 ,with the adhesion of ,israel to the covenant1 ,moses returned to ,god4 ,and the ,lord said1 ,lo1 ,i come unto thee in a thick cloud1 that the people may hear when ,i speak with thee1 and may also believe thee for ever4 ,the design was to deepen their reverence for the ,lawgiver ,whose law they should now receive2 to express by lessons1 not more dreadful than the plagues of ,egypt1 but more vivid and sublime1 the tremendous grandeur of ,him ,who was making a covenant with them1 ,who had borne them on ,his wings and called them ,his firstborn ,son1 ,whom therefore they might be tempted to approach with undue familiarity1 were it not for the mountain that burned up to heaven1 the voice of the trumpet waxing louder and louder1 and the ,appearance so fearful that ,moses said1 ,i exceedingly fear and quake 7to phantazomenon--,heb4 xii4 #ba74 ,when thus the ,deity became terrible1 the envoy would be honoured also4 ,but it is important to observe that these terrible manifestations were to cease4 ,like the impressions produced by sickness1 by sudden deaths1 by our own imminent danger1 the emotion would subside1 but the conviction should remain3 they should believe ,moses for ever4 ,emotions are like the swellings of the ,nile3 they subside again2 but they ought to leave a fertilising deposit behind4 ,that the impression might not be altogether passive1 and therefore ephemeral1 the people were bidden to sanctify themselves2 all that is common and secular must be suspended for awhile2 and it is worth notice that1 as when the family of ,jacob put away their strange gods1 so now the ,israelites must wash their clothes 7cf4 ,gen4 xxxv4 #b74 ,for one's vestment is a kind of outer self1 and has been with the man in the old occupations from which he desires to purify himself4 ,it was therefore that when ,jehu was made king1 and when ,jesus entered ,jerusalem in triumph1 men put their garments under their chief to express their own subjection 7#b ,kings ix4 #ac2 ,matt4 xxi4 #g74 ,much of the philosophy of ,carlyle is latent in these ancient laws and usages4 ,moreover1 the mountain was to be fenced from the risk of profanation by any sudden impulsive movement of the crowd1 and even a beast that touched it should be slain by such weapons as men could hurl without themselves pursuing it4 ,only when the trumpet blew a long summons might the appointed ones come up to the mount 7ver4 #ac74 ,on the third day1 after a soul-searching interval1 there were thunders and lightnings1 and a cloud1 and the trumpet blast2 and while all the people trembled1 ,moses led them forth to meet with ,god4 ,again the narrative reverts to the terrible phenomena--the fire like the smoke of a furnace 7called by an ,egyptian name which only occurs in the ,pentateuch71 and the whole mountain quaking4 ,then1 since his commission was now to be established1 ,moses spake1 and the ,lord answered him with a voice4 ,and when he again climbed the mountain1 it became necessary to send him back with yet another warning1 whether his example was in danger of emboldening others to exercise their newly given priesthood1 or the very excess of terror exercised its well-known fascinating power1 as men in a burning ship have been seen to leap into the flames4 ,and the priests also1 who come near to ,god1 should sanctify themselves4 ,it has been asked who these were1 since the ,levitical institutions were still non-existent 7ver4 #bb1 cf4 #bd74 ,but it is certain that the heads of houses exercised priestly functions2 and it is not impossible that the elders of ,israel who came to eat before ,god with ,jethro 7xviii4 #ab7 had begun to perform religious functions for the people4 ,is it supposed that the nation had gone without religious services for three months8 ,it has been remarked by many that the law of ,moses appealed for acceptance to popular and even democratic sanctions4 ,the covenant was ratified by a plbiscite4 ,the tremendous evidence was offered equally to all4 ,for1 said ,st4 ,augustine1 as it was fit that the law which was given1 not to one man or a few enlightened people1 but to the whole of a populous nation1 should be accompanied by awe-inspiring signs1 great marvels were wrought 444 before the people 7,de ,civ4 ,dei1 x4 #ac74 ,we have also to observe the contrast between the appearance of ,god on ,sinai and ,his manifestation in ,jesus4 ,and this also was strongly wrought out by an ancient father1 who represented the ,virgin ,mary1 in the act of giving ,jesus into the hands of ,simeon1 as saying1 ,the blast of the trumpet does not now terrify those who approach1 nor a second time does the mountain1 all on fire1 cause terror to those who come nigh1 nor does the law punish relentlessly those who would boldly touch4 ,what is present here speaks of love to man2 what is apparent1 of the ,divine compassion4 7,methodius ,de ,sym4 et ,anna1 vii47 ,but we must remember that the ,epistle to the ,hebrews regards the second manifestation as the more solemn of the two1 for this very reason3 that we have not come to a burning mountain1 or to mortal penalties for carnal irreverence1 but to the spiritual mountain ,zion1 to countless angels1 to ,god the ,judge1 to the spirits of just men made perfect1 and to ,jesus ,christ4 ,if they escaped not1 when they refused ,him ,who warned on earth1 much more we1 who turn away from ,him ,who warneth from heaven 7,heb4 xii4 #ah-be74 ,there is a question1 lying far behind all these1 which demands attention4 ,it is said that legends of wonderful appearances of the gods are common to all religions2 that there is no reason for giving credit to this one and rejecting all the rest2 and1 more than this1 that ,god absolutely could not reveal ,himself by sensuous appearances1 being ,himself a ,spirit4 ,in what sense and to what extent ,god can be said to have really revealed ,himself1 we shall examine hereafter4 ,at present it is enough to ask whether human love and hatred1 joy and sorrow1 homage and scorn can manifest themselves by looks and tones1 by the open palm and the clenched fist1 by laughter and tears1 by a bent neck and by a curled lip4 ,for if what is most immaterial in our own soul can find sensuous expression1 it is somewhat bold to deny that a majesty and power beyond anything human may at least be conceived as finding utterance1 through a mountain burning to the summit and reeling to the base1 and the blast of a trumpet which the people could not hear and live4 ,but when it is argued that wondrous theophanies are common to all faiths1 two replies present themselves4 ,if all the races of mankind agree in believing that there is a ,god1 and that ,he manifests ,himself wonderfully1 does that really prove that there is no ,god1 or even that ,he never manifested ,himself wondrously8 ,we should certainly be derided if we insisted that such a universal belief proved the truth of the story of ,mount ,sinai1 and perhaps we should deserve our fate4 ,but it is more absurd by far to pretend that this instinct1 this intuition1 this universal expectation that ,god would some day1 somewhere1 rend the veil which hides ,him1 does actually refute the narrative4 ,we have also to ask for the production of those other narratives1 sublime in their conception and in the vast audience which they challenged1 sublimely pure alike from taint of idolatrous superstition and of moral evil1 profound and far-reaching in their practical effect upon humanity1 which deserve to be so closely associated with the giving of the ,mosaic law that in their collapse it also must be destroyed1 as the fall of one tree sometimes breaks the next4 ,but this narrative stands out so far in the open1 and lifts its head so high1 that no other even touches a bough of it when overturned4 ,is it seriously meant to compare the alleged disappearance of ,romulus1 or the secret interviews of ,numa with his ,egeria1 to a history like this8 ,surely one similar story should be produced1 before it is asserted that such stories are everywhere4 ,,footnotes3 #cc ,this phrase is not found elsewhere in the ,pentateuch4 ,is it fancy which detects in it a desire to remind them of their connection with the least worthy rather than the noblest of the ,patriarchs8 ,one would not expect1 for instance1 to read1 ,fear not1 thou worm ,abraham1 or even ,israel2 but the name of ,jacob at once calls up humble associations4 #cd ,this word is the same which occurs in the verse so beautifully but erroneously rendered ,they shall be ,mine1 saith the ,lord of hosts1 in the day when ,i make up ,my jewels 7,mal4 iii4 #ag1 ,a4,v474 ,they shall be ,mine 444 in the day that ,i do make1 even a peculiar treasure 7,r4,v474 ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,,the ,,law4 xx4 #a-ag4 ,we have now reached that great event1 one of the most momentous in all history1 the giving of the ,ten ,commandments4 ,and it is necessary to consider what was the meaning of this event1 what part were they designed to play in the religious development of mankind4 #a4 ,st4 ,paul tells us plainly what they did not effect4 ,by the works of the law could no flesh be justified3 to the father of the ,hebrew race faith was reckoned instead of righteousness2 the first of their royal line coveted the blessedness not of the obedient but of the pardoned2 and ,habakkuk declared that the just should live by his faith1 while the law is not of faith1 and offers life only to the man that doeth these things 7,rom4 iv4 #c1 #f2 ,gal4 iii4 #ab74 ,in the doctrinal scheme of ,st4 ,paul there was no room for a compromise between salvation by faith and reliance upon our own performance of any works1 even those simple and obvious duties which are of world-wide obligation4 #b4 ,but he never meant to teach that a ,christian is free from the obligation of the moral law4 ,if it is not true that we can keep it and so earn heaven1 it is equally false that we may break it without penalty or remorse4 ,what he insisted upon was this3 that obligation is one thing1 and energy is another2 the law is good1 but it has not the gift of pardon or of inspiration2 by itself it will only reveal the feebleness of him who endeavours to perform it1 only force into direst contrast the spiritual beauty of the pure ideal and the wretchedness of the sinner1 carnal1 sold under sin4 ,in this respect1 indeed1 the law was its own witness4 ,for if1 among all the millions of its children1 one had lived by obedience1 how could he have shared in its elaborate sacrificial apparatus1 in the hallowing of the altar from pollution by the national uncleanness1 in the sprinkling of the blood of the offering for sin8 ,take the case of the highest official4 ,a sinless high priest under the law would have been paralysed by his virtue1 for his duty on the greatest day of all the year was to make atonement first for his own sins4 #c4 ,the law being an authorised statement of what innocence means1 and therefore of the only terms upon which a man might hope to live by works1 is an organic whole1 and we either keep it as a whole or break it4 ,such is the meaning of the words1 he that offendeth in one point is guilty of all2 because ,he who gave the seventh commandment gave also the sixth--so that if one commit no adultery1 yet kill1 he has become a transgressor of the law in its integrity 7,james ii4 #aa74 ,the challenge of ,god to human self-righteousness is not one which can be half met4 ,if we have not thoroughly kept it1 we have thoroughly failed4 #d4 ,but this failure of man does not involve any failure1 in the law1 to accomplish its intended work4 ,it is1 as has been said1 a challenge4 ,the sense of our inability to meet it is the best introduction to ,him ,who came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance1 and thus the law became a tutor to bring men to ,christ4 ,it awoke the conscience1 brought home the sense of guilt1 and entered1 that sin might abound in us1 whose ignorance had not known sin without it4 ,it was strictly that which ,moses most frequently calls it--the ,testimony4 #e4 ,finally1 however1 the teaching of ,scripture is not that ,christians are condemned to live always in a condition of baffled striving1 hopeless longing1 conscious transgression of a code which testifies against them4 ,the old and carnal nature gravitates downward1 to selfishness and sin1 as surely as by a law of the physical universe4 ,but the law of the spirit of life in ,christ ,jesus emancipates us from that law of sin and death--the higher nature doing1 by the very quality of its life1 what the lower nature cannot be driven to do1 by dread of hell or by desire of heaven4 ,the creature of earth becomes a creature of air1 and is at home in a new sphere1 poised on its wings upon the breeze4 ,love is the fulfilling of the law4 ,and the ,christian is free from its dictation1 as affectionate men are free from any control of the laws which command the maintenance of wife and child1 not because they may defy the statutes1 but because their volition and the statutes coincide4 ,liberty is not lawlessness--it is the reciprocal harmony of law and the will4 ,and thus the grand paradox of ,luther is entirely true3 ,unless faith be without any1 even the smallest works1 it does not justify1 nay1 it is not faith4 ,and yet it is impossible for faith to be without works--earnest1 many and great4 ,we are justified by faith without the works of the law1 and yet we do not make void the law by faith--nay1 we establish the law4 ,all this agrees exactly with the contrast1 so often urged1 between the giving of the ,law and the utterance of the ,sermon on the ,mount4 ,the former echoes across wild heights1 and through savage ravines2 the latter is heard on the grassy slopes of the hillside which overlooks the smiling ,lake of ,galilee4 ,the one is spoken in thunder and graven upon stone3 the other comes from the lips1 into which grace is poured1 of ,him ,who was fairer than the children of men4 ,the former repeats again and again the stern warning1 ,thou shalt not6 ,the latter crowns a sevenfold description of a blessedness1 which is deeper than joy1 though pensive and even weeping1 by adding to these abstract descriptions an eighth1 which applies them1 and assumes them to be realised in ,his hearers--,blessed are ye4 ,if so much as a beast touched the mountain it should be stoned4 ,but ,simeon took the ,divine ,infant in his arms4 ,and this is not because ,god has become gentler1 or man worthier3 it is because ,god the ,lawgiver upon ,his throne has come down to be ,god the ,helper4 ,but the beatitudes could never have been spoken1 if the law had not been imposed3 the blessedness of a hunger and thirst for righteousness was created by the majestic and spiritual beauty of the unattained commandment4 ,yes1 it had a spiritual beauty4 ,for1 however formal1 external1 and even shallow1 the commandments may appear to flippant modern babblers1 ,st4 ,paul bewailed the contrast between the law1 which was spiritual1 and his own carnal heart4 ,and he1 who had kept all the letter from his youth1 was only the more vexed and haunted by the fleeting consciousness of a higher good thing unattained4 ,did not one table say ,thou shalt not covet1 and the other promise mercy to thousands of those that love8 ,this leads us to consider the structure and arrangement of the ,decalogue4 ,scripture itself tells us that there were ten words or precepts1 written upon both sides of two tables4 ,but various answers have been given at different times1 to the question1 ,how shall we divide the ten8 ,the ,jews of a later period made a first commandment of the words1 ,i am the ,lord thy ,god1 which is not a commandment at all4 ,and they restored the proper number1 thus exceeded1 by uniting in one the prohibition of other gods and of idolatry2 although the worship of the golden calf1 almost immediately after the law was given1 suffices to establish the distinction4 ,for then1 as well as under ,gideon1 ,micah and ,jeroboam1 the sin of idolatry fell short of apostasy to a wholly different god 7,judg4 viii4 #bc1 #bg1 xvii4 #c1 #e2 #a ,kings xii4 #bh74 ,the worship of images dishonours ,god1 even if it be ,his semblance that they claim4 ,in this arrangement1 the tables were allotted five commandments each4 ,another curious arrangement was devised1 apparently by ,st4 ,augustine2 and the weight of his authority imposed it upon ,western ,christianity until the ,reformation1 and upon the ,latin and ,lutheran churches unto this day4 ,like the former1 it adds the second commandment to the first1 but it divides the tenth4 ,and it gives to the first table three commandments1 since the number of commandments which concern ,god seem to hint at the ,trinity to careful students1 while the seven commandments of the second table suggest the ,sabbath4 ,such mystical references are no longer weighty arguments4 ,and the proposed division of the tenth commandment seems quite precluded by the fact that in ,exodus we read1 ,thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house nor his wife1 while in ,deuteronomy the order is reversed2 so that its advocates are divided among themselves as to whether the coveting of a house or a wife is to attain the dignity of separate mention4 ,the ordinary ,english arrangement assigns to the tables four commandments and six respectively4 ,and the noble catechism of the ,church of ,england appears to sanction this arrangement by including among my duties to my neighbour that of loving1 honouring and succouring my father and mother4 ,there are several objections to this arrangement4 ,it is unsymmetrical4 ,there seems to be something more sacred and divine about my relationship with my father and mother than those which connect me with my neighbour4 ,the first table begins with the gravest offence1 and steadily declines to the lowest2 sin against the unique personality of ,god being followed by sin against ,his spirituality of nature1 ,his name1 and ,his holy day4 ,if now the sin against ,his earthly representative1 the very fountain and sanction of all law to childhood1 be added to the first table1 the same order will pervade those of the second--namely1 sin against my neighbour's life1 his family1 his property1 his reputation1 and lastly1 his interest in my inner self1 in the wishes that are unspoken1 the thoughts and feelings which ,i wad nae tell to nae man4 ,we thus obtain both the simplest division and the clearest arrangement4 ,in ,romans xiii4 #i the fifth commandment is not enumerated when rehearsing the actions which transgress the second table4 ,in the ,hebrew text of ,deuteronomy all the later commandments are joined with the sixth by the copulative 7represented along with the negative fairly enough in our ,english by ,neither71 which seems to indicate that these five were united together in the author's mind4 ,but the fifth stands alone1 like all those of the first table4 ,now1 it is clear that such an arrangement gives great sanction and weight to the sacred institution of the family4 ,finally1 the comprehensiveness and spirituality of the law may be observed in this2 that the first table forbids sin against ,god in thought1 word and deed2 and the second table forbids sin against man in deed1 word and thought4 ,,the ,,prologue4 xx4 #b4 ,the ,decalogue is introduced by the words ,i am the ,lord thy ,god1 which brought thee out of the land of ,egypt1 out of the house of bondage4 ,here1 and in the previous chapter1 is already a great advance upon the time when it was said to them ,the ,god of thy fathers1 the ,god of ,abraham1 of ,isaac1 and of ,jacob1 hath appeared4 ,now they are expected to remember what ,he has done for themselves4 ,for1 although religion must begin with testimony1 it ought always to grow up into an experience4 ,thus it was that many of the ,samaritans believed on ,jesus because of the word of the woman2 but presently they said1 ,now we believe1 not because of thy speaking1 for we have heard ,him ourselves1 and know4 ,and thus the disciples who heard ,john the ,baptist speak1 and so followed ,jesus1 having come and seen where ,he abode1 could say1 ,we have found the ,messiah4 ,this prologue is vitally connected with both tables of the law4 ,in relation to the first1 it recognises the instinct of worship in the human heart4 ,in vain shall we say ,do not worship idols1 until the true object of adoration is supplied1 for the heart must and will prostrate itself at some shrine4 ,a leader of modern science confesses the immovable basis of the religious sentiment in the nature of man1 adding that to yield this sentiment reasonable satisfaction is the problem of problems at the present hour4#ce ,it is indeed a problem for the unbelief which1 because it professes to be scientific1 cannot shut its eyes to the fact that men whose faith in ,christ has suffered shipwreck are everywhere seen to be clinging to strange planks--spiritualism1 esoteric ,buddhism1 and other superstitions1--which prove that man must and will reverence something more than streams of tendencies1 or beneficial results to the greatest numbers4 ,the ,law of ,moses abolishes superstition by no mere negation1 but by the proclamation of a true ,god4 ,moreover1 it declares that this ,god is knowable1 which flatly contradicts the brave assertion of modern agnostics that the notion of a ,god is not even thinkable4 ,that assertion is a bald and barren platitude in the only sense in which it is not contrary to the experience of all mankind4 ,as we cannot form a complete and perfect1 nor even an adequate notion of ,god1 so no man ever yet conceived a complete and adequate notion of his neighbour1 nor indeed of himself4 ,but as we can form a notion of one another1 dim and fragmentary indeed1 yet more or less accurate and fit to guide our actions1 so has every nation and every man formed some notion of deity4 ,nor could even the agnostic declare that ,god is unthinkable1 unless the word ,god1 of which he makes this assertion1 conveyed to him some idea1 some thought1 more or less worthy of the thinking4 ,the ancient ,jew never dreamed that he could search out the ,almighty to perfection1 yet ,god was known to him by ,his actions 7the only means by which we know our fellow-men72 and the combined terror and loving-kindness of these at once warned him against revolt1 and appealed to his loyalty for obedience4 ,in relation to the second table1 the prologue was both an argument and an appeal4 ,why should a man hope to prosper by estranging his best ,friend1 his ,emancipator and ,guide8 ,and even if disobedience could obtain some paltry advantage1 how base would he be who snatched at it1 when forbidden by the ,god ,who broke his chains1 and brought him out of the house of bondage--a ,benefactor not ungenial and remote1 but ,one ,who enters into closest relations with him1 calling ,himself ,thy ,god6 ,now1 a greater emancipation and a closer personal relationship belong to the ,church of ,christ4 ,when a ,christian hears that ,god is unthinkable1 he ought to be able to answer1 ',god is my ,god1 and ,he has brought my soul out of its house of bondage4' ,moreover1 his emancipation by ,christ from many sins and inner slaveries ought to be a fact plain enough to constitute the sorest of problems to the observing world4 ,it must be observed1 besides1 that the ,law1 which was the centre of ,judaism1 does not appeal chiefly to the meaner side of human nature4 ,hell is not yet known1 for the depths of eternity could not be uncovered before the clouds had rolled away from its heights of love and condescension2 or else the sanity and balance of human nature would have been overthrown4 ,but even temporal judgments are not set in the foremost place4 ,as ,st4 ,paul1 who knew the terrors of the ,lord1 more commonly and urgently besought men by the mercies of ,god1 so were the ancient ,jews1 under the burning mountain1 reminded rather of what ,god had bestowed upon them1 than of what ,he might inflict if they provoked ,him4 ,and our gratitude1 like theirs1 should be excited by ,his temporal as well as ,his spiritual gifts to us4 ,,the ,,first ,,commandment4 ,thou shalt have none other gods before ,me4--xx4 #c4 ,when these words fell upon the ears of ,israel1 they conveyed1 as their primary thought1 a prohibition of the formal worship of rival deities1 ,egyptian or ,sidonian gods4 ,following immediately upon the proclamation of ,jehovah1 their own ,god1 they declared ,his intolerance of rivalry1 and enjoined a strict and jealous monotheism4 ,for ,god was a reality4 ,races who worshipped idealisations or personifications might easily make room for other poetic embodiments of human thought and feeling2 but ,jehovah would vindicate ,his rights4 ,he had proved himself very real in ,egypt4 ,other gods would not displace ,him3 ,he would observe them3 they would be before ,me4#cf ,god does not quit the scene when man forgets ,him4 ,now1 it is hard for us to realise the charm which the worship of false gods possessed for ancient ,israel4 ,to comprehend it we must reflect upon the universal ignorance which made every phenomenon of nature a portentous manifestation of mysterious and varied power1 which they could by no means trace back to a common origin1 while the crash and discord of the results appeared to indicate opposing wills behind4 ,we must reflect how closely akin is awe to worship1 and how blind and unintelligent was the awe which storm and earthquake and pestilence then excited4 ,we must remember the pressure upon them of surrounding superstitions armed with all the civilisation and art of their world4 ,above all1 we must consider that the gods which seduced them were not of necessity supreme3 homage to them was very fairly consistent with a reservation of the highest place for another2 so that false worship in its early stages need not have been much more startling than belief in witchcraft1 or in the paltry and unimaginative spirits which1 in our own day1 are reputed to play the banjo in a dark room1 and to untie knots in a cabinet4 ,is it for us to deride them8 ,to oppose all such tendencies1 the ,lord appealed not to philosophy and sound reason4 ,these are not the parents of monotheism3 they are the fruit of it4 ,and so is our modern science4 ,its fundamental principle is faith in the unity of nature1 and in the extent to which the same laws which govern our little world reach through the vast universe4 ,and that faith is directly traceable to the conviction that all the universe is the work of the same ,hand4 ,one ,god1 one law1 one element2--the preaching of the first was sure to suggest the other two4 ,nor could any race which believed in a multitude of gods labour earnestly to reduce various phenomena to one cause4 ,monotheism is therefore the parent of correct thinking1 and could not draw its sanctions thence4 ,no3 the law appeals to the historical experience of ,israel2 it is content to stand and fall by that2 if they acknowledged the claim of ,god upon their loyalty1 all the rest followed4 ,their own story made good this claim4 ,and so does the whole story of the ,church1 and the whole inner life of every man who knows anything of himself1 bear witness to the religion of ,jesus4 ,never let us weary of repeating that while we have ample controversial resource1 while no missile can pierce the chain-armour of the ,christian evidences1 connected and interwoven into a great whole1 and while the infidelity which is called scientific is really infidel only so far as it begs its case 7which is an unscientific thing to do71 nevertheless the strength of our position is experimental4 ,if the experience which testifies to ,jesus were historical alone1 ,i might refuse to give it credit3 if it were only personal1 ,i might ascribe it to enthusiasm4 ,but as long as a great cloud of living witnesses1 and all the history of the ,church1 declare the reality of ,his salvation1 while ,i myself feel the sufficiency of what ,he offers 7or else the bitter need of it71 so long the question is not between conflicting theories1 but between theories and facts4 ,to have another god is to place him beside ,one ,whom we already have1 and ,who has wrought for us the great emancipation4 ,it is not an error in theological science3 it is ingratitude and treason4 ,but it very soon became evident that men could apostatise from ,god otherwise than in formal worship1 chant and sacrifice and prostration3 ,this people honoureth me with their mouths1 but their hearts are far from ,me4 ,god asks for love and trust1 and our litanies should express and cultivate these4 ,whatever steals away these from the ,lord is really ,his rival1 and another god4 ,what is it to have a ,god8 or what is ,god8 ,luther asks4 ,and he answers1 ,he is ,god1 and is so called1 from ,whose goodness and power thou dost confidently promise all good things to thyself1 and to ,whom thou dost fly from all adverse affairs and pressing perils4 ,so that to have a ,god is nothing else than to trust ,him and believe in ,him with all the heart1 even as ,i have often alleged that the reliance of the heart constitutes alike one's ,god and one's idol4444 ,in what thing soever thou hast thy mind's reliance and thine heart fixed1 that is beyond doubt thy ,god 7,larger ,catechism74 ,and again3 ,what sort of religion is this1 to bow not the knees to riches and honour1 but to offer them the noblest part of you1 the heart and mind8 ,it is to worship the true ,god outwardly and in the flesh1 but the creature inwardly and in spirit 7,x4 ,prcepta ,witt4 ,prdicata74 ,it was on this ground that he included charms and spells among the sins against this commandment1 because1 though they seem foolish rather than wicked1 yet do they lead to this too grave result1 that men learn to rely upon the creature in trifles1 and so fail in great things to rely upon ,god 7,ibid47 ,this view of false worship is frequent in ,scripture itself4 ,the ,chaldeans were idolaters of an elaborate and imposing ritual1 but their true deities were not to be found in temples4 ,they adored what they really trusted upon1 and that was their military prowess--the god of the modern commander1 who said that ,providence sided with the big battalions4 ,the ,chaldean is he whose might is his god1 whereas the sacred warrior has the ,lord for his strength and shield and very present help in battle4 ,nay1 regarding men as the fishes of the sea1 and his own vast armaments as the fisher's apparatus to sweep them away1 the ,chaldean1 it is said1 sacrificeth unto his net1 and burneth incense unto his drag2 because by them his portion is fat and his meat plenteous 7,hab4 i4 #aa1 #ad-af74 ,multitudes of humbler people practise a similar idolatry4 ,they say to ,god ,give us this day our daily bread2 but they really ascribe their maintenance to their profession or their trade2 and so this is the true object of their homage4 ,they1 too1 burn incense to their drag4 ,others had no thought of a higher blessedness than animal enjoyment4 ,their god was their belly4 ,they set the excitement of wine in the place of the fulness of the ,spirit1 or preferred some depraved union upon earth to the honour of being one spirit with the ,lord 7,phil4 iii4 #ai2 ,eph4 v4 #ah2 #a ,cor4 vi4 #af1 #ag74 ,and some tried to combine the world and righteousness2 not to lose heaven while grasping wealth1 and receiving here not only good things1 but the only good things they acknowledged--their good things 7,luke xvi4 #be74 ,as the ,samaritans feared the ,lord and served graven images1 so these were fain to serve ,god and mammon 7#b ,kings xvii4 #da2 ,matt4 vi4 #bd74 ,now1 these departures from the true ,centre of all love and ,source of all light were really a homage to ,his great rival1 the god of this world4 ,whenever men seek to obtain any prize by departing from ,god1 they do reverence to him who falsely said of all the kingdoms of the earth1 and their glory1 ,these things are delivered unto me1 and to whomsoever ,i will ,i give them4 ,they deny ,him to ,whom indeed all power is committed in heaven and earth4 ,what is the remedy1 then1 for all such formal or virtual apostasies8 ,it is to have the true ,god--which means1 not only to know and confess1 but to be in real relationship with ,him4 ,despite ,his so-called self-sufficiency1 man is not very self-sufficing1 after all4 ,the vast endowments of ,julius ,csar did not prevent him from chafing because1 at the age when he was still obscure1 ,alexander had conquered the world4 ,to be ,julius ,csar was not enough for him4 ,nor is any man able to stand alone4 ,in the ,old ,testament ,joshua said1 ,if it seem evil unto you to serve the ,lord1 choose you this day whom ye will serve1--implying that they must obey some one and will do better to choose a service than to drift into one 7,josh4 xxiv4 #ae74 ,and in the ,new ,testament ,jesus declared that no man can serve two masters2 but added that he would not break with both and go free1 he was sure to love and cleave to one of them4 ,now1 he only is proof against apostasy1 who has realised the wants of the soul within him1 and the powerlessness of all creatures to satisfy or save1 and then1 turning to the cross of ,christ1 has found his sufficiency in ,him4 ,lord1 to whom shall we go8 ,thou hast the words of everlasting life4 ,marvellous it is to think that underneath the stern words ,thou shalt have none other1 lies all the condescension of the privilege ,thou shalt have 444 ,me4 ,,the ,,second ,,commandment4 ,thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image1 444 thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them1 nor serve them4--xx4 #d-f4 ,how far does the second of these clauses modify the first8 ,men there are who maintain the severe independence of the former1 so that it forbids the presence of any image or likeness in the house of ,god1 even for innocent purposes of adornment4 ,but the ,decalogue is not a liturgical directory3 what it forbids in church it forbids anywhere2 and on this theory the statues in ,parliament ,square would be idolatrous1 as well as those in ,westminster ,abbey4 ,and such ,christians are more ,judaical than the ,jews1 who were taught to place in the very ,holy of ,holies golden cherubim overshadowing the mercy-seat1 and to represent them again upon its curtains4 ,it is therefore plain that the precept never forbade imagery1 but idolatry1 which is the making of images to satisfy the craving of men's hearts for a sensuous worship--the making of them unto thee4 ,the second clause qualifies and elucidates the first4 ,and what the commandment prohibits is any attempt to help our worship by representing the object of adoration to the senses4 ,the higher and more subtle idolatries do not conceive that wood or gold is actually transformed into their deities2 but only that the deities are locally present in the images1 which express their attributes--power in a hundred hands1 beneficence in a hundred breasts4 ,but in thus expressing1 they degrade and cramp the conception4 ,they may perhaps evade the reproach of ,isaiah that they warm themselves with a portion of timber1 and roast meat with another portion1 and make the remainder a god 7,isa4 xliv4 #ae-ag71 by urging that the timber is not the god1 but an abode which he chooses because it expresses his specific qualities4 ,but they cannot evade the reproach of ,st4 ,paul1 that being ourselves the offspring of ,god1 we ought not to compare ,him to the workmanship of our hands1 graven with art and man's device 7,acts xvii4 #bi74 ,a truly spiritual worship is intellectually as well as morally the most elevating exercise of the soul1 which it leads onward and upward1 making of all that it knows and thinks a vestibule1 beyond which lie higher knowledge and deeper feeling as yet unattained4 ,why is ,gothic architecture better adapted for religious buildings than any ,grecian or ,oriental style8 ,because its long aisles1 vaulted roofs and pointed arches1 leading the vision up to the unseen1 tell of mystery1 and draw the mind away beyond the visible and concrete to something greater which it hints2 while rounded arches and definite proportions shut in at once the vision and the mind4 ,the difference is the same as between poetry and logic4 ,and so it is with worship4 ,we fetter and cramp our thoughts of deity when we bind them to even the loftiest conceptions which have ever been shut up in marble or upon canvas4 ,the best image that ever took shape is inferior to the poorest spiritual conception of ,god1 in this respect if in no other--that it has no expansiveness1 it cannot grow4 ,and in connecting our prayers with it1 we virtually say1 ',this satisfies my conception of ,god4' ,it is not to be condemned merely as inadequate1 for so are all our highest thoughts of deity2 nor only because average humanity 7which is supposed to stand most in need of the help and suggestion of art7 will never learn the fine distinctions by which subtle intellects withhold from the image itself the worship which it evokes1 and which goes out in its direction4 ,it is still more mischievous because1 even for the trained theologian1 it is the petrifaction of what is meant to develop and expand1 the solidification of the inadequate1 the accepting of what is human as our idea of the divine4 ,nor will it long continue to be merely inadequate4 ,experience proves that ideas1 like air and water1 cannot be confined without stagnating4 ,idolatries not only fail to develop1 they degenerate2 and systems1 however orthodox they may appear at starting1 which connect worship with palpable imagery1 are doomed to sink into superstition4 ,to this precept there is added a startling and painful caution--,for ,i the ,lord thy ,god am a jealous ,god4 ,that a man should be jealous is no passport to our friendship3 we think of unreasonable estrangements1 exaggerated demands1 implacable and cruel resentments4 ,it would not enter the average mind to doubt that one is highly praised when another says of him1 ',i never traced in his words or actions the slightest stain of jealousy4' ,and yet we are to think of ,god ,himself as the jealous ,god4 ,upon reflection1 however1 we must admit that a man is not condemned as jealous-minded because he is capable of jealousy1 but because he has an unjust and unreasonable tendency towards it4 ,it is a narrowing and suspicious quality when it operates without due cause1 a vindictive and cruel one when it operates in excessive measure4 ,but what should we think of a parent who felt no jealousy if the heart of his child were stolen from him by intriguing servants or by frivolous comrades8 ,now1 ,god has called ,israel ,his son1 even ,his firstborn4 ,the truth is that with us jealousy is dangerous and frequently perverted1 because we are bad judges of the measure of our own rights1 especially when our affections are involved4 ,but some measure of jealousy is the necessary pain of love neglected1 love wronged or slighted by those upon whom it has a claim4 ,jealousy is the shadow thrown where the sunshine of love is intercepted1 and it is strong in proportion to the strength of the light4 ,it operates in the heart exactly like the sense of justice in the reason4 ,justice expects a recompense where it has given service1 and jealousy asks for love where it has given affection4 ,and therefore1 when ,god tells us that ,he is jealous1 ,he implies that ,he condescends to love us1 to look for a return1 to desire more from us than outward service4 ,we cannot be jealous concerning things which are indifferent to us4 ,even the jealousy of rival competitors for business or for place may be measured by the desire of each for that which the other would engross4 ,the politician is not jealous of the millionaire1 nor the capitalist of the prime minister4 ,now1 if ,god is jealous when the enemies of our soul would steal away our loyalty1 it surely follows that we shall not be left to contend with those enemies alone3 ,he values us2 ,he is upon our side2 ,he will help us to overcome them4 ,and now we begin to see why this attribute is connected with the second commandment and not the first4 ,the apostate who betakes himself to another god is almost beyond the reach of this tender and intimate emotion3 he is still loved1 for ,god loves all men2 but yet perhaps the chord is unstrung which trembles responsive to this plaintive note4 ,when a man who confesses ,god begins to weary of spiritual intercourse with the ,lord of spirits1 when he can no longer worship ,one whose actual presence is realised because ,his voice is heard within1 when the likeness of man or brute1 or brightness of morning1 or marvel of life or its reproductiveness1 contents him as a representation of ,god the invisible1 then his heart is beginning to go after the creature1 to content itself with artistic loveliness or majesty1 to let go the grasp as upon a living hand1 by which alone the soul may be sustained when it stumbles1 or guided when it would err4 ,to those who are within ,his covenant--to us1 therefore1 as to ,his ancient ,israel--,he says1 ,i the ,lord thy ,god am a jealous ,god4 ,because ,i am thy ,god4 ,the assertion of a ,divine jealousy is but one difficulty of this remarkable verse4 ,the ,lord goes on to describe ,himself as visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate ,me1 and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love ,me and keep ,my commandments4 ,and is this reasonable8 ,to punish the child1 to be avenged upon the children's children1 for sins which are not their own8 ,we know how often the sceptic has made gain out of this representation--which is but his own unauthorised gloss1 since in reality ,god has said nothing about punishing the righteous with the wicked4 ,it is not true that all sad and disastrous consequences are penal2 many are disciplinary1 and even to the people of ,god some are surgical1 cutting away what would lead to disease and death4 ,are no evil consequences probable1 if men brought up amid scenes dishonouring to ,god were treated exactly like those who have since childhood felt as it were the hand of a ,father upon their head8 ,for themselves it is best and kindest that so deep a loss could come home to their consciousness in pain4 ,at all events1 the assertion so early made in ,scripture is confirmed in all the experience of the race4 ,insanity1 idiocy1 scrofula1 consumption1 are too often1 though not always1 the hereditary results of guilt4 ,sins of the flesh are visited upon the bodily system4 ,sins of the temper1 such as pride1 cynicism and frivolity1 are felt in the mental structure of the race4 ,and the sins which offend directly against ,god1 do they bring no results with them8 ,ask of the investigators of the new science of heredity and transmitted peculiarities1 whether it stops short of the highest and holiest parts of human nature4 ,or consider the ravages which victory and consequent wealth have made1 again and again1 in the character of whole nations4 ,there is no doctrine impugned in ,scripture1 which men have less prospect of shaking off1 even if they close their ,bibles for ever1 than this4 ,if it were not there1 we should be perplexed at a want of conformity between the ways of ,god in nature and what is asserted of ,him in ,his ,book4 ,but it is either slander or blindness to represent this law1 viewed in its entirety1 as other than benevolent4 ,the transmission of the result of evil is only a part of the vast law which has bound men together in nations and families1 as partners and members with each other4 ,it is clear that distinctive advantages cannot be bestowed upon the children of the good1 as such1 unless the same advantages be withheld from the evil race beside them4 ,if the prizes of a university are won by knowledge1 the result is that ignorance is visited1 in the withholding of them4 ,and if1 in the vaster university of life1 health1 affluence1 good repute and a clear intellect are the transmitted results of virtue1 then disease1 poverty1 neglect and incompetence become the dire bequest of the unrighteous4 ,there is no choice1 therefore1 except either to carry out this law1 or else to bid every man in the world begin life1 not as the heir of all the ages1 but absolutely destitute of all that has been acquired by his fellow-men4 ,sometimes a hint is given us of what this would be4 ,there is brought occasionally into civilised communities1 from the depths of forests1 a creature without language or decency or intellect1 with low forehead and brutal appetites1 who in his early childhood had wandered away and been lost1--brought up1 men say1 by the strange compassion of some lower creature1 and now sunken well-nigh to its level4 ,to this degradation we should all come1 if it were not for the transmitted inheritance of our fathers4 ,and so vast is the upward force of this grand law1 that it is steadily though slowly upheaving the whole mass2 and the lowest of to-day1 visited for ancestral failings by sinking to the bottom1 is higher than if he had been left absolutely alone4 ,this over-weight of good is clearly seen by comparing the clauses1 for the sins of the fathers are visited upon the children to the third and fourth generation1 but mercy is shown in them that love ,god upon a wholly different scale4 ,even unto thousands would enormously counterbalance three generations4 ,but the ,revised ,version rightly suggests a thousand generations in the margin1 and supports it by one of its very rare references4 ,it is plainly stated in ,deuteronomy vii4 #i1 that ,he keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love ,him and keep ,his commandments unto a thousand generations4 ,lastly1 it is to be observed that in all this passage the gospel is shining through the law4 ,it is not a question of just dealing1 but of emotion4 ,god is not a master exacting taskwork1 but a ,father1 jealous if we refuse our hearts4 ,he visits sin upon the posterity of them that hate1 not only of them that disobey ,him4 ,and when our hearts sink1 we who are responsible for generations yet to be1 as we reflect upon our frailty1 our ignorance and our sins1 upon the awful consequences which may result from one heedless act--nay1 from a gesture or a look--,he reminds us that ,he does not requite those who serve ,him only with a measured wage1 but shows mercy upon those who love ,him unto a thousand generations4 ,,the ,,third ,,commandment4 ,thou shalt not take the name of the ,lord thy ,god in vain4--xx4 #g4 ,what is the precise force of this prohibition8 ,the word used is ambiguous3 sometimes it must be rendered as here1 as in the verses ,vain is the help of man1 and ,except the ,lord build the house1 their labour is but vain that build it 7,psalm cviii4 #ab1 cxxvii4 #a74 ,but sometimes it clearly means false1 as in the texts ,thou shalt not raise a false report1 and swearing falsely in making a covenant 7,exod4 xxiii4 #a2 ,hos4 x4 #d74 ,yet again1 it hangs midway between the two ideas1 as when we read of lying vanities1 and again1 trusting in vanity and speaking lies 7,psalm xxxi4 #f2 ,isa4 lix4 #d74 ,in favour of the rendering falsely it is urged that our ,lord quotes it as said to them of old time ',thou shalt not forswear thyself' 7,matt4 v4 #cc74 ,but it is by no means clear that ,he quotes this text3 the citation is closer to the phraseology of ,lev4 xix4 #ab1 and it is found in a section of the ,sermon which does not confine its citations to the ,decalogue 7cf4 ver4 #ch74 ,the ,authorised rendering seems the more natural when we remember that civic duty had not yet come upon the stage4 ,when we have learned to honour only one ,god1 and not to degrade nor materialise our conception of ,him1 the next step is to inculcate1 not yet veracity toward men when ,god has been invoked1 but reverence1 in treating the sacred name4 ,we have already seen the miserable superstitions by which the ,jews endeavoured to satisfy the letter while outraging the spirit of this precept4 ,in modern times some have conceived that all invocation of the ,divine ,name is unlawful1 although ,st4 ,paul called ,god for a witness upon his soul1 and the strong angel shall yet swear by ,him ,who liveth for ever and ever 7#b ,cor4 i4 #bc2 ,rev4 x4 #f74 ,as it is not a temple but a desert which no foot ever treads1 so the sacred name is not honoured by being unspoken1 but by being spoken aright4 ,swearing is indeed forbidden1 where it has actually disappeared1 namely1 in the mutual intercourse of ,christian people1 whose affirmation should suffice their brethren1 while the need of stronger sanctions cometh of evil1 even of the consciousness of a tendency to untruthfulness1 which requires the stronger barrier of an oath4 ,but our ,lord ,himself1 when adjured by the living ,god1 responded to the solemn authority of that adjuration1 although ,his death was the result4 ,the name of ,god is not taken in vain when men who are conscious of ,his nearness1 and act with habitual reference to ,his will1 mention ,him more frequently and familiarly than formalists approve4 ,it is abused when the insincere and hollow professor joins in the most solemn act of worship1 honours ,him with the lips while the heart is far from ,him--nay1 when one strives to curb ,satan1 and reclaim his fellow-sinner1 by the use of good and holy phrases1 in which his own belief is merely theoretical2 and fares like the sons of ,sceva1 who repeated an orthodox adjuration1 but fled away overpowered and wounded4 ,or if the truth unworthily spoken assert its inherent power1 that will not justify the hollowness of his profession1 and in vain will he plead at last1 ,lord1 ,lord1 have we not in ,thy name cast out devils1 and in ,thy name done many marvellous acts8 ,the only safe rule is to be sure that our conception of ,god is high and real and intimate2 to be habitually humble and trustful in our attitude toward ,him2 and then to speak sincerely and frankly1 as then we shall not fail to do4 ,the words which rise naturally to the lips of men who think thus cannot fail to do ,him honour1 for out of the fulness of the heart the mouth speaketh4 ,and the prevalent notion that ,god should be mentioned seldom and with bated breath is rather an evidence of men's failure habitually to think of ,him aright1 than of filial and loving reverence4 ,there is a large and powerful school of religion in our own day1 whose disciples talk much more of their own emotions and their own souls than ,st4 ,paul did1 and much less about ,god and ,christ4 ,some day the proportions will be restored4 ,in the great ,church of the future men will not morbidly shrink from confessing their inner life1 but neither will it be the centre of their contemplation and their discourse3 they will be filled with the fulness of ,god2 out of the abundance of their hearts their mouths will speak2 ,his name shall be continually in their mouth1 and yet they shall not take the name of the ,lord their ,god in vain4 ,,the ,,fourth ,,commandment4 xx4 #h-aa4 ,it cannot be denied that the commandment to honour the ,sabbath day occupies a unique place among the ten4 ,it is1 at least apparently1 a formal precept embedded in the heart of a moral code1 and good men have thought very differently indeed about its obligation upon the ,christian ,church4 ,the great ,continental reformers1 ,lutheran and ,calvinistic alike1 who subscribed the ,confession of ,augsburg1 there affirmed that ,scripture hath abolished the ,sabbath by teaching that all ,mosaic ceremonies may be omitted since the gospel has been revealed 7,,ii4 vii4 #bh74 ,the ,scotch reformers1 on the other hand1 declared that ,god in ,his ,word1 by a positive moral and perpetual commandment1 binding all men in all ages1 hath particularly appointed one day in seven for a ,sabbath1 to be kept holy unto ,him 7,westminster ,confess41 ,,xxi4 vii474 ,they are even so bold as to declare that this day from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of ,christ was the last day of the week1 and from the resurrection of ,christ was changed into the first day of the week2 but this proposition would be as hard to prove as the contrary assertion1 still maintained by some obscure religionists1 that the change of day1 for however sufficient and sublime a reason1 was beyond the capacity of the ,church of ,christ to enact4 ,amid these conflicting opinions the doctrinal formularies of the ,church of ,england are characteristically guarded and prudent2 but her worshippers are bidden to seek mercy from the ,lord for past violations of this law1 and an inclination of heart to keep it in the future2 and when the ,ten have been recited1 they pray that all these ,thy laws may be written upon their hearts4 ,there is no doubt1 therefore1 about the opinion of our own ,reformers concerning the divine obligation of the commandment4 ,in examining the problem thus presented to us1 our chief light must be that of ,scripture itself4 ,is the ,sabbath what the ,lutheran confession called it1 a mere ,mosaic ceremony1 or does it rest upon sanctions which began earlier and lasted longer than the precept to abstain from shell-fish1 or to sanctify the firstborn of cattle8 ,does its presence in the ,decalogue disfigure that great code1 as the intrusion of these other precepts would do8 ,when we find a ,gentile church reminded that the next precept to this is the first commandment with promise 7,eph4 vi4 #b71 can we suppose that the tables to which ,st4 ,paul appealed1 and the promise which he cited at full length1 were both cancelled2 that in so far as a moral element existed in them1 that portion of course survived their repeal1 but the code itself was gone8 ,if so1 the temporal promise went with it1 and its quotation by ,st4 ,paul is strange4 ,strange also1 upon this supposition1 was the stress which he habitually laid upon the law as a convicting power1 and as being only repealed in the letter so far as it was fulfilled by the spontaneous instinct of love1 which was the fulfilling of the law4 ,the position of the commandment among a number of moral and universal duties cannot but weigh heavily in its favour4 ,it prompts us to ask whether our duty to ,god is purely negative1 to be fulfilled by a policy of non-intervention1 not worshipping idols1 nor blaspheming4 ,something more was already intimated in the promise of mercy to them that love ,me4 ,for love is chiefly the source of active obedience3 while fear is satisfied by the absence of provocation1 love wants not only to abstain from evil but to do good4 ,and how may it satisfy this instinct when its object is the eternal ,god1 ,who1 if ,he were hungry1 would not tell us8 ,it finds the necessary outlet in worship1 in adoring communion1 in the exclusion for awhile of worldly cares1 in the devotion of time and thought to ,him4 ,now1 the foundation upon which all the institutions of religion may be securely built1 is the day of rest4 ,call it external1 formal1 unspiritual if you will2 say that it is a carnal ordinance1 and that he who keeps it in spirit is free from the obligation of the letter4 ,but then1 what about the eighth commandment8 ,are we absolved also from the precept ,thou shalt not steal1 because it too is concerned with external actions1 because this 444 thou shalt not steal 444 and if there be any other commandment1 it is briefly comprehended in this one saying1 ,thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself8 ,do we say1 the spirit has abolished the letter3 love is the rescinding of the law8 ,st4 ,paul said the very opposite3 love is the fulfilling of the law1 not its destruction2 and thus he re-echoed the words of ,jesus1 ,i am not come to destroy the law1 but to fulfil4 ,all men know that the formal regulations which defend property are relaxed as the ties of love and mutual understanding are made strong2 that to enter unannounced is not a trespass1 that the same action which will be prosecuted as a theft by a stranger1 and resented as a liberty by an acquaintance1 is welcomed as a graceful freedom1 almost as an endearment1 by a friend4 ,and yet the commandment and the rights of property hold good3 they are not compromised1 but glorified1 by being spiritualised4 ,as it is between man and his brother1 so should it be between us and our ,divine ,father4 ,we have learned to know ,him very differently from those who shuddered under ,sinai3 the whole law is not now written upon tables of stone1 but upon fleshly tables of the heart4 ,but among the precepts which are thus etherialised and yet established1 why should not the fourth commandment retain its place8 ,why should it be supposed that it must vanish from the ,decalogue1 unless the gathering of sticks deserves stoning8 ,the institution1 and the ceremonial application of it to ,jewish life1 are entirely different things2 just as respect for property is a fixed obligation1 while the laws of succession vary4 ,bearing this distinction in mind1 we come to the question1 ,was the ,sabbath an ordinance born of ,mosaism1 or not8 ,grant that the word ,remember1 if it stood alone1 might conceivably express the emphasis of a new precept1 and not the recapitulation of an existing one4 ,grant also that the mention in ,genesis of the ,divine rest might be made by anticipation1 to be read with an eye to the institution which would be mentioned later4 ,but what is to be made of the fact that on the seventh day manna was withheld from the camp1 before they had arrived at ,horeb1 and therefore before the commandment had been written by the finger of ,god upon the stone8 ,was this also done by anticipation8 ,upon any supposition1 it aimed at teaching the nation that the obligation of the day was not based upon the positive precept1 but the precept embodied an older and more fundamental obligation4 ,how is the ,sabbath spoken of in those prophecies which set least value upon the merely ceremonial law8 ,isaiah speaks of mere ritual as slightly as ,st4 ,paul4 ,to fast and afflict one's soul is nothing1 if in the day of fasting one smites with the fist and oppresses his labourers4 ,to loose the bonds of wickedness1 to free the oppressed1 to share one's bread with the hungry1 this is the fast which ,god has chosen1 and for him who fasts after this fashion the light shall break forth like sunrise1 and his bones shall be strong1 and he himself like an unfailing water-spring4 ,now1 it is the same chapter which thus waives aside mere ceremonial in contempt1 which lavishes the most ample promises on him who turns away his foot from the ,sabbath1 and calls the ,sabbath a delight1 and the holy of the ,lord1 honourable1 and honours it 7,isa4 lviii4 #e-aa1 #ac-ad74 ,there is no such promise in ,jeremiah1 for the observance of any merely ceremonial law1 as that which bids the people to honour the ,sabbath day1 that there may enter into their gates kings and princes riding in chariots and upon horses1 and that the city may remain for ever 7,jer4 xvii4 #bd1 #be74 ,and ,ezekiel declares that in the day when ,god made ,himself known to ,his people in the land of ,egypt1 ,he gave them statutes and judgments and ,his sabbaths 7,ezek4 xx4 #aa1 #ab74 ,now1 this phrase is a clear allusion to the word of ,god in ,jeremiah1 that ,i spake not unto their fathers in the day when ,i brought them out of ,egypt1 concerning burnt-offerings or sacrifices1 but this thing ,i commanded them1 saying1 ,hearken unto ,my voice1 etc4 7,jer4 vii4 #bc74 ,and it sharply contrasts the sacredness of ,god's abiding ordinances with the temporary institutions of the sanctuary4 ,but it reckons the ,sabbath among the former4 ,it is objected that our ,lord ,himself treated the ,sabbath lightly1 as a worn-out ordinance4 ,but ,he was a minister of the circumcision1 and always discussed the lawfulness of ,his ,sabbath miracles as a ,jew with ,jews4 ,thus ,he argued that men1 admittedly under the law1 baked the shewbread1 circumcised children1 and even rescued cattle from jeopardy upon the seventh day4 ,he appealed to the example of ,david1 who met a sufficiently urgent necessity by eating the consecrated bread1 which was not lawful for him to eat 7,matt4 xii4 #d74 ,he did not hint that the law of the sabbath had disappeared1 but insisted that it was meant to serve man and not to oppress him3 that the sabbath was made for man1 and not man for the sabbath 7,mark ii4 #bg74 ,now1 there is not in the life of ,christ an assertion1 so broad and strong as that the ,sabbath was made for the human race1 which can be narrowed down to a discussion of any merely local and temporary institution4 ,he ,who stood highest1 and saw the widest horizons1 declared that the ,sabbath was intended for humanity1 and not for a section or a sect of it4 ,not because ,he was the ,king of the ,jews1 but because ,he was the ,son of ,man1 the ripe fruit and the leader of the world-wide race which it was given to bless1 therefore ,he was also its ,lord4 ,and in ,him1 so are we4 ,like all things present and things to come1 it is our help1 we are not its slaves4 ,there is something abject in the notion of a ,christian freeman1 who has been for a long week imprisoned in some gloomy and ill-ventilated workshop1 whose lungs would be purified1 and therefore his spirits uplifted1 and therefore his reason and his affections invigorated1 and therefore his worship rendered more fresh1 warm and reasonable1 by the breathing of a purer air1 yet whose conception of a day of rest is so slavish that he dares not rest from the pollution of an infected atmosphere1 and from the closeness of a ,london court1 because he conceives it imperative to rest only from that bodily exercise1 to enjoy which would be to him the most real and the most delightful repose of all4 ,but there are other things more abject still2 and one of them is the miserable insincerity of the affluent and luxurious1 using the exceptional case of him whose week-days are thus oppressed1 to excuse their own wanton neglect of religious ordinances1 accepting at the hands of ,christianity the sacred holiday1 but ignoring utterly the fact that the ,lord sanctified and hallowed it1 that it is to be called the holy of the ,lord1 and to be honoured1 and that we are free from the letter of the precept only in so far as we rise to the spirit of it1 in loving and true communion with the ,father of spirits4 ,another utterance of ,jesus throws a strong light upon the nature and the limits of our obligation4 ,my ,father worketh even until now1 and ,i work 7,john v4 #ag7 is an appeal to the fact that in the long sabbath of ,god ,his world is not deserted2 creation may be suspended1 but the bounties of ,providence go on2 and therefore ,christ also felt that ,his day of rest was not one of torpor1 that in healing the impotent man upon the ,sabbath ,he was but following the example of ,him by whose rest the day was sanctified4 ,all works of beneficent love1 all that ministers to human recovery from anguish1 and carries out the ,divine purposes of grace for body or soul1 rescue from danger1 healing of disease1 reformation of guilt1 are sanctioned by this defence of ,christ4 ,they need not plead that the commandment is abrogated1 but that ,jesus of ,nazareth1 of the seed of ,david1 found nothing in such liberties inconsistent with the duties of a devout ,hebrew4 ,,the ,,fifth ,,commandment4 ,honour thy father and thy mother3 that thy days may be long upon the land which the ,lord thy ,god giveth thee4--xx4 #ab4 ,this commandment forms a kind of bridge between the first table and the second4 ,obedience to parents is not merely a neighbourly virtue2 we do not honour them simply as our fellow-men3 they are the vicegerents of ,god to our childhood2 through them ,he supplies our necessities1 defends our feebleness1 and pours in light and wisdom upon our ignorance2 by them our earliest knowledge of right and wrong is imparted1 and upon the sanction of their voice it long depends4 ,it is clear that parental authority cannot be undermined1 nor filial disobedience and irreverence gain ground1 without shaking the foundations of our religious life1 even more perhaps than of our social conduct4 ,accordingly this commandment stands before the sixth1 not because murder is a less offence against society1 but because it is more emphatically against our neighbour1 and less directly against ,god4 ,the human infant is dependent and helpless for a longer period1 and more utterly1 than the young of any other animal4 ,its growth1 which is to reach so much higher1 is slower1 and it is feebler during the process4 ,and the reason of this is plain to every thoughtful observer4 ,god has willed that the race of man should be bound together in the closest relationships1 both spiritual and secular2 and family affection prepares the heart for membership alike of the nation and the ,church4 ,with this inner circle the wider ones are concentric4 ,the pathetic dependence of the child nourishes equally the strong love which protects1 and the grateful love which clings4 ,and from our early knowledge of human generosity1 human care and goodness1 there is born the capacity for belief in the heart of the great ,father1 from ,whom every family in heaven and earth derived its ,greek name of ,fatherhood 7,eph4 iii4 #ae74 ,woe to the father whose cruelty1 selfishness1 or evil passions make it hard for his child to understand the ,archetype1 because the type is spoiled6 or whose tyranny and self-will suggest rather the stern ,god of reprobation1 or of servile1 slavish subjection1 than the tender ,father of freeborn sons1 who are no more under tutors and governors1 but are called unto freedom4 ,but how much sorer woe to the son who dishonours his earthly parent1 and in so doing slays within himself the very principle of obedience to the ,father of spirits6 ,no earthly tie is perfect1 and therefore no earthly obedience can be absolute4 ,some crisis comes in every life when the most innocent and praiseworthy affection becomes a snare--when the counsel we most relied upon would fain mislead our conscience--when a man1 to be ,christ's disciple1 must hate father and mother1 as ,christ ,himself heard the temptation of the evil one speaking through chosen and beloved lips1 and said ,get thee behind ,me1 ,satan4 ,even then we shall respect them1 and pray as ,christ prayed for ,his failing apostle1 and when the storm has spent itself they shall resume their due place in the loving heart of their ,christian offspring4 ,so ,jesus1 when ,mary would interrupt ,his teaching1 said ,who is ,my mother8 ,but imminent death could not prevent ,him from pitying her sorrow1 and committing her to ,his beloved disciple as to a son4 ,from the letter of this commandment streams out a loving influence to sanctify all the rest of our relationships4 ,as the love of ,god implies that of our brother also1 so does the honour of parents involve the recognition of all our domestic ties4 ,and even unassisted nature will tend to make long the days of the loving and obedient child2 for life and health depend far less upon affluence and luxury than upon a well-regulated disposition1 a loving heart1 a temper which can obey without chafing1 and a conscience which respects law4 ,all these are being learned in disciplined and dutiful households1 which are therefore the nurseries of happy and righteous children1 and so of long-lived families in the next generation also4 ,exceptions there must be4 ,but the rule is clear1 that violent and curbless lives will spend themselves faster than the lives of the gentle1 the loving1 the law-abiding and the innocent4 ,,the ,,sixth ,,commandment4 ,thou shalt do no murder4--xx4 #ac4 ,we have now clearly passed to the consideration of man's duty to his fellow-man1 as a part of his duty to his ,maker4 ,it is no longer as holding a divinely appointed relation to us1 but simply as he is a man1 that we are bidden to respect his person1 his family1 his property1 and his fair fame4 ,and the influence of the teaching of our ,lord is felt in the very name which we all give to the second table of the law4 ,we call it our duty to our neighbour4 ,but we do not mean to imply that there lives on the surface of the globe one whom we are free to assault or to pillage4 ,the obligation is universal1 and the name we give it echoes the teaching of ,him who said that no man can enter the sphere of our possible influence1 even as a wounded creature in a swoon whom we may help1 but he should thereupon become our neighbour4 ,or rather1 we should become his2 for while the question asked of ,him was ,who is my neighbour8 7whom should ,i love87 ,jesus reversed the problem when ,he asked in turn not ,to whom was the wounded man a neighbour8 but ,who was a neighbour unto him8 7who loved him87 ,social ethics1 then1 have a religious sanction4 ,it is the constant duty and effort of the ,church of ,god to saturate the whole life of man1 all his conduct and his thought1 with a sense of sacredness2 and as the world is for ever desecrating what is holy1 so is religion for ever consecrating what is secular4 ,in these latter days men have thought it a proof of grace to separate religion from daily life4 ,the ,antinomian1 who maintains that his orthodox beliefs or feelings absolve him from the obligations of morality1 joins hands with the ,italian brigand who hopes to be forgiven for cutting throats because he subsidises a priest4 ,the enthusiast who insists that all sins1 past and future1 were forgiven him when he believed1 approaches far nearer than he supposes to the fanatic of another creed1 who thinks a formal confession and an external absolution sufficient to wash away sin4 ,all of them hold the grand heresy that one may escape the penalties without being freed from the power of evil2 that a life may be saved by grace without being penetrated by religion1 and that it is not exactly accurate to say that ,jesus saves ,his people from their sins4 ,it is scarcely wonderful1 when some men thus refuse to morality the sanctions of religion1 that others propose to teach morality how she may go without them4 ,in spite of the experience of ages1 which proves that human passions are only too ready to defy at once the penalties of both worlds1 it is imagined that the microscope and the scalpel may supersede the ,gospel as teachers of virtue2 that the self-interest of a creature doomed to perish in a few years may prove more effectual to restrain than eternal hopes and fears2 and that a scientific prudence may supply the place of holiness4 ,it has never been so in the past4 ,not only ,juda1 but ,egypt1 ,greece1 and ,rome1 were strong as long as they were righteous1 and righteous as long as their morality was bound up in their religion4 ,when they ceased to worship they ceased to be self-controlled1 nor could the most urgent and manifest self-interest1 nor all the resources of lofty philosophy1 withhold them from the ruin which always accompanies or follows vice4 ,is it certain that modern science will fare any better8 ,so far from deepening our respect for human nature and for law1 she is discovering vile origins for our most sacred institutions and our deepest instincts1 and whispering strange means by which crime may work without detection and vice without penalty4 ,never was there a time when educated thought was more suggestive of contempt for one's self and for one's fellow-man1 and of a prudent1 sturdy1 remorseless pursuit of self-interest1 which may be very far indeed from virtuous4 ,the next generation will eat the fruit of this teaching1 as we reap what our fathers sowed4 ,the theorist may be as pure as ,epicurus4 ,but the disciples will be as the ,epicureans4 ,is there anything in the modern conception of a man which bids me spare him1 if his existence dooms me to poverty and ,i can quietly push him over a precipice8 ,it is quite conceivable that ,i can prove1 and very likely indeed that ,i can persuade myself1 that the shortening of the life of one hard and grasping man may brighten the lives of hundreds4 ,and my passions will simply laugh at the attempt to restrain me by arguing that great advantages result from the respect for human life upon the whole4 ,appetites1 greeds1 resentments do not regard their objects in this broad and colourless way2 they grant the general proposition1 but add that every rule has its exceptions4 ,something more is needed3 something which can never be obtained except from a universal law1 from the sanctity of all human lives as bearing eternal issues in their bosom1 and from the certainty that ,he who gave the mandate will enforce it4 ,it is when we see in our fellow-man a divine creature of the ,divine1 made by ,god in ,his own image1 marred and defaced by sin1 but not beyond recovery1 when his actions are regarded as wrought in the sight of a ,judge ,whose presence supersedes utterly the slightness1 heat and inadequacy of our judgment and our vengeance1 when his pure affections tell us of the love of ,god which passeth knowledge1 when his errors affright us as dire and melancholy apostacies from a mighty calling1 and when his death is solemn as the unveiling of unknown and unending destinies1 then it is that we discern the sacredness of life1 and the awful presumption of the deed which quenches it4 ,it is when we realise that he is our brother1 holding his place in the universe by the same tenure by which we hold our own1 and dear to the same ,father1 that we understand how stern is the duty of repressing the first resentful movements within our breast which would even wish to crush him1 because they are a rebellion against the ,divine ordinance and against the ,divine benevolence4 ,is it asked1 how can all this be reconciled with the lawfulness of capital punishment8 ,the death penalty is frequent in the ,mosaic code4 ,but ,scripture regards the judge as the minister and agent of ,god4 ,the stern monotheism of the ,old ,testament said1 ,ye are ,gods1 to those who thus pronounced the behest of ,heaven2 and private vengeance becomes only more culpable when we reflect upon the high sanction and authority by which alone public justice presumes to act4 ,now1 all these considerations vanish together1 when religion ceases to consecrate morality4 ,the judgment of law differs from my own merely as ,i like it better1 and as ,i am a party 7perhaps unwillingly7 to the general consent which creates it2 he whom ,i would assail is doomed in any case to speedy and complete extinction2 his longer life is possibly burdensome to himself and to society2 and there exists no higher ,being to resent my interference1 or to measure out the existence which ,i think too protracted4 ,it is clear that such a view of human life must prove fatal to its sacredness2 and that its results would make themselves increasingly felt1 as the awe wore away which old associations now inspire4 ,,the ,,seventh ,,commandment4 ,thou shalt not commit adultery4--xx4 #ad4 ,this commandment follows very obviously from even the rudest principle of justice to our neighbour4 ,it is among those that ,st4 ,paul enumerates as briefly comprehended in this saying1 ,thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself4 ,and therefore nothing need here be said about the open sin by which one man wrongs another4 ,wild and evil theories may be abroad1 new schemes of social order may be recklessly invented and discussed2 yet1 when the institution of the permanent family is assailed1 every thoughtful man knows full well that all our interests are at stake in its defence1 and the nation could no more survive its overthrow than the ,church4 ,but when our ,lord declared that to excite desire through the eyes is actually this sin1 already ripe1 ,he appealed to some deeper and more spiritual consideration than that of social order4 ,what ,he pointed to is the sacredness of the human body--so holy a thing that impurity1 and even the silent excitement of passion1 is a wrong done to our nature1 and a dishonour to the temple of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,now1 this is a subject upon which it is all the more necessary to write1 because it is hard to speak about4 ,what is the human body1 in the view of the ,christian8 ,it is the one bond1 as far as we know in all the universe1 between the material and the spiritual worlds1 one of which slopes thence down to inert molecules1 and the other upward to the throne of ,god4 ,our brain is the engine-room and laboratory whereby thought1 aspiration1 worship express themselves and become potent1 and even communicate themselves to others4 ,but it is a solemn truth that the body not only interprets passively1 but also influences and modifies the higher nature4 ,the mind is helped by proper diet and exercise1 and hindered by impure air and by excess or lack of food4 ,the influence of music upon the soul has been observed at least since the time of ,saul4 ,and hereafter the ,christian body1 redeemed from the contagion of the fall1 and promoted to a spiritual impressibility and receptiveness which it has never yet known1 is meant to share in the heavenly joys of the immortal spirit before ,god4 ,this is the meaning of the assertion that it is sown a natural 7 soulish7 body1 but shall be raised a spiritual body4 ,in the meantime it must learn its true function4 ,whatever stimulates and excites the animal at the cost of the immortal within1 will in the same degree cloud and obscure the perception that a man's life consisteth not in his pleasures1 and will keep up the illusion that the senses are the true ministers of bliss4 ,the soul is attacked through the appetites at a point far short of their physical indulgence4 ,and when lawless wishes are deliberately toyed with1 it is clear that lawless acts are not hated1 but only avoided through fear of consequences4 ,the reins which govern the life are no longer in the hands of the spirit1 nor is it the will which now refuses to sin4 ,how1 then1 can the soul be alert and pure8 ,it is drugged and stupified3 the offices of religion are a dull form1 and its truths are hollow unrealities1 assented to but unfelt1 because unholy impulses have set on fire the course of nature1 in what should have been the temple of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,moreover1 the ,christian life is not one of mere submission to authority2 its true law is that of ceaseless upward aspiration4 ,and since the union of husband and wife is consecrated to be the truest and deepest and most far-reaching of all types of the mystical union between ,christ and ,his ,church1 it demands an ever closer approach to that perfect ideal of mutual love and service4 ,and whatever impairs the sacred1 mysterious1 all-pervading unity of a perfect wedlock is either the greatest of misfortunes or of crimes4 ,if it be frailty of temper1 failure of common sympathies1 an irretrievable error recognised too late1 it is a calamity which may yet strengthen the character by evoking such pity and helpfulness as ,christ the ,bridegroom showed for the ,church when lost4 ,but if estrangement1 even of heart1 come through the secret indulgence of lawless reverie and desire1 it is treason1 and criminal although the traitor has not struck a blow1 but only whispered sedition under his breath in a darkened room4 ,,the ,,eighth ,,commandment4 ,thou shalt not steal4--xx4 #ae4 ,there is no commandment against which human ingenuity has brought more evasions to bear than this4 ,property itself is theft1 says the communist4 ,it is no grave sin1 says the ,roman text-book1 to steal in moderation2 and this is defined to be1 from a pauper less than a franc1 from a daily labourer less than two or three1 from a person in comfortable circumstances anything under four or five francs1 or from a very rich man ten or twelve francs4 ,and a servant whom force or necessity compels to accept an unjust payment1 may secretly compensate himself1 because the workman is worthy of his hire4#cg ,a moment's reflection discovers this to be the most naked rationalism1 choosing some of the commandments of ,god for honour1 and some for contempt as not very grave and wholly ignoring the principle that whoever attacks the code at any one point is guilty of all1 because he has despised it as a code1 as an organic system4 ,nothing is easier than to confuse one's conscience about the ethics of property4 ,for the arrangements of various nations differ3 it is a geographical line which defines the right of the elder son against his brothers1 of sons against daughters1 and of children against a wife2 and the demand is still more capricious which the state asserts against them all1 under the name of succession duty1 and which it makes upon other property in the form of a multitude of imposts and taxes4 ,can all these different arrangements be alike binding8 ,add to this variability the immense national revenues1 which are apparently so little affected by individual contributions1 and it is no wonder if men fail to see that honesty to the public is a duty as immutable and stern as any other duty to their neighbour4 ,unfortunately the evil spreads4 ,the same considerations which make it seem pardonable to rob the nation apply also to the millionaire2 and they tempt many a poor man to ask whether he need respect the wealth of a usurer1 or may not adjust the scales of ,mine and ,thine1 which law causes to hang unfairly4 ,it is forgotten that a nation has at least the same authority as a club to regulate its own affairs1 to fix the relative position and the subscription of its members4 ,common honesty teaches me that ,i must conform to these rules or leave the club2 and this duty is not at all affected by the fact that other associations have different rules4 ,in three such societies ,god ,himself has placed us all--the family1 the ,church1 and the nation2 and therefore ,i am directly responsible to ,god for due respect to their laws4 ,it is not true that the statute-book is inspired1 any more than that the regulations of a household are divinely given4 ,yet a ,divine sanction1 such as rests upon the parental rule of fallible human creatures1 hallows also national law4 ,i may advocate a change in laws of which ,i disapprove1 but ,i am bound in the meantime to obey the conditions upon which ,i receive protection from foreign foes and domestic fraud1 and which cannot be subjected to the judgment of every individual1 except at the cost of a dissolution of society1 and a state of anarchy compared with which the worst of laws would be desirable4 ,this revolt of the individual is especially tempting when selfishness deems itself wronged1 as by the laws of property4 ,and the eighth commandment is necessary to protect society not merely against the violence of the burglar and the craft of the impostor1 but also against the deceitfulness of our own hearts1 asking ,what harm is in the evasion of an impost8 ,what right has a successful speculator to his millions8 ,why should ,i not do justice to myself when law refuses it8 ,there is always the simple answer1 ,who made me a judge in my own case8 ,but when we regard the matter thus1 it becomes clear that honesty is not mere abstinence from pillage4 ,the community has larger claims than this upon us1 and is wronged if we fail to discharge them4 ,the rich man robs the poor if he does not play his part in the great organisation by which he is served so well3 every one robs the community who takes its benefits and returns none2 and in this sense the bold saying is true1 that every man lives by one of two methods--by labour or by theft4 ,st4 ,paul does not exhort men to refrain from theft merely in order to be harmless1 but to do good4 ,that is the alternative contemplated when he says1 ,let the thief steal no more1 but rather let him labour1 working with his hands the thing that is good1 that he may have whereof to give to him that hath need 7,eph4 iv4 #bh74 ,,the ,,ninth ,,commandment4 ,thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour4--xx4 #af4 ,st4 ,james called the tongue a world of iniquity4 ,and against its lawlessness1 which inflames the whole course of nature1 each table of the law contains a warning4 ,for it is equally ready to profane the name of ,god1 and to rob our neighbour of his fair fame4 ,jesus ,christ regarded verbal professions as a very poor thing1 and asked1 ,why call ye ,me ,lord1 ,lord1 and do not the things which ,i command you8 ,he aimed a parable at the hollowness of merely saying1 ,i go1 sir4 ,but1 worthless though such phrases be1 the act which substitutes professions for actual service is no trifle2 and our ,lord felt the importance of words1 empty or sincere1 so profoundly as to stake upon this one test the eternal destinies of ,his people3 ,by thy words thou shalt be justified1 and by thy words thou shalt be condemned4 ,now1 the tongue is thus important because it is so prompt and willing a servant of the mind within4 ,we scarcely think of it as a servant at all3 our words do not seem to be more than expressions1 manifestations of what is within us4 ,but a thought1 once expressed1 is transformed and energetic as a bullet when the charge is fired2 it modifies other minds1 and the word which we took to be far less potent than a deed becomes the mover of the fateful deeds of many men4 ,and thus1 being at once powerful and unsuspected1 it is the most treacherous and subtle of all the forces which we wield4 ,and the ninth commandment does not undertake to bridle it by merely forbidding us in a court of justice to wrong our fellow-man by perjury4 ,we transgress it whenever we conceive a strong suspicion and repeat it as a thing we know2 when we allow the temptation of a biting epigram to betray us into an unkind expression not quite warranted by the facts2 when we vindicate ourselves against a charge by throwing blame where it probably but not certainly ought to lie2 or when we are not content to vindicate ourselves without bringing a countercharge which it would perplex us to be asked to prove2 when we give way to that most shallow and meanest of all attempts at cleverness which claims credit for penetration because it can discover base motives for innocent actions1 so that high-mindedness becomes pride1 and charity withers up into love of patronising1 and forbearance shrivels into lack of spirit4 ,the pattern and ideal of such cleverness is the east wind1 which makes all that is fair and sensitive to shut itself up1 forbids the bud to expand into a blossom1 and puts back the coming of the springtime and of the singing bird4 ,there are very gifted persons who have never found out that a kindly and winning phrase may have as much literary merit as a stinging one1 and it is quite as fine a thing to be like the dew on ,hermon on as to shoot out arrows1 even bitter words4 ,it is a pity that our harsh judgments always speak more loudly and confidently than our kindly ones1 but the reason is plain3 angry passion prompts the former1 and its voice is loud2 while the calm reflection which tones down and sweetens the judgment softens also the expression of it4 ,it has to be remembered1 also1 that false witness can reach to nations1 organisations1 political movements as well as individuals4 ,the habit of putting the worst construction upon the intentions of foreign powers is what feeds the mutual jealousies that ultimately blaze out in war4 ,the habit of thinking of rival politicians as deliberately false and treasonable is what lowers the standard of the noblest of secular pursuits1 until each party1 not to be undone1 protests too much1 raises its voice to a falsetto to scream its rival down1 and relaxes its standard of righteousness lest it should be outdone by the unscrupulousness of its rival4 ,and there is yet another neighbour1 against whom false witness is woefully rife1 both in the ,church and in society4 ,that neighbour is mankind at large4 ,there is a prevalent theory of human sinfulness which unconsciously scoffs at the appeals of the gospel1 striving indeed to influence me by love1 gratitude1 admiration for the ,perfect ,one1 and desire to be like ,him1 by the hope of holiness and the shame of vileness1 but telling me at the same time that ,i have no sympathies whatever except with evil4 ,the observation of every day shows that man's nature is corrupt1 but it also shows that he is not a fiend--that he has fallen indeed1 but remembers yet in what image he was made4 ,but the world cannot upbraid the ,church for these exaggerations1 since they are but the echo of its own4 ,i do believe1 ,though ,i have found them not1 that there may be ,words which are things1 hopes which will not deceive1 ,and virtues which are merciful1 nor weave ,snares for the failing2 ,i would also deem ,o'er others' griefs that some sincerely grieve2 ,that two1 or one1 are almost what they seem1 ,that goodness is no name1 and happiness no dream4 ,childe ,harold1 ,,iii41 cxiv4 ,cynicism is false witness2 and if it does not greatly wrong any one of our fellow-men1 it injures both society and the cynic4 ,if he is of a coarse fibre1 it excuses him to himself in becoming the hard and unloving creature which he fancies that all men are4 ,if he is too proud or too self-respecting to yield to this temptation1 it isolates him1 it chills and withers his sympathies for people quite as good as himself1 whom he thinks of as the herd4 ,as for the more flagrant sins1 so for this1 the remedy is love4 ,love sympathises1 makes allowance for frailty1 discovers the germs of good1 hopeth all things1 taketh not account of evil4 ,,the ,,tenth ,,commandment4 ,thou shalt not covet 444 anything that is his4--xx4 #ag4 ,it will be remembered that the order of the catalogue of objects of desire is different in ,exodus and in ,deuteronomy4 ,in the latter thy neighbour's wife is first1 as of supreme importance2 and therefore it has been thought possible to convert it into a separate commandment4 ,but this the order in ,exodus forbids1 by placing the house first1 and then the various living possessions which the householder gathers around him4 ,what is thought of is the gradual process of acquisition1 and the right of him who wins first a house1 then a wife1 servants1 and cattle1 to be secure in the possession of them all4 ,now1 between foes1 we saw that the evil temper is what leads to the evil deed1 and the man who nurses hatred is a murderer at heart4 ,just so the householder is not rendered safe1 and certainly not happy in the enjoyment of his rights1 by the seventh commandment and the eighth1 unless care be taken to prevent the accumulation of those forces which will some day break through them both4 ,to secure cities against explosion1 we forbid the storage of gunpowder and dynamite1 and not only the firing of magazines4 ,but the moral law is not given to any man for his neighbour's sake chiefly4 ,it is for me3 statutes whereby ,i myself may live4 ,and as the ,psalmist pondered on them1 they expanded strangely for his perception4 ,i have kept ,thy testimonies1 he says2 but presently asks to be quickened1--,so shall ,i observe the testimony of ,thy mouth1--and prays1 ,give me understanding1 that ,i may know ,thy testimonies4 ,and at the last1 he confesses that he has gone astray like a lost sheep 7,ps4 cxix4 #bb1 #hh1 #abe1 #agf74 ,starting with a literal innocence1 he comes to feel a deep inward need1 need of vitality to obey1 and even of power to understand aright4 ,if the sacrifices of ,god are a broken spirit1 it follows that they are a spirit1 and inward loyalty is the necessary condition upon which external obedience can be accepted4 ,the cheers of a traitor1 the flattery of one who scorns1 the ritual of a hypocrite1 these are quite as valuable1 as indications of what is within1 as a reluctant relinquishment to my neighbour of what is his4 ,i must not covet4 ,plainly this is the sharpest and most searching precept of all2 and accordingly ,st4 ,paul asserts that without this he would not have suffered the deep internal discontent1 the consciousness of something wrong1 which tortured him1 even although no mortal could reproach him1 even though1 touching the righteousness of the law1 he was blameless4 ,he had not known coveting1 except the law had said ,thou shalt not covet4 ,here1 then1 we perceive with the utmost clearness what ,st4 ,paul so clearly discerned--the true meaning of the ,law1 its convicting power1 its design to work not righteousness1 but self-despair as the prelude of self-surrender4 ,for who can1 by resolving1 govern his desires8 ,who can abstain not only from the usurping deed1 but from the aggressive emotion8 ,who will not despair when he learns that ,god desireth truth in the inward parts8 ,but this despair is the way to that better hope which adds1 ,in the hidden part ,thou shalt make me to know wisdom4 ,purge me with hyssop1 and ,i shall be clean4 ,and as a strong interest or affection has power to destroy in the soul many weaker ones1 so the love of ,god and our neighbour is the appointed way to overcome the desire of taking from our neighbour what ,god has given to him1 refusing it to us4 ,,the ,,lesser ,,law4 xx4 #ah-xxiii4 #cc4 ,with the close of the ,decalogue and its universal obligations1 we approach a brief code of laws1 purely ,hebrew1 but of the deepest moral interest1 confessed by hostile criticism to bear every mark of a remote antiquity1 and distinctly severed from what precedes and follows by a marked difference in the circumstances4 ,this is evidently the book of the ,covenant to which the nation gave its formal assent 7xxiv4 #g71 and is therefore the germ and the centre of the system afterwards so much expanded4 ,and since the adhesion of the people was required1 and the final covenant was ratified as soon as it was given1 before any of the more formal details were elaborated1 and before the tabernacle and the priesthood were established1 it may fairly claim the highest and most unique position among the component parts of the ,pentateuch1 excepting only the ,ten ,commandments4 ,before examining it in detail1 the impressive circumstances of its utterance have to be observed4 ,it is written that when the law was given1 the voice of the trumpet waxed louder and louder still4 ,and as the multitude became aware that in this tempestuous and growing crash there was a living centre1 and a voice of intelligible words1 their awe became insufferable3 and instead of needing the barriers which excluded them from the mountain1 they recoiled from their appointed place1 trembling and standing afar off4 ,and they said unto ,moses1 ,speak thou with us and we will hear1 but let not ,god speak with us lest we die4 ,it is the same instinct that we have already so often recognised1 the dread of holiness in the hearts of the impure1 the sense of unworthiness1 which makes a prophet cry1 ,woe is me1 for ,i am undone6 and an apostle1 ,depart from me1 for ,i am a sinful man4 ,now1 the ,new ,testament quotes a confession of ,moses himself1 well-nigh overwhelmed1 ,i do exceedingly fear and quake 7,heb4 xii4 #ba74 ,and yet we read that he said unto the people1 ,fear not1 for ,god is come to prove you1 and that ,his fear may be before your faces1 that ye sin not 7xx4 #bj74 ,thus we have the double paradox1--that he exceedingly feared1 yet bade them fear not1 and yet again declared that the very object of ,god was that they might fear ,him4 ,like every paradox1 which is not a mere contradiction1 this is instructive4 ,there is an abject fear1 the dread of cowards and of the guilty1 which masters and destroys the will--the fear which shrank away from the mount and cried out to ,moses for relief4 ,such fear has torment1 and none ought to admit it who understands that ,god wishes him well and is merciful4 ,there is also a natural agitation1 at times inevitable though not unconquerable1 and often strongest in the highest natures because they are the most finely strung4 ,we are sometimes taught that there is sin in that instinctive recoil from death1 and from whatever brings it close1 which indeed is implanted by ,god to prevent foolhardiness1 and to preserve the race4 ,our duty1 however1 does not require the absence of sensitive nerves1 but only their subjugation and control4 ,marshal ,saxe was truly brave when he looked at his own trembling frame1 as the cannon opened fire1 and said1 ,aha6 tremblest thou8 thou wouldest tremble much more if thou knewest whither ,i mean to carry thee to-day4 ,despite his fever-shaken nerves1 he was perfectly entitled to say to any waverer1 ,fear not4 ,and so ,moses1 while he himself quaked1 was entitled to encourage his people1 because he could encourage them1 because he saw and announced the kindly meaning of that tremendous scene1 because he dared presently to draw near unto the thick darkness where ,god was4 ,and therefore the day would come when1 with his noble heart aflame for a yet more splendid vision1 he would cry1 ,o ,lord1 ,i beseech ,thee show me ,thy glory--some purer and clearer irradiation1 which would neither baffle the moral sense1 nor conceal itself in cloud4 ,meanwhile1 there was a fear which should endure1 and which ,god desires3 not panic1 but awe2 not the terror which stood afar off1 but the reverence which dares not to transgress4 ,fear not1 for ,god is come to prove you 7to see whether the nobler emotion or the baser will survive71 and that ,his fear may be before your faces 7so as to guide you1 instead of pressing upon you to crush71 that ye sin not4 ,how needful was the lesson1 may be seen by what followed when they were taken at their word1 and the pressure of physical dread was lifted off them4 ,they soon forgat ,god their ,saviour 444 they made a calf in ,horeb1 and worshipped the work of their own hands4 ,perhaps other pressures which we feel and lament to-day1 the uncertainties and fears of modern life1 are equally required to prevent us from forgetting ,god4 ,of the nobler fear1 which is a safeguard of the soul and not a danger1 it is a serious question whether enough is alive among us4 ,much sensational teaching1 many popular books and hymns1 suggest rather an irreverent use of the ,holy ,name1 which is profanation1 than a filial approach to a ,father equally revered and loved4 ,it is true that we are bidden to come with boldness to the throne of ,grace4 ,yet the same ,epistle teaches us again that our approach is even more solemn and awful than to the ,mount which might be touched1 and the profaning of which was death2 and it exhorts us to have grace whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to ,god with reverence and awe1 for our ,god is a consuming fire 7,heb4 iv4 #af1 xii4 #bh74 ,that is the very last grace which some ,christians ever seem to seek4 ,when the people recoiled1 and ,moses1 trusting in ,god1 was brave and entered the cloud1 they ceased to have direct communion1 and he was brought nearer to ,jehovah than before4 ,what is now conveyed to ,israel through him is an expansion and application of the ,decalogue1 and in turn it becomes the nucleus of the developed law4 ,its great antiquity is admitted by the severest critics2 and it is a wonderful example of spirituality and searching depth1 and also of such germinal and fruitful principles as cannot rest in themselves1 literally applied1 but must lead the obedient student on to still better things4 ,it is not the function of law to inspire men to obey it2 this is precisely what the law could not do1 being weak through the flesh4 ,but it could arrest the attention and educate the conscience4 ,simple though it was in the letter1 ,david could meditate upon it day and night4 ,in the ,new ,testament we know of two persons who had scrupulously respected its precepts1 but they both1 far from being satisfied1 were filled with a divine discontent4 ,one had kept all these things from his youth1 yet felt the need of doing some good thing1 and anxiously demanded what it was that he lacked yet4 ,the other1 as touching the righteousness of the law1 was blameless1 yet when the law entered1 sin revived and slew him4 ,for the law was spiritual1 and reached beyond itself1 while he was carnal1 and thwarted by the flesh1 sold under sin1 even while externally beyond reproach4 ,this subtle characteristic of all noble law will be very apparent in studying the kernel of the law1 the code within the code1 which now lies before us4 ,men sometimes judge the ,hebrew legislation harshly1 thinking that they are testing it1 as a ,divine institution1 by the light of this century4 ,they are really doing nothing of the sort4 ,if there are two principles of legislation dearer than all others to modern ,englishmen1 they are the two which these flippant judgments most ignore1 and by which they are most perfectly refuted4 ,one is that institutions educate communities4 ,it is not too much to say that we have staked the future of our nation1 and therefore the hopes of humanity1 upon our conviction that men can be elevated by ennobling institutions1--that the franchise1 for example1 is an education as well as a trust4 ,the other1 which seems to contradict the first1 and does actually modify it1 is that legislation must not move too far in advance of public opinion4 ,laws may be highly desirable in the abstract1 for which communities are not yet ripe4 ,a constitution like our own would be simply ruinous in ,hindostan4 ,many good friends of temperance are the reluctant opponents of legislation which they desire in theory but which would only be trampled upon in practice1 because public opinion would rebel against the law4 ,legislation is indeed educational1 but the danger is that the practical outcome of such legislation would be disobedience and anarchy4 ,now1 these principles are the ample justification of all that startles us in the ,pentateuch4 ,slavery and polygamy1 for instance1 are not abolished4 ,to forbid them utterly would have substituted far worse evils1 as the ,jews then were4 ,but laws were introduced which vastly ameliorated the condition of the slave1 and elevated the status of woman--laws which were far in advance of the best ,gentile culture1 and which so educated and softened the ,jewish character1 that men soon came to feel the letter of these very laws too harsh4 ,that is a nobler vindication of the ,mosaic legislation than if this century agreed with every letter of it4 ,to be vital and progressive is a better thing than to be correct4 ,the law waged a far more effectual war upon certain evils than by formal prohibition1 sound in theory but premature by centuries4 ,other good things besides liberty are not for the nursery or the school4 ,and we also1 when we were children1 were held in bondage 7,gal4 iv4 #c74 ,it is pretty well agreed that this code may be divided into five parts4 ,to the end of the twentieth chapter it deals directly with the worship of ,god4 ,then follow thirty-two verses treating of the personal rights of man as distinguished from his rights of property4 ,from the thirty-third verse of the twenty-first chapter to the fifteenth verse of the twenty-second1 the rights of property are protected4 ,thence to the nineteenth verse of the twenty-third chapter is a miscellaneous group of laws1 chiefly moral1 but deeply connected with the civil organisation of the state4 ,and thence to the end of the chapter is an earnest exhortation from ,god1 introduced by a clearer statement than before of the manner in which ,he means to lead them1 even by that mysterious ,angel in ,whom is ,my ,name4 ,,part ,i4--,,the ,,law ,,of ,,worship4 xx4 #bb-bf4 ,it is no vain repetition that this code begins by reasserting the supremacy of the one ,god4 ,that principle underlies all the law1 and must be carried into every part of it4 ,and it is now enforced by a new sanction1--,ye yourselves have seen that ,i have talked with you from heaven3 ye shall not make other gods with ,me2 gods of silver or gods of gold ye shall not make unto you 7vers4 #bb1 #bc74 ,the costliest material of this low world should be utterly contemned in rivalry with that spiritual ,presence revealing ,himself out of a wholly different sphere2 and in so far as they remembered ,him1 and the ,voice which had thrilled their nature to its core1 in so far would they be free from the desire for any carnal and materialised divinity to go before them4 ,impressed with such views of ,god1 their service of ,him would be moulded accordingly 7#bd1 #be74 ,it is true that nothing could be too splendid for ,his sanctuary1 and ,bezaleel was presently to be inspired1 that the work of the tabernacle might be worthy of its destination4 ,spirituality is not meanness1 nor is art without a consecration of its own4 ,but it must not intrude too closely upon the solemn act wherein the soul seeks the pardon of the ,creator4 ,the altar should not be a proud structure1 richly sculptured and adorned1 and offering in itself1 if not an object of adoration1 yet a satisfying centre of attention for the worshipper4 ,it should be simply a heap of sods4 ,and if they must needs go further1 and erect a more durable pile1 it must still be of materials crude1 inartistic1 such as the earth itself affords1 of unhewn stone4 ,a golden casket is fit to convey the freedom of some historic city to a prince1 but the noblest offering of man to ,god is too humble to deserve an ostentatious altar4 ,if thou lift up a tool upon it thou hast polluted it3 it has lost its virginal simplicity2 it no longer suits a spontaneous offering of the heart1 it has become artificial1 sophisticated1 self-conscious1 polluted4 ,it is vehemently urged that these verses sanction a plurality of altars 7so that one might be of earth and another of stone71 and recognise the lawfulness of worship in other places than at a central appointed shrine4 ,and it is concluded that early ,judaism knew nothing of the exclusive sanctity of the tabernacle and the temple4 ,this argument forgets the circumstances4 ,the ,jews had been led to ,horeb1 the mount of ,god4 ,they were soon to wander away thence through the wilderness4 ,altars had to be set up in many places1 and might be of different materials4 ,it was an important announcement that in every place where ,god would record ,his name ,he would come unto them and bless them4 ,but certainly the inference leans rather toward than against the belief that it was for ,him to select every place which should be sacred4 ,the last direction given with regard to worship is a homely one4 ,it commands that the altar must not be approached with steps1 lest the clothes of the priest should be disturbed and his limbs uncovered4 ,already we feel that we have to reckon with the temper as well as the letter of the precept4 ,it is divinely unlike the frantic indecencies of many pagan rituals4 ,it protests against all infractions of propriety1 even the slightest1 such as even now discredit many a zealous movement1 and bear fruit in many a scandal4 ,it rebukes all misdemeanour1 all forgetfulness in look and gesture of the ,sacred ,presence1 in every worshipper1 at every shrine4 ,,footnotes3 #ce ,prof4 ,tyndall1 ,belfast ,address1 p4 #fj4 ,what progress has scientific unbelief made since #ahgd in solving this question of questions for the present hour8 ,it has perfected the phonograph1 but it has not devised a creed4 #cf ,or beside ,me 7,r4,v47 ,the preposition is so vague that either of our ,english words may suggest quite too definite a meaning1 as when before ,me is made to mean in ,my angry eyes1 or beside ,me is taken to hint at resentment for intrusion upon the same throne4 #cg ,gury1 ,compend41 i41 secs4 #fjg1 #fbc4 ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,,the ,,lesser ,,law 7continued74 ,,part ,,ii4--,,rights ,,of ,,the ,,person4 xxi4 #a-cb4 ,the first words of ,god from ,sinai had declared that ,he was ,jehovah ,who brought them out of slavery4 ,and in this remarkable code1 the first person whose rights are dealt with is the slave4 ,we saw that a denunciation of all slavery would have been premature1 and therefore unwise2 but assuredly the germs of emancipation were already planted by this giving of the foremost place to the rights of the least of all and the servant of all4 ,as regards the ,hebrew slave1 the effect was to reduce his utmost bondage to a comparatively mild apprenticeship4 ,at the worst he should go free in the seventh year2 and if the year of jubilee intervened1 it brought a still speedier emancipation4 ,if his debt or misconduct had involved a family in his disgrace1 they should also share his emancipation1 but if while in bondage his master had provided for his marriage with a slave1 then his family must await their own appointed period of release4 ,it followed that if he had contracted a degrading alliance with a foreign slave1 his freedom would inflict upon him the pang of final severance from his dear ones4 ,he might1 indeed1 escape this pain1 but only by a deliberate and humiliating act1 by formally renouncing before the judges his liberty1 the birthright of his nation 7they are ,my servants1 whom ,i brought forth out of ,egypt1 they shall not be sold as bondservants--,lev4 xxv4 #db71 and submitting to have his ear pierced1 at the doorpost of his master's house1 as if1 like that1 his body were become his master's property4 ,it is uncertain1 after this decisive step1 whether even the year of jubilee brought him release2 and the contrary seems to be implied in his always bearing about in his body an indelible and degrading mark4 ,it will be remembered that ,st4 ,paul rejoiced to think that his choice of ,christ was practically beyond recall1 for the scars on his body marked the tenacity of his decision 7,gal4 vi4 #ag74 ,he wrote this to ,gentiles1 and used the ,gentile phrase for the branding of a slave4 ,but beyond question this ,hebrew of ,hebrews remembered1 as he wrote1 that one of his race could incur lifelong subjection only by a voluntary wound1 endured because he loved his master1 such as he had received for love of ,jesus4 ,when the law came to deal with assaults it was impossible to place the slave upon quite the same level as the freeman4 ,but ,moses excelled the legislators of ,greece and ,rome1 by making an assault or chastisement which killed him upon the spot as worthy of death as if a freeman had been slain4 ,it was only the victim who lingered that died comparatively unavenged 7#bj1 #ba74 ,after all1 chastisement was a natural right of the master1 because he owned him 7he is his money72 and it would be hard to treat an excess of what was permissible1 inflicted perhaps under provocation which made some punishment necessary1 on the same lines with an assault that was entirely lawless4 ,but there was this grave restraint upon bad temper1--that the loss of any member1 and even of the tooth of a slave1 involved his instant manumission4 ,and this carried with it the principle of moral responsibility for every hurt 7#bf1 #bg74 ,it was not quite plain that these enactments extended to the ,gentile slave4 ,but in accordance with the assertion that the whole spirit of the statutes was elevating1 the conclusion arrived at by the later authorities was the generous one4 ,when it is added that man-stealing 7upon which all our modern systems of slavery were founded7 was a capital offence1 without power of commutation for a fine 7xxi4 #af71 it becomes clear that the advocates of slavery appeal to ,moses against the outraged conscience of humanity without any shadow of warrant either from the letter or the spirit of the code4 ,there remains to be considered a remarkable and melancholy sub-section of the law of slavery4 ,in every age degraded beings have made gain of the attractions of their daughters4 ,with them1 the law attempted nothing of moral influence4 ,but it protected their children1 and brought pressure to bear upon the tempter1 by a series of firm provisions1 as bold as the age could bear1 and much in advance of the conscience of too many among ourselves to-day4 ,the seduction of any unbetrothed maiden involved marriage1 or the payment of a dowry4 ,and thus one door to evil was firmly closed 7xxii4 #af74 ,but when a man purchased a female slave1 with the intention of making her an inferior wife1 whether for himself or for his son 7such only are the purchases here dealt with1 and an ordinary female slave was treated upon the same principles as a man71 she was far from being the sport of his caprice4 ,if indeed he repented at once1 he might send her back1 or transfer her to another of her countrymen upon the same terms1 but when once they were united she was protected against his fickleness4 ,he might not treat her as a servant or domestic1 but must1 even if he married another and probably a chief wife1 continue to her all the rights and privileges of a wife4 ,nor was her position a temporary one1 to her damage1 as that of an ordinary slave was1 to his benefit4 ,and if there was any failure to observe these honourable terms1 she could return with unblemished reputation to her father's home1 without forfeiture of the money which had been paid for her 7xxi4 #g-aa74 ,does any one seriously believe that a system like the ,african slave trade could have existed in such a humane and genial atmosphere as these enactments breathed8 ,does any one who knows the plague spot and disgrace of our modern civilisation suppose for a moment that more could have been attempted1 in that age1 for the great cause of purity8 ,would to ,god that the spirit of these enactments were even now respected6 ,they would make of us1 as they have made of the ,hebrew nation unto this day1 models of domestic tenderness1 and of the blessings in health and physical vigour which an untainted life bestows upon communities4 ,by such checks upon the degradation of slavery1 the ,jew began to learn the great lesson of the sanctity of manhood4 ,the next step was to teach him the value of life1 not only in the avenging of murder1 but also in the mitigation of such revenge4 ,the blood-feud was too old1 too natural a practice to be suppressed at once2 but it was so controlled and regulated as to become little more than a part of the machinery of justice4 ,a premeditated murder was inexpiable1 not to be ransomed2 the murderer must surely die4 ,even if he fled to the altar of ,god1 intending to escape thence to a city of refuge when the avenger ceased to watch1 he should be torn from that holy place3 to shelter him would not be an honour1 but a desecration to the shrine 7xxi4 #ab1 #ad74 ,according to this provision ,joab and ,adonijah suffered4 ,for the slayer by accident or in hasty quarrel1 a place whither he shall flee would be provided1 and the vague phrase indicates the antiquity of the edict 7ver4 #ac74 ,this arrangement at once respected his life1 which did not merit forfeiture1 and provided a penalty for his rashness or his passion4 ,it is because the question in hand is the sanctity of man1 that the capital punishment of a son who strikes or curses a parent1 the vicegerent of ,god1 and of a kidnapper1 is interposed between these provisions and minor offences against the person 7#ae-ag74 ,of these latter1 the first is when lingering illness results from a blow received in a quarrel4 ,this was not a case for the stern rule1 eye for eye and tooth for tooth1--for how could that rule be applied to it8--but the violent man should pay for his victim's loss of time1 and for medical treatment until he was thoroughly recovered 7#ah1 #ai74 ,but what is to be said to the general law of retribution in kind8 ,our ,lord has forbidden a ,christian1 in his own case1 to exact it4 ,but it does not follow that it was unjust1 since ,christ plainly means to instruct private persons not to exact their rights1 whereas the magistrate continues to be a revenger to execute justice4 ,and1 as ,st4 ,augustine argued shrewdly1 this command was not given for exciting the fires of hatred1 but to restrain them4 ,for who would easily be satisfied with repaying as much injury as he received8 ,do we not see men slightly hurt athirst for slaughter and blood8444 ,upon this immoderate and unjust vengeance1 the law imposed a just limit1 not that what was quenched might be kindled1 but that what was burning might not spread4 7,cont4 ,faust1 xix4 #be47 ,it is also to be observed that by no other precept were the ,jews more clearly led to a morality still higher than it prescribed4 ,their attention was first drawn to the fact that a compensation in money was nowhere forbidden1 as in the case of murder 7,num4 xxxv4 #ca74 ,then they went on to argue that such compensation must have been intended1 because its literal observance teemed with difficulties4 ,if an eye were injured but not destroyed1 who would undertake to inflict an equivalent hurt8 ,what if a blind man destroyed an eye8 ,would it be reasonable to quench utterly the sight of a one-eyed man who had only destroyed one-half of the vision of his neighbour8 ,should the right hand of a painter1 by which he maintains his family1 be forfeited for that of a singer who lives by his voice8 ,would not the cold and premeditated operation inflict far greater mental and even physical suffering than a sudden wound received in a moment of excitement8 ,by all these considerations1 drawn from the very principle which underlay the precept1 they learned to relax its pressure in actual life4 ,the law was already their schoolmaster1 to lead them beyond itself 7vide ,kalisch in loco74 ,lastly1 there is the question of injury to the person1 wrought by cattle4 ,it is clearly to deepen the sense of reverence for human life1 that not only must the ox which kills a man be slain1 but his flesh may not be eaten2 thus carrying further the early aphorism at the hand of every beast will ,i require 444 your blood 7,gen4 ix4 #e74 ,this motive1 however1 does not betray the lawgiver into injustice3 the owner of the ox shall be quit2 the loss of his beast is his sufficient penalty4 ,but if its evil temper has been previously observed1 and he has been warned1 then his recklessness amounts to blood-guiltiness1 and he must die1 or else pay whatever ransom is laid upon him4 ,this last clause recognises the distinction between his guilt and that of a deliberate man-slayer1 for whose crime the law distinctly prohibited a composition 7,num4 xxxv4 #ca74 ,and it is expressly provided1 according to the honourable position of woman in the ,hebrew state1 that the penalty for a daughter's life shall be the same as for that of a son4 ,as a slave was exposed to especial risk1 and his position was an ignoble one1 a fixed composition was appointed1 and the amount was memorable4 ,the ransom of a common slave1 killed by the horns of the wild oxen1 was thirty pieces of silver1 the goodly price that ,messiah was prized at of them 7,zech4 xi4 #ac74 ,,part ,,iii4--,,rights ,,of ,,property4 xxi4 #cc-xxii4 #ae4 ,the vital and quickening principle in this section is the stress it lays upon man's responsibility for negligence1 and the indirect consequences of his deed4 ,all sin is selfish1 and all selfishness ignores the right of others4 ,am ,i my brother's keeper8 ,let him guard his own property or pay the forfeit4 ,but this sentiment would quickly prove a disintegrating force in the community1 able to overthrow a state4 ,it is the ignoble negative of public spirit2 patriotism1 all by which nations prosper4 ,and this early legislation is well devised to check it in detail4 ,if an ox fall into a pit or cistern1 from which ,i have removed the cover1 ,i must pay the value of the beast1 and take the carcase for what it may be worth4 ,i ought to have considered the public interest 7xxi4 #cc74 ,if ,i let my cattle stray into my neighbour's field or vineyard1 there must be no wrangling about the quality of what he has consumed3 ,i must forfeit an equal quantity of the best of my own field or vineyard 7xxii4 #e74 ,if a fire of my kindling burn his grain1 standing or piled1 ,i must make restitution3 ,i had no right to kindle it where he was brought into hazard 7xxii4 #f74 ,this is the same principle which had already pronounced it murder to let a vicious ox go loose4 ,and it has to do with graver things than oxen and fires1--with the teachers of principles rightly called incendiary1 the ingenious theorists who let loose abstract speculations pernicious when put into practice1 the well-behaved questioners of morality1 and the law-abiding assailants of the foundations which uphold law4 ,it is quite in the same spirit that ,i am accountable for what ,i borrow or hire1 and even for its accidental death 7since for the time being it was mine1 and so should the loss be72 but if ,i hired the owner with his beast1 it clearly continued to be in his charge 7#ad1 #ae74 ,but again1 my responsibility may not be pressed too far4 ,if ,i have not borrowed property1 but consented to keep it for the owner1 the risk is fairly his1 and if it be stolen1 the presumption is not against my integrity1 although ,i may be required to clear myself on oath before the judges 7#g1 #h74 ,but ,i am accountable in such a case for cattle1 because it was certainly understood that ,i should watch them2 and if a wild beast have torn any1 ,i must prove my courage and vigilance by rescuing the carcase and producing it 7#aj-ac74 ,but ,i must not be plunged into litigation without a compensating hazard on the other side3 he whom ,god shall condemn shall pay double unto his neighbour 7#i74 ,it only remains to be observed1 with regard to theft1 that when cattle was recovered yet alive1 the thief restored double1 but when his act was consummated by slaughtering what he had taken1 then he restored a sheep fourfold1 and for an ox five oxen1 because his villainy was more high-handed4 ,and we still retain the law which allows the blood of a robber at night to be shed1 but forbids it in the day1 when help can more easily be had4 ,all this is reasonable and enlightened law2 founded1 like all good legislation1 upon clear and satisfactory principles1 and well calculated to elevate the tone of the public feeling1 to be not only so many specific enactments1 but also the germinant seeds of good4 ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,,the ,,lesser ,,law 7continued74 ,,part ,,iv4 xxii4 #af-xxiii4 #ai4 ,the ,fourth section of this law within the law consists of enactments1 curiously disconnected1 many of them without a penalty1 varying greatly in importance1 but all of a moral nature1 and connected with the well-being of the state4 ,it is hard to conceive how the systematic revision of which we hear so much could have left them in the condition in which they stand4 ,it is enacted that a seducer must marry the woman he has betrayed1 and if her father refuse to give her to him1 then he must pay the same dower as a bridegroom would have done 7xxii4 #af1 #ag74 ,and presently the sentence of death is launched against a blacker sensual crime 7#ai74 ,but between the two is interposed the celebrated mandate which doomed the sorceress to death1 remarkable as the first mention of witchcraft in ,scripture1 and the only passage in all the ,bible where the word is in the feminine form--a witch1 or sorceress2 remarkable also for a far graver reason1 which makes it necessary to linger over the subject at some length4 ,,sorcery4 ,thou shalt not suffer a sorceress to live4--xxii4 #ah4 ,the world knows only too well what sad and shameful inferences have been drawn from these words4 ,unspeakable terrors1 estrangement of natural sympathy1 tortures and cruel deaths1 have been inflicted on many thousands of the most forlorn creatures upon earth 7creatures who were sustained in their sufferings by no high ardour of conviction or fanaticism1 not being martyrs but simply victims71 because it was held that ,moses1 in declaring that witches should not live1 affirmed the reality of witchcraft4 ,no sooner did the argument cease to be dangerous to old women than it became formidable to religion2 for now it was urged that1 since ,moses was in error about the reality of witchcraft1 his legislation could not have been inspired4 ,what are we to say to this8 ,in the first place it must be observed that the existence of a sorcerer is one thing1 and the reality of his powers is quite another4 ,what was most sad and shameful in the medival frenzy was the burning to ashes of multitudes who made no pretensions to traffic with the invisible world1 who frequently held fast their innocence while enduring the agonies of torture1 who were only aged and ugly and alone4 ,upon any theory1 the prohibition of sorcery by the ,pentateuch was no more answerable for these iniquities than its other prohibitions for the lynch law of the backwoods4 ,on the other hand1 there were real professors of the black art3 men did pretend to hold intercourse with spirits1 and extorted great sums from their dupes in return for bringing them also into communion with superhuman beings4 ,these it is reasonable to call sorcerers1 whether we accept their professions or not1 just as we speak of thought-readers and of mediums without being understood to commit ourselves to the pretensions of either one or other4 ,in point of fact1 the existence1 in this nineteenth century after ,christ1 of sorcerers calling themselves mediums1 is much more surprising than the existence of other sorcerers in the time of ,moses or of ,saul2 and it bears startling witness to the depth in human nature of that craving for traffic with invisible powers which the law prohibited so sternly1 but the roots of which neither religion nor education nor scepticism has been able wholly to pluck up4 ,again1 from the point of view which ,moses occupied1 it is plain that such professors should be punished4 ,they are virtually punished still1 whenever they obtain money under pretence of granting interviews with the departed4 ,if we now rely chiefly upon educated public opinion to stamp out such impositions1 that is because we have decided that a struggle between truth and falsehood upon equal terms will be advantageous to the former4 ,it is a subdivision of the debate between intolerance and free thought4 ,our theory works well1 but not universally well1 even under modern conditions and in ,christian lands4 ,and assuredly ,moses could not proclaim freedom of opinion1 among uneducated slaves1 amid the pressure of splendid and of seductive idolatries1 and before the ,holy ,ghost was given4 ,to complain of ,moses for proscribing false religions would be to denounce the use of glass for seedlings because the full-grown plant flourishes in the open air4 ,now1 it would have been preposterous to proscribe false religions and yet to tolerate the sorcerer and the sorceress4 ,for these were the active practitioners of another worship than that of ,god4 ,they might not profess idolatry2 but they offered help and guidance from sources which ,jehovah frowned upon1 rival sources of defence or knowledge4 ,the holy people was meant to grow up under the most elevating of all influences1 reliance upon a protecting ,god1 ,who had bidden ,his children to subdue the world as well as to replenish it1 and of ,whom one of their own poets sang that ,he had put all things under the feet of man4 ,their true heritage was not bounded by the strip of land which ,joshua and his followers slowly conquered2 to them belonged all the resources of nature which science1 ever since1 has wrested from the ,philistine hands of barbarism and ignorance4 ,and this nobler conquest depended upon the depth and sincerity of man's feeling that the world is well-ordered and stable and the heritage of man1 not a chaos of various and capricious powers1 where ,pallas inspires ,diomed to hunt ,venus bleeding off the field1 or where the incantations of ,canidia may disturb the orderly movements of the skies4 ,who could hope to discover by inductive science the secrets of such a world as this8 ,the devices of magic cut the links between cause and effect1 between studious labour and the fruits which sorcery bade men to steal rather than to cultivate4 ,what gambling was to commerce1 that was witchcraft to philosophy1 and the mischief no more depended on the validity of its methods than upon the soundness of the last device for breaking the bank at ,monte ,carlo4 ,if one could actually extort their secrets from the dead1 or win for luxury and sloth a longer life than is bestowed upon temperance and labour1 he would succeed in his revolt against the ,god of nature4 ,but the revolt was the endeavour2 and the sorcerer1 however falsely1 professed to have succeeded2 and preached the same revolt to others4 ,in religion he was therefore an apostate1 and in the theocracy a traitor against the ,king1 one whose life was forfeited if it was prudent to exact the penalty4 ,and when we consider the fascination wielded by such pretensions1 even in ages when the stability of nature is an axiom1 the dread which false religions all around and their terrible rituals must have inspired1 the superstitious tendencies of the people and their readiness to be misled1 we shall see ample reasons for treading out the first sparks of so dangerous a fire4 ,beyond this it is vain to pretend that the law of ,moses goes4 ,it was right in declaring the sorcerer and the sorceress to be real and dangerous phenomena4 ,it never declared their pretensions to be valid though illegitimate4 ,and in one noteworthy passage it proclaims that a real sign or a wonder could only proceed from ,god1 and when it accompanied false teaching was still a sign1 though an ominous one1 implying that the ,lord would prove them 7,deut4 xiii4 #a-c74 ,this does not look very like an admission of the existence of rival powers1 inferior though they might be1 who could interfere with the order of ,his world4 ,sorcery in all its forms will die when men realise indeed that the world is ,his1 that there is no short or crooked way to the prizes which ,he offers to wisdom and to labour1 that these rewards are infinitely richer and more splendid than the wildest dreams of magic1 and that it is literally true that all power1 in earth as well as heaven1 is committed into the ,hands which were pierced for us4 ,in such a conception of the universe1 incantations give place to prayers1 and prayer does not seek to disturb1 but to carry forward and to consummate1 the orderly rule of ,love4 ,the denunciation of witchcraft is quite naturally followed1 as we now perceive1 by the reiteration of the command that no sacrifice may be offered to any god except ,jehovah 7#bj74 ,strange and hateful offerings were an integral part of witchcraft1 long before the hags of ,macbeth brewed their charm1 or the child in ,horace famished to yield a spell4 ,,the ,,stranger4 xxii4 #ba1 xxiii4 #i4 ,immediately after this1 a ray of sunlight falls upon the sombre page4 ,we read an exhortation rather than a statute1 which is repeated almost literally in the next chapter1 and in both is supported by a beautiful and touching reason4 ,a stranger shalt thou not wrong1 neither shall ye oppress him3 for ye were strangers in the land of ,egypt4 ,a stranger shall ye not oppress1 for ye know the heart of a stranger1 seeing ye were strangers in the land of ,egypt 7xxii4 #ba1 xxiii4 #i74 ,the stranger of these verses is probably the settler among them1 as distinguished from the traveller passing through the land4 ,his want of friends and ignorance of their social order would place him at a disadvantage1 of which they are forbidden to avail themselves1 either by legal process 7for the first passage is connected with jurisprudence71 or in the affairs of common life4 ,but the spirit of the commandment could not fail to influence their treatment of all foreigners2 and simple and commonplace though it appear to us1 it would have startled many of the wisest and greatest peoples of antiquity1 and would have fallen as strangely upon the ears of the ,greeks of ,pericles1 as of the modern ,bedouin1 with whom ,israel had kinship4 ,a foreigner1 as such1 was a foe3 to wrong him was a paradox1 because he had no rights3 kinship1 or else alliance or treaty was required to entitle the weaker to any better treatment than it suited the stronger to allow4 ,yet we find a precept reiterated in this ,jewish code which involves1 in its inevitable though slow development1 the abolition of negro slavery1 the respect by powerful and civilised nations of the rights of indigenous tribes1 the most boundless advance of philanthropy1 through the most generous recognition of the fraternity of man4 ,however sternly the sword of ,joshua might fall1 it struck not at the foreigner1 as such1 but at those tribes1 guilty and therefore accursed of ,god1 the cup of whose iniquity was full4 ,and yet there was enough of carnage to prove that so gracious a commandment as this could not have risen spontaneously in the heart of early ,judaism4 ,does it seem to be made more natural1 by any proposed shifting of the date8 ,the reason of the precept is beautifully human4 ,it rests upon no abstract basis of common rights1 nor prudential consideration of mutual advantage4 ,in our time it is sometimes proposed to build all morality upon such foundations2 and strange consequences have already been deduced in cases where the proposed sanction has not seemed to apply4 ,but1 in fact1 no advance in virtue has ever been traced to self-interest1 although1 after the advance took place1 self-interest has always found its account in it4 ,a progressive community is made of good men1 and the motive to which ,moses appeals is compassion fed by memory3 ,for ye were strangers in the land of ,egypt 7xxii4 #ba72 ,for ye know the heart of a stranger1 seeing ye were strangers in the land of ,egypt 7xxiii4 #i74 ,the point is not that they may again be carried into captivity3 it is that they have felt its bitterness1 and ought to recoil from inflicting what they writhed under4 ,now1 this appeal is a master-stroke of wisdom4 ,much cruelty1 and almost all the cruelty of the young1 springs from ignorance1 and that slowness of the imagination which cannot realise that the pains of others are like our own4 ,feeling them to be so1 the charities of the poor toward one another frequently rise almost to sublimity4 ,and thus1 when suffering does not ulcerate the heart and make it savage1 it is the most softening of all influences4 ,in one of the most threadbare lines in the classics1 the queen of ,carthage boasts that ,i1 not ignorant of woe1 ,to pity the distressful know4 ,and the boldest assertion in ,scripture of the natural development of our ,saviour's human powers1 is that which declares that ,in that ,he ,himself hath suffered1 being tempted1 ,he is able to succour them that are tempted 7,heb4 ii4 #ah74 ,to this principle1 then1 ,moses appeals1 and by the appeal he educates the heart4 ,he bids the people reflect on their own cruel hardships1 on the hateful character of their tyrants1 on their own greater hatefulness if they follow the vile example1 after such bitter experience of its character4 ,he does not yet rise to the grand level of the ,new ,testament morality1 ,do all to thy neighbour which it is not servile and dependent to will that he should do for thee4 ,but he attains to the level of that precept of ,confucius and ,zoroaster which has been so unworthily compared with it3 ,do not unto thy neighbour what thou wouldest not that he should do to thee--a precept which mere indifference obeys4 ,nay1 he excels it2 for the mental and spiritual attitude of one who respects his helpless neighbour because he so much resembles himself1 will surely not be content without relieving the griefs that have so closely touched him4 ,thus again the legislation of ,moses looks beyond itself4 ,now1 if the ,jew should be merciful because he had himself known calamity1 what implicit confidence may we repose upon the ,man of sorrows and acquainted with grief8 ,in the same spirit they are warned against afflicting the widow or the orphan4 ,and the threat which is added joins hand with the exhortation which preceded4 ,they should not oppress the stranger1 because they had been strangers and oppressed4 ,now the argument advances4 ,the same ,god ,who then heard their cry will hear the cry of the forlorn1 and avenge them1 according to the judicial fate which ,he had just announced1 in kind1 by bringing their own wives to widowhood and their children to orphanage 7xxii4 #bb-d74 ,to their brethren they should not lend money upon usury2 but loans are no more recommended than afterwards by ,solomon3 the words are if thou lend 7ver4 #be74 ,and if the raiment of the borrower were taken for a pledge1 it must be returned for him to use at night1 or else ,god will hear his cry1 because1 it is added very significantly and briefly1 ,i am gracious 7ver4 #bg74 ,it is the most exalting of all motives3 ,be merciful1 for ,i am merciful3 ye shall be the children of your ,father4 ,again is to be observed the influence reaching beyond the prescription--the motive which cannot be felt without many other and larger consequences than the restoration of pledges at sunset4 ,how comes this precept to be followed by the words1 ,thou shalt not curse ,god nor blaspheme a ruler 7ver4 #bh78 and is not this again somewhat strangely followed by the order not to delay to offer the firstfruits of the soil1 to consecrate the firstborn son1 and to devote the firstborn of cattle at the same age when a son ought to be circumcised8 7vers4 #bi1 #cj74 ,if any link can be discovered1 it is in the sense of communion with ,god1 suggested by the recent appeal to ,his character as a motive that should weigh with man4 ,therefore they must not blaspheme ,him1 either directly or through ,his agents1 nor tardily yield ,him what ,he claims4 ,therefore it is added1 ,ye shall be holy men unto ,me1 and from the sense of dignity which religion thus inspires1 a homely corollary is deduced--,ye shall not eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field 7ver4 #ca74 ,the bondmen of ,egypt must learn a high-minded self-respect4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,,the ,,lesser ,,law 7continued74 xxiii4 #a-ai4 ,the twenty-third chapter begins with a series of commands bearing upon the course of justice2 but among these there is interjected very curiously a command to bring back the stray ox or ass of an enemy1 and to help under a burden the over-weighted ass of him that hateth thee1 even if thou wouldest forbear to help him4 ,it is just possible that the lawgiver1 urging justice in the bearing of testimony1 interrupts himself to speak of a very different manner in which the action may be warped by prejudice1 but in which 7unlike the other7 it is lawful to show not only impartiality but kindness4 ,the help of the cattle of one's enemy shows that in the bearing of testimony we should not merely abstain from downright wrong4 ,and it is a fine example of the spirit of the ,new ,testament1 in the ,old4 ,thou shalt not take up a false report 7ver4 #a7 is a precept which reaches far4 ,how many heedless whispers1 conjectures lightly spoken because they were amusing1 yet influencing the course of lives1 and inferences uncharitably drawn1 would have been still-born if this had been remembered6 ,but when the scandal is already abroad1 the temptation to aid its progress is still greater4 ,therefore it is added1 ,put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness4 ,whatever be the menace or the bribe1 however the course of opinion seem to be decided1 and the assent of an individual to be harmless because the result is sure1 or blameless because the responsibility lies elsewhere1 still each man is a unit1 not an item1 and must act for himself1 as hereafter he must give account4 ,hence it results inevitably that ,thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil1 neither shalt thou speak in a cause to turn aside after a multitude to wrest judgment 7ver4 #b74 ,the blind impulses of a multitude are often as misleading as the solicitations of the bad1 and to aspiring temperaments much more seductive4 ,there is indeed a strange magnetism in the voice of the public4 ,every orator knows that a great assembly acts upon the speaker as really as he acts upon it3 its emotions are like a rush of waters to sweep him away1 beyond his intentions or his ordinary powers4 ,yet he is the strongest individual there2 no other has at all the same opportunity for self-assertion1 and therefore its power over others must be more complete than over him4 ,this is one reason for the institution of public worship4 ,men neglect the house of ,god because they can pray as well at home1 and encourage wanton subdivisions of the ,church because they think there is no very palpable difference between competing denominations1 or even because competition may be as useful in religion as in trade1 as if our competition with the world and the devil for souls would not sufficiently animate us1 without competing with one another4 ,but in acting thus they weaken the effect for good of one of the mightiest influences which work evil among us1 the influence of association4 ,men are always persuading themselves that they need not be better than their neighbours1 nor ashamed of doing what every one does4 ,and yet no voice joins in a cry without deepening it3 every one who rushes with a crowd makes its impulse more difficult to stem2 his individuality is not lost by its partnership with a thousand more2 and he is accountable for what he contributes to the result4 ,he has parted with his self-control1 but not with the inner forces which he ought to have controlled4 ,against this dangerous influence of the world1 ,christ has set the contagion of godliness within ,his ,church1 and every avoidable subdivision enfeebles this salutary counter-influence4 ,moses warns us1 therefore1 of the danger of being drawn away by a multitude to do evil2 but he is thinking especially of the peril of being tempted to speak amiss4 ,who does not know it8 ,from the statesman who outruns his convictions rather than break with his party1 and who cannot1 amid deafening cheers1 any longer hear his conscience speak1 down to the humblest who fails to confess ,christ before hostile men1 and therefore by-and-by denies ,him1 there is not one whose speech and silence have never been in danger of being set to the sympathies of his own little public like a song to music4 ,that ,moses was really thinking of this tendency to court popularity1 is plain from the next clause--,neither shalt thou favour a poor man in his cause 7ver4 #c74 ,it is an admirable caution4 ,men there are who would scorn the opposite injustice1 and from whom no rich man could buy a wrongful decision with gold or favour1 but who are habitually unjust1 because they load the other scale4 ,the beam ought to hang straight4 ,when justice is concerned1 the poor man's friend is almost as contemptible as his foe1 and he has taken a bribe1 if not in the mean enjoyment of democratic popularity1 yet in his own pride--the fancy that he has done a magnanimous act1 the attitude in which he poses4 ,as in law so in literature4 ,there once was a tendency to describe magnanimous persons of quality1 and repulsive clodhoppers and villagers4 ,times have changed1 and now we think it much more ingenious and high-toned to be quite as partial and disingenuous1 reversing the cases4 ,neither is true1 and therefore neither is artistic4 ,no class in society is deficient in noble qualities1 or in base ones4 ,nor is the man of letters at all more independent1 who flatters the democracy in a democratic age1 than he who flattered the aristocracy when they had all the prizes to bestow4 ,other precepts forbid bribery1 command that the soil shall rest in the seventh year1 when its spontaneous produce shall be for the poor1 and further recognise and consecrate relaxation1 by instituting 7or more probably adopting into the code7 the three feasts of ,passover1 ,pentecost1 and ,tabernacles4 ,the section closes with the words ,thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk 7ver4 #ai74 ,upon this clause much ingenuity has been expended4 ,it makes occult reference to some superstitious rite4 ,it is the name for some unduly stimulating compound4 ,but when we remember that1 just before1 the sabbatical fruit which the poor left ungleaned was expressly reserved for the beasts of the field1 that men were bidden to help the overladen ass of their enemies1 and that care is taken elsewhere that the ox should not be muzzled when treading out grain1 that the birdnester should not take the dam with the young1 and that neither cow nor ewe should be slain on the same day with its young 7,deut4 xxv4 #d1 xxii4 #f2 ,lev4 xxii4 #bh71 the simplest meaning seems also the most probable4 ,men1 who have been taught respect for their fellow-men1 are also to learn a fine sensibility even in respect to the inferior animals4 ,throughout all this code there is an exquisite tendency to form a considerate1 humane1 delicate and high-minded nation4 ,it remained1 to stamp upon the human conscience a deep sense of responsibility4 ,,part ,v4--,,its ,,sanctions4 xxiii4 #bj-cc4 ,this summary of ,judaism being now complete1 the people have to learn what mighty issues are at stake upon their obedience4 ,and the transition is very striking from the simplest duty to the loftiest privilege3 ,thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk4 ,behold1 ,i send an ,angel before thee4444 ,beware of him3 for ,my ,name is in him 7#ai-ba74 ,we have now to ask how much this mysterious phrase involves2 who was the ,angel of whom it speaks8 ,the question is not1 ,how much did ,israel at that moment comprehend8 ,for we are distinctly told that prophets were conscious of speaking more than they understood1 and searched diligently but in vain what the spirit that was in them did signify 7#a ,peter i4 #aa74 ,it would1 in fact1 be absurd to seek the ,new ,testament doctrine of the ,logos full-blown in the ,pentateuch4 ,but it is mere prejudice1 unphilosophical and presumptuous1 to shut one's eyes against any evidence which may be forthcoming that the earliest books of ,scripture were tending towards the last conclusions of theology2 that the slender overture to the ,divine oratorio indicates already the same theme which thunders from all the chorus at the close4 ,it is scarcely necessary to refute the position that a mere messenger is intended1 because angels have not yet appeared as personal agents separate from ,god4 ,kalisch himself has amply refuted his own theory4 ,for1 he says1 we are compelled 444 to refer it to ,moses and his successor ,joshua 7in loco74 ,so then ,he ,who will not forgive their transgressions is he who prayed that if ,god would not pardon them1 his own name might be blotted from the book of life4 ,he1 to whom afterwards ,god said ,i will proclaim the name of the ,lord before thee 7xxxiii4 #ai71 is the same of ,whom ,god said ,my name is in ,him4 ,this position needs no examination2 but the perplexities of those who reject the deeper interpretation is a strong confirmation of its soundness4 ,we have still to choose between the promise of a created angel1 and some manifestation and interposition of ,god1 distinguished from ,jehovah and yet one with ,him4 ,this latter view is an evident preparation for clearer knowledge yet to come4 ,it is enough to stamp the dispensation which puts it forth as but provisional1 and therefore bears witness to that other dispensation which has the key to it4 ,and it is exactly what a ,christian would expect to find somewhere in this summary of the law4 ,what1 then1 do we read elsewhere about the ,angel of ,jehovah8 ,what do we find1 especially1 in these early books8 ,a difficulty has to be met at the very outset4 ,the issue would be decided offhand1 if it could be shown that the ,angel of this verse is the same who is offered1 as a poor substitute for their ,divine protector1 in the thirty-third chapter4 ,but no contrast can be clearer than between the encouraging promise before us1 and the sharp menace which then plunged ,israel into mourning4 ,here is an ,angel who must not be provoked1 who will not pardon you1 because ,my ,name is in ,him4 ,there is an angel who will be sent because ,god will not go up1 444 lest ,he consume them 7vers4 #b1 #c74 ,he is not the ,angel of ,god's presence1 but of ,his absence4 ,when the intercession of ,moses won from ,god a reversal of the sentence1 ,he then said ,my ,presence 7,my ,face7 shall go with thee1 and ,i will give thee rest1#ch but ,moses answers1 not yet reassured1 ,if ,thy ,presence 7,thy ,face7 go not up with us1 carry us not up hence4 ,for wherein shall it be known that ,i have found grace in ,thy sight8444 ,is it not that ,thou goest with us8 ,and the ,lord said1 ,i will do this thing also that thou hast spoken 7#ad-ag74 ,moreover1 ,isaiah1 speaking of this time1 says that ,in all their affliction ,he was afflicted1 and the ,angel of ,his ,presence 7,his ,face7 saved them 7,isa4 lxiii4 #i74 ,thus we find that some angel is to be sent because ,god will not go up3 that thereupon the nation mourns1 although in this twenty-third chapter they had received as a gladdening promise1 the assurance of an ,angel escort in ,whom is the name of ,god2 that in response to prayer ,god promises that ,his ,face shall accompany them1 so that it may be known that ,he ,himself goes with them2 and finally that ,his ,face in ,exodus is the ,angel of ,his ,face in ,isaiah4 ,the prophet at least had no doubt whether the gracious promise in the twenty-third chapter answered1 in the thirty-third chapter1 to the third verse or the fourteenth--to the menace1 or to the restored favour4 ,this difficulty being now converted into an evidence1 we turn back to examine other passages4 ,when the ,angel of the ,lord spoke to ,hagar1 she called the name of ,jehovah that spake unto her ,el ,roi 7,gen4 xvi4 #aa1 #ac74 ,when ,god tempted ,abraham1 the ,angel of ,jehovah called unto him out of heaven1 and said1 444 ,i know that thou fearest ,god1 seeing thou hast not withheld thy son 444 from ,me 7,gen4 xxii4 #aa1 #ab74 ,when a man wrestled with ,jacob1 he thereupon claimed to have seen ,god face to face1 and called the place ,peniel1 the ,face 7,presence7 of ,god 7,gen4 xxxii4 #d1 #cj74 ,but ,hosea tells us that ,he had power with ,god3 yea1 he had power over the ,angel1 444 and there ,he spake with us1 even ,jehovah1 the ,god of hosts 7,hos4 xii4 #c1 #e74 ,even earlier1 in his exile1 the ,angel of the ,lord had appeared unto him and said1 ,i am the ,god of ,bethel 444 where thou vowedst a vow unto ,me4 ,but the vow was distinctly made to ,god ,himself3 ,i will surely give the tenth to ,thee 7xxxi4 #aa1 #ac2 xxviii4 #bj1 #bb74 ,is it any wonder that when this patriarch blessed ,joseph1 he said1 ,the ,god before whom my fathers ,abraham and ,isaac did walk1 the ,god which hath fed me all my life long unto this day1 the ,angel which hath redeemed me from all evil1 7may ,he7 bless the lads 7xlviii4 #ae1 #af78 ,in ,exodus iii4 #b the ,angel of the ,lord appeared out of the bush4 ,but presently ,he changes into ,jehovah ,himself1 and announces ,himself to be ,jehovah the ,god of their fathers 7iii4 #b1 #d1 #ae74 ,in ,exodus xiii4 #ba ,jehovah went before ,israel1 but the next chapter tells how the ,angel of the ,lord which went before ,israel removed and went behind 7xiv4 #ai72 while ,numbers 7xx4 #af7 says expressly that ,he sent an ,angel and brought us out of ,egypt4 ,by the comparison of these and many later passages 7which is nothing but the scientific process of induction1 leaning not on the weight of any single verse1 but on the drift and tendency of all the phenomena7 we learn that ,god was already revealing ,himself through a ,medium1 a distinct personality whom ,he could send1 yet not so distinct but that ,his name was in ,him1 and ,he ,himself was the ,author of what ,he did4 ,if ,israel obeyed ,him1 ,he would bring them into the promised land 7ver4 #bc72 and if there they continued unseduced by false worships1 ,he would bless their provisions1 their bodily frame1 their children2 ,he would bring terror and a hornet against their foes2 ,he would clear the land before them as fast as their population could enjoy it2 ,he would extend their boundaries yet farther1 from the ,red ,sea1 where ,solomon held ,ezion ,geber 7#a ,kings ix4 #bf71 to the ,mediterranean1 and from the desert where they stood to the ,euphrates1 where ,solomon actually possessed ,palmyra and ,thiphsah 7#b ,chron4 viii4 #d2 #a ,kings iv4 #bd74 ,,footnotes3 #ch ,even if the rendering were accepted1 ,must ,my ,presence 7,my ,face7 go with thee8 7,can ,i not be trusted without a direct ,presence87 the argument would not be affected1 because ,moses presses for the favour and obtains it4 ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 ,,the ,,covenant ,,ratified4 ,,the ,,vision ,,of ,,god4 xxiv4 ,the opening words of this chapter 7,come up unto the ,lord7 imply1 without explicitly asserting1 that ,moses was first sent down to convey to ,israel the laws which had just been enacted4 ,this code they unanimously accepted1 and he wrote it down4 ,it is a memorable statement1 recording the origin of the first portion of ,holy ,scripture that ever existed as such1 whatever earlier writings may now or afterwards have been incorporated in the ,pentateuch4 ,he then built an altar for ,god1 and twelve pillars for the tribes1 and sacrificed burnt-offerings and peace-offerings unto the ,lord4 ,sin-offerings1 it will be observed1 were not yet instituted2 and neither was the priesthood1 so that young men slew the offerings4 ,half of the blood was poured upon the altar1 because ,god had perfected ,his share in the covenant4 ,the remainder was not used until the law had been read aloud1 and the people had answered with one voice1 ,all that the ,lord hath commanded will we do1 and will be obedient4 ,thereupon they too were sprinkled with the blood1 and the solemn words were spoken1 ,behold the blood of the covenant which the ,lord hath made with you concerning all these words4 ,the people were now finally bound3 no later covenant of the same kind will be found in the ,old ,testament4 ,and now the principle began to work which was afterwards embodied in the priesthood4 ,that principle1 stated broadly1 was exclusion from the presence of ,god1 relieved and made hopeful by the admission of representatives4 ,the people were still forbidden to approach1 under pain of death4 ,but ,moses and ,aaron were no longer the only ones to cross the appointed boundaries4 ,with them came the two sons of ,aaron1 7afterwards1 despite their privilege1 to meet a dreadful doom17 and also seventy representatives of all the newly covenanted people4 ,joshua1 too1 as the servant of ,moses1 was free to come1 although unspecified in the summons 7vers4 #a1 #ac74 ,they saw the ,god of ,israel1 and under ,his feet the blueness of the sky like intense sapphire4 ,and they were secure3 they beheld ,god1 and ate and drank4 ,but in privilege itself there are degrees3 ,moses was called up still higher1 and left ,aaron and ,hur to govern the people while he communed with his ,god4 ,for six days the nation saw the flanks of the mountain swathed in cloud1 and its summit crowned with the glory of ,jehovah like devouring fire4 ,then ,moses entered the cloud1 and during forty days they knew not what had become of him4 ,was it time lost8 ,say rather that all time is wasted except what is spent in communion1 direct or indirect1 with the ,eternal4 ,the narrative is at once simple and sublime4 ,we are sometimes told that other religions besides our own rely for sanction upon their supernatural origin4 ,zarathustra1 ,skya-,mooni and ,mahomed pass among their followers for envoys of the ,godhead2 and in the estimation of the ,brahmin the ,vedas and the laws of ,manou are holy1 divine books 7,kuenen1 ,religion of ,israel1 i4 #f74 ,this is true4 ,but there is a wide difference between nations which assert that ,god privately appeared to their teachers1 and a nation which asserts that ,god appeared to the public4 ,it is not upon the word of ,moses that ,israel is said to have believed2 and even those who reject the narrative are not entitled to confound it with narratives utterly dissimilar4 ,there is not to be found anywhere a parallel for this majestic story4 ,but what are we to think of the assertion that ,god was seen to stand upon a burning mountain8 ,he it is ,whom no man hath seen or can see1 and in ,his presence the seraphim veil their faces4 ,it will not suffice to answer that ,moses endured as seeing ,him that is invisible 7,heb4 xi4 #bg71 for the paraphrase is many centuries later1 and hostile critics will rule it out of court as an after-thought4 ,at least1 however1 it proves that the problem was faced long ago1 and tells us what solution satisfied the early ,church4 ,with this clue before us1 we ask what notion did the narrative really convey to its ancient readers8 ,if our defence is to be thoroughly satisfactory1 it must show an escape from heretical and carnal notions of deity1 not only for ourselves1 but also for careful readers from the very first4 ,now it is certain that no such reader could for one moment think of a manifestation thorough1 exhaustive1 such as the eye receives of colour and of form4 ,because the effect produced is not satisfaction1 but desire4 ,each new vision deepens the sense of the unseen4 ,thus we read first that ,moses and ,aaron1 ,nadab and ,abihu and the seventy elders1 saw ,god1 from which revelation the people felt and knew themselves to be excluded4 ,and yet the multitude also had a vision according to its power to see2 and indeed it was more satisfying to them than was the most profound insight enjoyed by ,moses4 ,to see ,god is to sail to the horizon3 when you arrive1 the horizon is as far in front as ever2 but you have gained a new consciousness of infinitude4 ,the appearance of the glory of the ,lord was seen like devouring fire in the eyes of the children of ,israel 7ver4 #ag74 ,but ,moses was aware of a glory far greater and more spiritual than any material splendour4 ,when theophanies had done their utmost1 his longing was still unslaked1 and he cried out1 ,show me1 ,i pray ,thee1 ,thy glory 7xxxiii4 #ah74 ,to his consciousness that glory was still veiled1 which the multitude sufficiently beheld in the flaming mountain4 ,and the answer which he received ought to put the question at rest for ever1 since1 along with the promise ,all ,my goodness shall pass before thee1 came the assertion ,thou shalt not see ,my face1 for no man shall see ,me and live4 ,so1 then1 it is not our modern theology1 but this noble book of ,exodus itself1 which tells us that ,moses did not and could not adequately see ,god1 however great and sacred the vision which he beheld4 ,from this book we learn that1 side by side with the most intimate communion and the clearest possible unveiling of ,god1 grew up the profound consciousness that only some attributes and not the essence of deity had been displayed4 ,it is very instructive also to observe the steps by which ,moses is led upward4 ,from the burning bush to the fiery cloud1 and thence to the blazing mountain1 there was an ever-deepening lesson of majesty and awe4 ,but in answer to the prayer that he might really see the very glory of his ,lord1 his mind is led away upon entirely another pathway3 it is ,all ,my goodness which is now to pass before him1 and the proclamation is of a ,god full of compassion and gracious1 yet retaining ,his moral firmness1 so that ,he will by no means clear the guilty4 ,what can cloud and fire avail1 toward the manifesting of a ,god ,whose essence is ,his love8 ,it is from the ,old ,testament narrative that the ,new ,testament inferred that ,moses endured as seeing indeed1 yet as seeing ,him ,who is inevitably and for ever invisible to eyes of flesh3 he learned most1 not when he beheld some form of awe1 standing on a paved work of sapphire stone and as it were the very heaven for clearness1 but when hidden in a cleft of the rock and covered by the hand of ,god while ,he passed by4 ,on one hand the people saw the glory of ,god3 on the other hand it was the best lesson taught by a far closer access1 still to pray and yearn to see that glory4 ,the seventy beheld the ,god of ,israel3 for their leader was reserved the more exalting knowledge1 that beyond all vision is the mystic overshadowing of the ,divine1 and a voice which says ,no man shall see ,me and live4 ,the difference in heart is well typified in this difference in their conduct1 that they saw ,god and ate and drank1 but he1 for forty days1 ate not4 ,satisfaction and assurance are a poor ideal compared with rapt aspiration and desire4 ,thus we see that no conflict exists between this declaration and our belief in the spirituality of ,god4 ,we have still to ask what is the real force of the assertion that ,god was in some lesser sense seen of ,israel1 and again1 more especially1 of its leaders4 ,what do we mean even by saying that we see each other8--that1 observing keenly1 we see upon one face cunning1 upon another sorrow1 upon a third the peace of ,god8 ,are not these emotions immaterial and invisible as the essence of ,god ,himself8 ,nay1 so invisible is the reality within each bosom1 that some day all that eye hath seen shall fall away from us1 and yet the true man shall remain intact4 ,man has never seen more than a hint1 an outcome1 a partial self-revelation or self-betrayal of his fellow-man4 ,yes1 in the sea of life in-isled1 ,with echoing straits between us thrown1 ,dotting the shoreless watery wild1 ,we mortal millions live alone4 99 99 99 99 99 ,god bade betwixt 'our' shores to be ,the unplumb'd1 salt1 estranging sea4 ,and yet1 incredible as the paradox would seem1 if it were not too common to be strange1 the play of muscles and rush of blood1 visible through the skin1 do reveal the most spiritual and immaterial changes4 ,even so the heavens declare that very glory of ,god which baffled the undimmed eyes of ,moses4 ,so it was1 also1 that when rended rocks and burning skies revealed a more immanent action of ,him ,who moves through all nature always1 when convulsions hitherto undreamed of by those dwellers in ,egyptian plains overwhelmed them with a new sense of their own smallness and a supreme ,presence1 ,god was manifested there4 ,not unlike this is the explanation of ,st4 ,augustine1 ,we need not be surprised that ,god1 invisible as ,he is1 appeared visibly to the patriarchs4 ,for1 as the sound which communicates the thought conceived in the silence of the mind is not the thought itself1 so the form by which ,god1 invisible in ,his own nature1 became visible1 was not ,god ,himself4 ,nevertheless it was ,he ,himself ,who was seen under that form1 as the thought itself is heard in the sound of the voice2 and the patriarchs recognised that1 although the bodily form was not ,god1 they saw the invisible ,god4 ,for1 though ,moses was conversing with ,god1 yet he said1 ',if ,i have found grace in ,thy sight1 show me ,thyself' 7,de ,civ4 ,dei1 x4 #ac74 ,and again3 ,he knew that he saw corporeally1 but he sought the true vision of ,god spiritually 7,de ,trin41 ii4 #bg74 ,it has still to be added that ,his manifestation is exactly suited to the stage now reached in the education of ,israel4 ,their fathers had already seen ,god in the likeness of man3 ,abraham had entertained ,him2 ,jacob had wrestled with ,him4 ,and so ,joshua before ,ai1 and ,manoah by the rock at ,zorah1 and ,ezekiel by the river ,chebar1 should see the likeness of a man4 ,we who believe the doctrine of a real ,incarnation can well perceive that in these passing and mysterious glimpses ,god was not only revealing ,himself in the way which would best prepare humanity for ,his future coming in actual manhood1 but also in the way by which1 meanwhile1 the truest and deepest light could be thrown upon ,his nature1 a nature which could hereafter perfectly manifest itself in flesh4 ,why1 then1 do not the records of the ,exodus hint at a human likeness8 ,why did they behold no similitude8 ,clearly because the masses of ,israel were utterly unprepared to receive rightly such a vision4 ,to them the likeness of man would have meant no more than the likeness of a flying eagle or a calf4 ,idolatry would have followed1 but no sense of sympathy1 no consciousness of the grandeur and responsibility of being made in the likeness of ,god4 ,anthropomorphism is a heresy1 although the ,incarnation is the crowning doctrine of the faith4 ,but it is hard to see why the human likeness of ,god should exist in ,genesis and ,joshua1 but not in the history of the ,exodus1 if that story be a post-,exilian forgery4 ,this is not all4 ,the revelations of ,god in the desert were connected with threats and prohibitions3 the law was given by ,moses2 grace and truth came by ,jesus ,christ4 ,and with the different tone of the message a different aspect of the speaker was to be expected4 ,from the blazing crags of ,sinai1 fenced around1 the voice of a trumpet waxing louder and louder1 said ,thou shalt not6 ,on the green hill by the ,galilan lake ,jesus sat down1 and ,his disciples came unto ,him1 and ,he opened ,his mouth and said ,blessed4 ,now1 the conscience of every sinner knows that the ,god of the commandments is dreadful4 ,it is of ,him1 not of hell1 that ,isaiah said ,the sinners in ,zion are afraid2 trembling hath surprised the godless ones4 ,who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire8 who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings8 7,isa4 xxxiii4 #ad74 ,for him who rejects the light yoke of the ,lord of ,love1 the fires of ,sinai are still the truest revelation of deity2 and we must not deny ,sinai because we know ,bethlehem4 ,we must choose between the two4 ,,chapter ,,xxv4 ,,the ,,shrine ,,and ,,its ,,furniture4 xxv4 #a-dj4 ,the first direction given to ,moses on the mountain is to prepare for the making of a tabernacle wherein ,god may dwell with man4 ,for this he must invite offerings of various kinds1 metals and gems1 skins and fabrics1 oil and spices2 and the humblest man whose heart is willing may contribute toward an abode for ,him ,whom the heaven of heavens cannot contain4 ,strange indeed is the contrast between the mountain burning up to heaven1 and the lowly structure of the wood of the desert1 which was now to be erected by subscription4 ,and yet the change marks not a lower conception of deity1 but an advance1 just as the quiet and serene communion of a saint with ,god is loftier than the most agitating experience of the convert4 ,this is the first announcement of a fixed abiding presence of ,god in the midst of men1 and it is therefore the precursor of much4 ,st4 ,john certainly alluded to this earliest dwelling of ,god on earth when he wrote1 ,the ,word was made flesh1 and tabernacled among us 7,john i4 #ad74 ,a little later it was said1 ,ye also are builded together for an habitation of ,god 7,eph4 ii4 #bb72 and again the very words used at first of the tabernacle are applied to faithful souls3 ,we are a temple of the living ,god1 as ,god said1 ,i will dwell in them and walk in them 7#b ,cor4 vi4 #af2 ,lev4 xxvi4 #aa74 ,for ,god dwelt on earth in the ,messiah hidden by the veil1 that is to say ,his flesh 7,heb4 x4 #bj71 and also in the hearts of all the faithful4 ,and a yet fuller communion is to come1 of which the tabernacle in the wilderness was a type1 even the descent of the ,holy ,city1 when the true tabernacle of ,god shall be with men1 and ,he shall tabernacle with them 7,rev4 xxi4 #c74 ,it may seem strange that after the commandment ,let them make ,me a sanctuary the whole chapter is devoted to instructions1 not for the tabernacle but for its furniture4 ,but indeed the four articles enumerated in this chapter present a wonderfully graphic picture of the nature and terms of the intercourse of ,god with man4 ,on one side is ,his revelation of righteousness1 but righteousness propitiated and become gracious1 and this is symbolised by the ark of the testimony and the mercy-seat4 ,on the other side the consecration both of secular and sacred life is typified by the table with bread and wine1 and by the golden candlestick4 ,except thus1 no tabernacle could have been the dwelling of the ,lord1 nor ever shall be4 ,and this is the true reason why the altar of incense is not even mentioned until a later chapter 7xxx474 ,we do homage to ,god because ,he is present3 it is rather the consequence than the condition of ,his abode with us4 ,the first step towards the preparation of a shrine for ,god on earth is the enshrining of ,his will3 ,moses should therefore make first of all an ark1 wherein to treasure up the testimony which ,i shall give thee1 the two tables of the law 7xxv4 #af74 ,in it were also the pot of manna and ,aaron's rod which budded 7,heb4 ix4 #d71 and beside it was laid the whole book of the law1 for a testimony1 alas6 against them 7,deut4 xxxi4 #bf74 ,thus the ark was to treasure up the expression of the will of ,god1 and the relics which told by what mercies and deliverances ,he claimed obedience4 ,it was a precious thing1 but not the most precious1 as we shall presently learn2 and therefore it was not made of pure gold1 but overlaid with it4 ,that it might be reverently carried1 four rings were cast and fastened to it at the lower corners1 and in these four staves1 also overlaid with gold1 were permanently inserted4 ,the next article mentioned is the most important of all4 ,it would be a great mistake to suppose that the mercy-seat was a mere lid1 an ordinary portion of the ark itself4 ,it was made of a different and more costly material1 of pure gold1 with which the ark was only overlaid4 ,there is separate mention that ,bezaleel made the ark1 444 and he made the mercy-seat 7xxxvii4 #a1 #f71 and the special presence of ,god in the ,most ,holy ,place is connected much more intimately with the mercy-seat than with the remainder of the structure4 ,thus ,he promises to appear in the cloud above the mercy-seat 7,lev4 xvi4 #b74 ,and when it is written that ,moses heard the ,voice speaking unto him from above the mercy-seat which is upon the ark of the testimony 7,num4 vii4 #hi71 it would have been more natural to say directly from above the ark unless some stress were to be laid upon the interposing slab of gold4 ,in reality no distinction could be sharper than between the ark and its cover1 from whence to hear the voice of ,god4 ,and so thoroughly did all the symbolism of the ,most ,holy ,place gather around this supreme object1 that in one place it is actually called the house of the mercy-seat 7#a ,chron4 xxviii4 #aa74 ,let us1 then1 put ourselves into the place of an ancient worshipper4 ,excluded though he is from the ,holy ,place1 and conscious that even the priests are shut out from the inner shrine1 yet the high priest who enters is his brother3 he goes on his behalf3 the barrier is a curtain1 not a wall4 ,but while the ,israelite mused upon what was beyond1 the ark1 as we have seen1 suggests the depth of his obligation2 for there is the rod of his deliverance and the bread from heaven which fed him2 and there also are the commandments which he ought to have kept4 ,and his conscience tells him of ingratitude1 and a broken covenant2 by the law is the knowledge of sin4 ,it is therefore a sinister and menacing thought that immediately above this ark of the violated covenant burns the visible manifestation of ,god1 his injured ,benefactor4 ,and hence arises the golden value of that which interposes1 beneath which the accusing law is buried1 by means of which ,god hides ,his face from our sins4 ,the worshipper knows this cover to be provided by a separate ordinance of ,god1 after the ark and its contents had been arranged for1 and finds in it a vivid concrete representation of the idea ,thou hast cast all my sins behind ,thy back 7,isa4 xxxviii4 #ag74 ,that this was its true intention becomes more evident when we ascertain exactly the meaning of the term which we have1 not too precisely1 rendered mercy-seat4 ,the word seat has no part in the original2 and we are not to think of ,god as reposing on it1 but as revealing ,himself above4 ,the erroneous notion has probably transferred itself to the type from the heavenly antitype1 which is the throne of grace1 but it has no countenance either in the ,greek or the ,hebrew name of the ,mosaic institution4 ,nor is the notion expressed that of gratuitous and unbought mercy4 ,when ,jehovah showeth mercy unto thousands1 the word is different4 ,it is true that the root means to cover1 and is once employed in ,scripture in that sense 7,gen4 vi4 #ad72 but its ethical use is generally connected with sacrifice2 and when we read of a sin-offering for atonement1 of the half-shekel being an atonement-money1 and of the day of atonement1 the word is a simple and very similar development from the same root with this which we render mercy-seat 7,exod4 xxx4 #aj1 #af2 ,lev4 xxiii4 #bg1 etc474 ,the ,greek word is found twice in the ,new ,testament3 once when the cherubim of glory overshadow the mercy-seat1 and again when ,god hath set forth ,christ to be a propitiation 7,heb4 ix4 #e2 ,rom4 iii4 #be74 ,the mercy-seat is therefore to be thought of in connection with sin1 but sin expiated and thus covered and put away4 ,we know mysteries which the ,israelite could not guess of the means by which this was brought to pass4 ,but as he watched the high priest disappearing into that awful solitude1 with ,god1 as he listened to the chime of bells1 swung by his movements1 and announcing that still he lived1 two conditions stood out broadly before his mind4 ,one was the bringing in of incense3 ,thou shalt bring a censer full of burning coals of fire from before the altar1 that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy-seat 7,lev4 xvi4 #ac74 ,now1 the connection between prayer and incense was quite familiar to the ,jew2 and he could not but understand that the blessing of atonement was to be sought and won by intense and burning supplication4 ,and the other was that invariable demand1 the offering of a victim's blood4 ,all the sacrifices of ,judaism culminated in the great act when the high priest1 standing in the most holy and the most occult spot in all the world1 sprinkled blood upon the mercy-seat eastwards1 and before the mercy-seat sprinkled of the blood with his finger seven times 7,lev4 xvi4 #ad74 ,thus the crowning height of the ,jewish ritual was attained when the blood of the great national sacrifice was offered not only before ,god1 but1 with special reference to the covering up of the broken and accusing law1 before the mercy-seat4 ,no wonder that on either side of it1 and moulded of the same mass of metal1 were the cherubim in an attitude of adoration1 their outspread wings covering it1 their faces bent1 not only as bowing in reverence before the ,divine presence1 but1 as we expressly read1 toward the mercy-seat shall the faces of the cherubim be4 ,for the meaning of this great symbol was among the things which the angels desire to look into4 ,we now understand how much was gained when ,god said ,there will ,i meet thee1 and ,i will commune with thee from above the mercy-seat 7ver4 #bb74 ,it was an assurance1 not only of the love which desires obedience1 but of the mercy which passes over failure4#ci ,thus far1 there has been symbolised the mind of ,god1 ,his righteousness and ,his grace4 ,the next articles have to do with man1 his homage to ,god and his witness for ,him4 ,there is first the table of the shewbread 7vers4 #bc-cj71 overlaid with pure gold1 surrounded1 like the ark1 with a crown or moulding of gold1 for ornament and the greater security of the loaves1 and strengthened by a border of pure gold carried around the base1 which was also ornamented with a crown1 or moulding4 ,close to this border were rings for staves1 like those by which the ark was borne4 ,the table was furnished with dishes upon which1 every ,sabbath day1 new shewbread might be conveyed into the tabernacle1 and the old might be removed for the priests to eat4 ,there were spoons also1 by which to place frankincense upon each pile of bread2 and flagons and bowls to pour out withal4 ,what was thus to be poured we do not read1 but there is no doubt that it was wine1 second only to bread as a requisite of ,jewish life1 and forming1 like the frankincense1 a link between this weekly presentation and the meal-offerings4 ,but all these were subordinate to the twelve loaves1 one for each tribe1 which were laid in two piles upon the table4 ,it is clear that their presentation was the essence of the rite1 and not their consumption by the priests1 which was possibly little more than a safeguard against irreverent treatment4 ,for the word shewbread is literally bread of the face or presence1 which word is used of the presence of ,god1 in the famous prayer ,if ,thy presence go not with me1 carry us not up hence 7xxxiii4 #ae74 ,and of whom1 other than ,god1 can it here be reasonably understood8 ,now ,jacob1 long before1 had vowed ,of all that ,thou givest me1 ,i will surely give the tenth to ,thee 7,gen4 xxviii4 #bb74 ,and it was an edifying ordinance that a regular offering should be made to ,god of the staple necessaries of existence1 as a confession that all came from ,him1 and an appeal1 clearly expressed by covering it with frankincense1 which typified prayer 7,lev4 xxiv4 #g7 that ,he would continue to supply their need4 ,nor is it overstrained to add1 that when this bread was given to their priestly representatives to eat1 with all reverence and in a holy place1 ,god responded1 and gave back to ,his people that which represented the necessary maintenance of the tribes4 ,thus it was1 on the behalf of the children of ,israel1 an everlasting covenant 7,lev4 xxiv4 #h74 ,the form has perished4 ,but as long as we confess in the ,lord's ,prayer that the wealthiest does not possess one day's bread ungiven--as long1 also1 as ,christian families connect every meal with a due acknowledgment of dependence and of gratitude--so long will the ,church of ,christ continue to make the same confession and appeal which were offered in the shewbread upon the table4 ,the next article of furniture was the golden candlestick 7vers4 #ca-dj74 ,and this presents the curious phenomenon that it is extremely clear in its typical import1 and in its material outline2 but the details of the description are most obscure1 and impossible to be gathered from the ,authorised ,version4 ,strictly speaking1 it was not a lamp1 but only a gorgeous lamp-stand1 with one perpendicular shaft1 and six branches1 three springing1 one above another1 from each side of the shaft1 and all curving up to the same height4 ,upon these were laid the seven lamps1 which were altogether separate in their construction 7ver4 #cg74 ,it was of pure gold1 the base and the main shaft being of one piece of beaten metal4 ,each of the six branches was ornamented with three cups1 made like almond blossoms2 above these a knop1 variously compared by ,jewish writers to an apple and a pomegranate1 and still higher1 a flower or bud4 ,it is believed that there was a fruit and flower above each of the cups1 making nine ornaments on each branch4 ,the candlestick in ver4 #cd can only mean the central shaft1 and upon this there were four cups with their knops and flowers instead of three4 ,with the lamp were tongs1 and snuff-dishes in which to remove the charred wick from the temple4 ,as we are told that when the ,lord called the child ,samuel1 the lamp of ,god was not yet gone out 7#a ,sam4 iii4 #c71 it follows that the lights were kept burning only during the night4 ,we have now to ascertain the spiritual meaning of this stately symbol4 ,there are two other passages in ,scripture which take up the figure and carry it forward4 ,in ,zechariah 7iv4 #b-ab7 we are taught that the separation of the lamps is a mere incident2 they are to be conceived of as organically one1 and moreover as fed by secret ducts with oil from no limited supply1 but from living olive trees1 vital1 rooted in the system of the universe4 ,whatever obscurity may veil those two sons of oil 7and this is not the place to discuss the subject71 we are distinctly told that the main lesson is that of lustre derived from supernatural1 invisible sources4 ,zerubbabel is confronted by a great mountain of hindrance1 but it shall become a plain before him1 because the lesson of the vision of the candlestick is this--,not by might1 nor by power1 but by ,my ,spirit1 saith the ,lord4 ,a lamp gives light not because the gold shines1 but because the oil burns2 and yet the oil is the one thing which the eye sees not4 ,and so the ,church is a witness for her ,lord1 a light shining in a dark place1 not because of its learning or culture1 its noble ritual1 its stately buildings or its ample revenues4 ,all these things her children1 having the power1 ought to dedicate4 ,the ancient symbol put art and preciousness in an honourable place1 worthily upholding the lamp itself2 and in the ,new ,testament the seven lamps of the ,apocalypse were still of gold4 ,but the true function of a lamp is to be luminous1 and for this the ,church depends wholly upon its supply of grace from ,god the ,holy ,ghost4 ,it is not by might1 nor by power1 but by ,my ,spirit1 saith the ,lord4 ,again1 in the ,revelation1 we find the ,new ,testament ,churches described as lamps1 among which their ,lord habitually walks4 ,and no sooner have the seven churches on earth been warned and cheered1 than we are shown before the throne of ,god seven torches 7burning by their own incandescence--vide ,trench1 ,n4 ,t4 ,synonyms1 p4 #afb71 which are the seven spirits of ,god1 answering to ,his seven light-bearers upon the earth 7,rev4 iv4 #e74 ,lastly1 the perfect and mystic number1 seven1 declares that the light of the ,church1 shining in a dark place1 ought to be full and clear1 no imperfect presentation of the truth3 they shall light the lamps1 to give light over against it4 ,because this lamp shines with the light of the ,church1 exhibiting the graces of her ,lord1 therefore a special command is addressed to the people1 besides the call for contributions to the work in general1 that they shall bring pure olive oil1 not obtained by heat and pressure1 but simply beaten1 and therefore of the best quality1 to feed its flame4 ,it is to burn1 as the ,church ought to shine in all darkness of the conscience or the heart of man1 from evening to morning for ever4 ,and the care of the ministers of ,god is to be the continual tending of this blessed and sacred flame4 ,,the ,,pattern ,,in ,,the ,,mount4 xxv4 #i1 #dj4 ,twice over 7vers4 #i1 #dj1 and cf4 xxvi4 #cj1 xxvii4 #h1 etc47 ,moses was reminded to be careful to make all things after the pattern shown him in the mount4 ,and these words have sometimes been so strained as to convey the meaning that there really exists in heaven a tabernacle and its furniture1 the grand original from which the ,mosaic copy was derived4 ,that is plainly not what the ,epistle to the ,hebrews understands 7,heb4 viii4 #e74 ,for it urges this admonition as a proof that the old dispensation was a shadow of ours1 in which ,christ enters into heaven itself1 and our consciences are cleansed from dead works to serve the living ,god4 ,the citation is bound indissolubly with all the demonstration which follows it4 ,we are not1 then1 to think of a heavenly tabernacle1 exhibited to the material senses of ,moses1 with which all the details of his own work must be identical4 ,rather we are to conceive of an inspiration1 an ideal1 a vision of spiritual truths1 to which all this work in gold and acacia-wood should correspond4 ,it was thus that ,socrates told ,glaucon1 incredulous of his republic1 that in heaven there is laid up a pattern1 for him that wishes to behold it4 ,nothing short of this would satisfy the inspired application of the words in the ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 where the readers1 who were ,jewish converts1 are asked to recognise in this verse evidence that the light of the new dispensation illuminated the institutions of the old4 ,without this pervading sentiment1 the most elaborate specifications of weight and measurement1 of cup and pomegranate and flower1 could never have produced the required effect4 ,an ideal there was1 a divinely designed suggestiveness1 which must be always present to his superintending vigilance1 as once it shone upon his soul in sacred vision or trance2 a suggestiveness which might possibly be lost amid correct elaborations1 like the soul of a poem or a song1 evaporating through a rendering which is correct enough1 yet in which the spirit1 even if that alone1 has been forgotten4 ,it is surely a striking thing to find this need of a pervading sentiment impressed upon the author of the first piece of religious art that ever was recognised by heaven4 ,for it is the mysterious all-pervading charm of such a dominant sentiment which marks the impassable difference between the lowliest work of art1 and the highest piece of art-manufacture which is only a manufactured article4 ,and assuredly the recognition of this principle among a people whose ancient history shows but little interest in art1 calls for some attention from those who regard the tabernacle itself as a fiction1 and its details as elaborated in ,babylonia1 in the priestly interest4 7,kuenen1 ,relig4 of ,israel1 ii4 #adh74 ,the problem of problems for all who deny the divinity of the ,old ,testament is to explain the curious position which its institutions are consistent in accepting4 ,they rest on the authority of heaven1 and yet they are not definitive1 but provisional4 ,they are always looking forward to another prophet like their founder1 a new covenant better than the present one1 a high priest after the order of a ,canaanite enthroned at the right hand of ,jehovah1 a consecration for every pot in the city like that of the vessels in the temple 7,deut4 xviii4 #ae2 ,jer4 xxxi4 #ca2 ,ps4 cx4 #a1 #d2 ,zech4 xiv4 #bj74 ,and here1 in the priestly interest1 is an avowal that the ,divine habitation which they boast of is but the likeness and shadow of some ,divine reality concealed4 ,and these strange expectations have proved to be the most fruitful and energetic principles in their religion4 ,this very presence of the ideal is what will for ever make the highest natures quite certain that the visible universe is no mere resultant of clashing forces without a soul1 but the genuine work of a ,creator4 ,the universe is charged throughout with the most powerful appeals to all that is artistic and vital within us2 so that a cataract is more than water falling noisily1 and the silence of midnight more than the absence of disturbance1 and a snow mountain more than a storehouse to feed the torrents in summer1 being also poems1 appeals1 revelations1 whispers from a spirit1 heard in the depth of ours4 ,does any one1 listening to ,beethoven's funeral march1 doubt the utterance of a soul1 as distinct from clanging metal and vibrating chords8 ,and the world has in it this mysterious witness to something more than heat and cold1 moisture and drought3 something which makes the difference between a well-filled granary and a field of grain rippling golden in the breeze4 ,this is not a coercive argument for the hostile logic-monger3 it is an appeal for the open heart4 ,he that hath ears to hear1 let him hear4 ,to fill the tabernacle of ,moses with spiritual meaning1 the ideal tabernacle was revealed to him in the ,mount of ,god4 ,let us apply the same principle to human life4 ,there also harmony and unity1 a pervading sense of beauty and of soul1 are not to be won by mere obedience to a mandate here and a prohibition there4 ,like ,moses1 it is not by labour according to specification that we may erect a shrine for deity4 ,those parables which tell of obedient toil would be sadly defective1 therefore1 without those which speak of love and joy1 a supper1 a ,shepherd bearing home ,his sheep1 a prodigal whose dull expectation of hired service is changed for investiture with the best robe and the gold ring1 and welcome of dance and music4 ,how shall our lives be made thus harmonious1 a spiritual poem and not a task1 a chord vibrating under the musician's hand8 ,how shall thought and word1 desire and deed1 become like the blended voices of river and wind and wood1 a witness for the divine8 ,not by mere elaboration of detail 7though correctness is a condition of all true art71 but by a vision before us of the divine life1 the ,ideal1 the pattern shown to all1 and equally to be imitated 7strange though it may seem7 by peasant and prince1 by woman and sage and child4 ,,footnotes3 #ci ,this investigation offers a fine example of the folly of that kind of interpretation which looks about for some sort of external and arbitrary resemblance1 and fastens upon that as the true meaning4 ,nothing is more common among these expounders than to declare that the wood and gold of the ark are types of the human and ,divine natures of our ,lord4 ,if either ark or mercy-seat should be compared to ,him1 it is obviously the latter1 which speaks of mercy4 ,but this was of pure gold4 ,,chapter ,,xxvi4 ,,the ,,tabernacle4 xxvi4 ,we now come to examine the structure of the tabernacle for which the most essential furniture has been prepared4 ,some confusion of thought exists1 even among educated laymen1 with regard to the arrangements of the temple2 and this has led to similar confusion 7to a less extent7 concerning the corresponding parts of the tabernacle4 ,the temple in which the ,child ,jesus was found1 and into which ,peter and ,john went up to pray1 ought not to be confounded with that inner shrine1 the temple1 in which it was the lot of the priest ,zacharias to burn incense1 and into which ,judas1 forgetful of all its sacredness in his anguish1 hurled his money to the priests 7,luke ii4 #df2 ,acts iii4 #c2 ,luke i4 #i2 ,matt4 xxvii4 #e74 ,now1 the former of these corresponded to the court of the tabernacle1 an enclosure open to the skies1 and containing two important articles1 the altar of burnt sacrifices and the laver4 ,this was accessible to the nation1 so that the sinner could lay his hand upon the head of his offering1 and the priests could purify themselves before entering their own sacred place1 the tabernacle proper1 the shrine4 ,but when we come to the structure itself1 some attention is still necessary1 in order to derive any clear notion from the description2 nor can this easily be done by an ,english reader without substituting the ,revised ,version for the ,authorised4 ,he will then discover that we have a description1 first of the curtains of the tabernacle 7vers4 #a-f71 and then of other curtains which are not considered to belong to the tabernacle proper1 but to the tent over the tabernacle 7#g-ac71 being no part of the rich ornamental interior1 but only a protection spread above it2 and over this again were two further screens from the weather 7#ad71 and finally1 inside all1 are the boards of the tabernacle--of which boards the two actual apartments were constructed 7#ae-cj7--;and the veil which divided the ,holy from the ,most ,holy ,place 7#ca-c74 ,the curtains of the tabernacle were ten1 made of linen1 of which every thread consisted of fine strands twisted together1 and blue and purple and scarlet1 with cherubim not embroidered but woven into the fabric 7#a74 ,these curtains were sewn together1 five and five1 so as to make two great curtains1 each slightly larger than forty-two feet by thirty1 being twenty-eight cubits long by five times four cubits broad 7#b1 #c74 ,finally these two were linked together1 each having fifty loops for that purpose at corresponding places at the edge1 which loops were bound together by fifty golden clasps 7#d-f74 ,thus1 when the nation was about to march1 they could easily be divided in the middle and then folded in the seams4 ,this costly fabric was regarded as part of the true tabernacle3 why1 then1 do we find the outer curtains mentioned before the rest of the tabernacle proper is described8 ,certainly because these rich curtains lie immediately underneath the coarser ones1 and are to be considered along with the tent which covered all 7#g74 ,this consisted of curtains of goats' hair1 of the same size1 and arranged in all respects like the others1 except that their clasps were only bronze1 and that the curtains were eleven in number1 instead of ten1 so that half a curtain was available to hang down over the back1 and half was to be doubled back upon itself at the front of the tabernacle1 that is to say1 the richer curtains underneath4 ,the object of this is obvious3 it was to bring the centre of the goatskin curtains over the edge of the linen ones1 as tiles overlap each other1 to shut out the rain at the joints4 ,but this implies1 what has been said already1 that the curtains of the tabernacle should lie close to the curtains of the tent4 ,over these again was an outer covering of rams' skins dyed red1 and a covering of sealskins above all 7#ad74 ,this last1 it is generally agreed1 ran only along the top1 like a ridge tile1 to protect the vulnerable part of the roof4 ,and now it has to be remembered that we are speaking of a real tent with sloping sides1 not a flat cover laid upon the flat inner structure of boards1 and certain to admit the rain4 ,by calling attention to this fact1 ,mr4 ,fergusson succeeded in solving all the problems connected with the measurements of the tabernacle1 and bringing order into what was little more than chaos before 7,smith's ,bible ,dict41 ,temple74 ,the inner tabernacle was of acacia wood1 which was the only timber of the sanctuary4 ,each board stood ten cubits high1 and was fitted by tenons into two silver sockets1 which probably formed a continuous base4 ,each of these contained a talent of silver1 and was therefore more than eighty pounds weight2 and they were probably to some extent sunk into the ground for a foundation 7xxxviii4 #bg74 ,there were twenty boards on each side2 and as they were a cubit and a half broad1 the length of the tabernacle was about forty-five feet 7#af-ah74 ,at the west end there were six boards 7#bb71 which1 with the breadth of the two posts or boards for the corners 7#bc-d7 just gives ten cubits1 or fifteen feet1 for the width of it4 ,thus the length of the tabernacle was three times its breadth2 and we know that in the ,temple 7where all the proportions were the same1 the figures being doubled throughout7 the subdividing veil was so hung as to make the inner shrine a perfect square1 leaving the holy place twice as long as it was broad4 ,the posts were held in their places by wooden bars1 which were overlaid with gold 7as the boards also were1 ver4 #bi7 and fitted into golden rings4 ,four such bars1 or bolts1 ran along a portion of each side1 and there was a fifth great bar which stretched along the whole forty-five feet from end to end4 ,thus the edifice was firmly held together2 and the wealth of the material makes it likely that they were fixed on the inside1 and formed a part of the ornament of the edifice 7#bf-i74 ,when the two curtains were fastened together with clasps1 they gave a length of sixty feet4 ,but we have seen that the length of the boards when jointed together was only forty-five feet4 ,this gives a projection of seven feet and a half 7five cubits7 for the front and rear of the tent beyond the tabernacle of boards2 and when the great curtains were drawn tight1 sloping from the ridge-pole fourteen cubits on each side1 it has been shown 7assuming a right-angle at the top7 that they reached within five cubits of the ground1 and extended five cubits beyond the sides1 the same distance as at the front and rear4 ,the next instructions concern the veil which divided the two chambers of the sanctuary4 ,this was in all respects like the curtain of the tabernacle1 and similarly woven with cherubim4 ,it was hung upon four pillars2 and the even number seems to prove that there was no higher one in the centre1 reaching to the roof--which seems to imply that there was a triangular opening above the veil1 between the ,holy and the ,most ,holy ,place 7#ca1 #cb74 ,but here a difficult question arises4 ,there is no specific measurement of the point at which this subdividing veil was to stretch across the tent4 ,the analogy of the ,temple inclines us to believe that the ,most ,holy ,place was a perfect cube1 and the ,holy ,place twice as long as it was broad and high4 ,there is evident allusion to this final shape of the ,most ,holy ,place in the description of the ,new ,jerusalem1 of which the length and breadth and height were equal4 ,and yet there is strong reason to suspect that this arrangement was not the primitive one4 ,for ,moses was ordered to stretch the veil underneath the golden clasps which bound together the two great curtains of the tabernacle 7ver4 #cc74 ,but these were certainly in the middle4 ,how1 then1 could the veil make an unequal division below8 ,possibly fifteen feet square would have been too mean a space for the dimensions of the ,most ,holy ,place1 although the perfect cube became desirable1 when the size was doubled4 ,a screen of the same rich material1 but apparently not embroidered with cherubim1 was to stretch across the door of the tent2 but this was supported on five pillars instead of four1 clearly that the central one might support the ridge-bar of the roof4 ,and their sockets were of brass 7vers4 #cf1 #cg74 ,the tabernacle1 like the ,temple1 had its entrance on the east 7ver4 #bb72 and in the case of the ,temple this was the more remarkable1 because the city lay at the other side1 and the worshippers had to pass round the shrine before they reached the front of it4 ,the object was apparently to catch the warmth of the sun4 ,for a somewhat similar reason1 every pagan temple in the ancient world1 with a few well-defined exceptions which are easily explained1 also faced the east2 and the worshippers1 with their backs to the dawn1 saw the first beams of the sun kindling their idol's face4 ,the orientation of ,christian churches is due to the custom which made the neophyte1 standing at first in his familiar position westward1 renounce the devil and all his works1 and then1 turning his back upon his idols1 recite the creed with his face eastward4 ,what ideas would be suggested by this edifice to the worshipper will better be examined when we have examined also the external court4 ,,chapter ,,xxvii4 ,,the ,,outer ,,court4 xxvii4 ,before describing the tabernacle1 its furniture was specified4 ,and so1 when giving instructions for the court of the tabernacle1 the altar has to be described3 ,thou shalt make the altar of acacia wood4 ,the definite article either implies that an altar was taken for granted1 a thing of course2 or else it points back to chap4 xx4 #bd1 which said ,an altar of earth shalt thou make4 ,nor is the acacia wood of this altar at all inconsistent with that precept1 it being really not an altar but an altar-case1 and hollow 7ver4 #h7--;an arrangement for holding the earth together1 and preventing the feet of the priests from desecrating it4 ,at each corner was a horn1 of one piece with the framework1 typical of the power which was there invoked1 and practically useful1 both to bind the sacrifice with cords1 and also for the grasp of the fugitive1 seeking sanctuary 7,ps4 cxviii4 #bg2 #a ,kings i4 #ej74 ,this arrangement is said to have been peculiar to ,judaism4 ,and as the altar was outside the tabernacle1 and both symbolism and art prescribed simpler materials1 it was overlaid with brass 7vers4 #a1 #b74 ,of the same material were the vessels necessary for the treatment of the fire and blood 7ver4 #c74 ,a network of brass protected the lower part of the altar2 and at half the height a ledge projected1 supported by this network1 and probably wide enough to allow the priests to stand upon it when they ministered 7vers4 #d1 #e74 ,hence we read that ,aaron came down from offering 7,lev4 ix4 #bb74 ,lastly1 there was the same arrangement of rings and staves to carry it as for the ark and the table 7vers4 #f1 #g74 ,it will be noticed that the laver in this court1 like the altar of incense within1 is reserved for mention in a later chapter 7xxx4 #ah7 as being a subordinate feature in the arrangements4 ,the enclosure was a quadrangle of one hundred cubits by fifty2 it was five cubits high1 and each cubit may be taken as a foot and a half4 ,the linen which enclosed it was upheld by pillars with sockets of brass2 and one of the few additional facts to be gleaned from the detailed statement that all these directions were accurately carried out is that the heads of all the pillars were overlaid with silver 7xxxviii4 #ag74 ,the pillars were connected by rods 7fillets7 of silver1 and a hanging of fine-twined linen was stretched by means of silver hooks 7#i-ac74 ,the entrance was twenty cubits wide1 corresponding accurately to the width1 not of the tabernacle1 but of the tent as it has been described 7reaching out five cubits farther on each side than the tabernacle71 and it was closed by an embroidered curtain 7#ad-ag74 ,this fence was drawn firmly into position and held there by brazen tent-pins2 and we here incidentally learn that so was the tent itself 7#ai74 ,,for ,,verses #bj1 #ba1 see page #dbc4 ,we are now in a position to ask what sentiment all these arrangements would inspire in the mind of the simple and somewhat superstitious worshippers4 ,approaching it from outside1 the linen enclosure 7being seven feet and a half high7 would conceal everything but the great roof of the tent1 one uniform red1 except for the sealskin covering along the summit4 ,a gloomy and menacing prospect1 broken possibly by some gleams1 if the curtain of the gable were drawn back1 from the gold with which every portion of the shrine within was plated4 ,so does the world outside look askance upon the ,church1 discerning a mysterious suggestion everywhere of sternness and awe1 yet with flashes of strange splendour and affluence underneath the gloom4 ,in this place ,god is known to be3 it is a tent1 not really of the congregation1 but of meeting between ,jehovah and ,his people3 the tent of meeting before the ,lord1 where ,i will meet with you1 444 and there ,i will meet with the children of ,israel 7xxix4 #db-c74 ,and so the ,israelite1 though troubled by sin and fear1 is attracted to the gate1 and enters4 ,right in front stands the altar3 this obtrudes itself before all else upon his attention3 he must learn its lesson first of all4 ,especially will he feel that this is so if a sacrifice is now to be offered1 since the official must go farther into the court to wash at the laver1 and then return2 so that a loss of graduated arrangement has been accepted in order to force the altar to the front4 ,and he will soon learn that not only must every approach to the sacred things within be heralded by sacrifice upon this altar1 but the blood of the victim must be carried as a passport into the shrine4 ,surely he remembers how the blood of the lamb saved his own life when the firstborn of ,egypt died3 he knows that it is written ,the life 7or soul7 of the flesh is in the blood3 and ,i have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls 7or lives73 for it is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life 7or soul7 7,lev4 xvii4 #aa74 ,no ,hebrew could watch his fellow-sinner lay his hand on a victim's head1 and confess his sin before the blow fell on it1 without feeling that sin was being1 in some mysterious sense1 borne for him4 ,the intricacies of our modern theology would not disturb him1 but this is the sentiment by which the institutions of the tabernacle assuredly ministered comfort and hope to him4 ,strong would be his hope as he remembered that the service and its solace were not of human devising1 that ,god had given it to him upon the altar to make atonement for his soul4 ,taking courage1 therefore1 the worshipper dares to lift up his eyes4 ,and beyond the altar he sees a vision of dazzling magnificence4 ,the inner roof1 most unlike the sullen red of the exterior1 is blazing with various colours1 and embroidered with emblems of the mysterious creatures of the sky1 winged1 yet not utterly afar from human in their suggestiveness4 ,encompassed and looked down into by these is the tabernacle1 all of gold4 ,if the curtain is raised he sees a chamber which tells what the earth should be--a place of consecrated energies and resources1 and of sacred illumination1 the oil of ,god burning in the sevenfold vessel of the ,church4 ,is this blessed place for him1 and may he enter8 ,ah1 no6 and surely his heart would grow heavy with consciousness that reconciliation was not yet made perfect1 when he learned that he must never approach the place where ,god had promised to meet with him4 ,much less might he penetrate the awful chamber within1 the true home of deity4 ,there1 he knows1 is the record of the mind of ,god1 the concentrated expression of what is comparatively easy to obey in act1 but difficult beyond hope to love1 to accept and to be conformed to4 ,that record is therefore at once the revelation of ,god and the condemnation of ,his creature4 ,yet over this1 he knows well1 there is poised no dead image such as were then adored in ,babylonian and ,egyptian fanes1 but a spiritual ,presence1 the glory of the invisible ,god4 ,nor was ,he to be thought of as in solitude1 loveless1 or else needing human love3 above ,him were the woven seraphim of the curtain1 and on either side a seraph of beaten gold--types1 it may be1 of all the created life which ,he inhabits1 or else pictures of ,his sinless creatures of the upper world4 ,and yet this pure ,being1 to ,whom the companionship of sinful man is so little needed1 is there to meet with man2 and is pleased not to look upon ,his violated law1 but to command that a slab1 inestimably precious1 shall interpose between it and its ,avenger4 ,by whom1 then1 shall this most holy floor be trodden8 ,by the official representative of him who gazes1 and longs1 and is excluded4 ,he enters not without blood1 which he is careful to sprinkle upon all the furniture1 but chiefly and seven times upon the mercy-seat4 ,thus every worshipper carries away a profound consciousness that he is utterly unworthy1 and yet that his unworthiness has been expiated2 that he is excluded1 and yet that his priest1 his representative1 has been admitted1 and therefore that he may hope4 ,the ,holy ,ghost did not declare by sign that no way into the ,holiest existed1 but only that it was not yet made manifest4 ,not yet4 ,this leads us to think of the priest4 ,,chapter ,,xxviii ,,the ,,holy ,,garments4 xxviii4 ,the tabernacle being complete1 the priesthood has to be provided for4 ,its dignity is intimated by the command to ,moses to bring his brother ,aaron and his sons near to himself 7clearly in rank1 because the object is defined1 that he may minister unto ,me71 and also by the direction to make holy garments for glory and for beauty4 ,but just as the furniture is treated before the shrine1 and again before the courtyard1 so the vestments are provided before the priesthood is itself discussed4 ,the holiness of the raiment implies that separation to office can be expressed by official robes in the ,church as well as in the state2 and their glory and beauty show that ,god1 ,who has clothed ,his creation with splendour and with loveliness1 does not dissever religious feeling from artistic expression4 ,all that are wise-hearted in such work1 being inspired by ,god as really1 though not as profoundly1 as if their task were to foretell the advent of ,messiah1 are to unite their labours upon these garments4 ,the order in the twenty-eighth chapter is perhaps that of their visible importance4 ,but it will be clearer to describe them in the order in which they were put on4 ,next the flesh all the priests were clad from the loins to the thighs in close-fitting linen3 the indecency of many pagan rituals must be far from them1 and this was a perpetual ordinance1 that they bear not iniquity and die 7xxviii4 #db-c74 ,over this was a tight-fitting coat 7a shirt rather7 of fine linen1 white1 but woven in a chequered pattern1 without seam1 like the robe of ,jesus1 and bound together with a girdle 7#ci-dc74 ,these garments were common to all the priests2 but their head-tires differed from the impressive mitre of the high priest4 ,the rest of the vestments in this chapter belong to him alone4 ,over the coat he wore the flowing robe of the ephod1 all blue1 little seen from the waist up1 but uncovered thence to the feet1 and surrounded at the hem with golden pomegranates1 the emblem of fruitfulness1 and with bells to enable the worshippers outside to follow the movements of their representative4 ,he should die if this expression of his vicarious function were neglected 7#ca-ce74 ,above this robe was the ephod itself--a kind of gorgeous jacket1 made in two pieces which were joined at the shoulders1 and bound together at the waist by a cunningly woven band1 which was of the same piece4 ,this ephod1 like the curtains of the tabernacle1 was of blue and purple and scarlet and fine-twined linen2 but added to these were threads of gold1 and we read1 as if this were a novelty which needed to be explained1 that they beat the gold into thin plates and then cut it into threads 7xxxix4 #c1 xxviii4 #f-h74 ,upon the shoulders were two stones1 rightly perhaps called onyx1 and set in ouches--of filagree work1 as the word seems to say4 ,upon them were engraven the names of the twelve tribes1 the burden of whose sins and sorrows he should bear into the presence of his ,god1 for a memorial 7#i-ab74 ,upon the ephod was the breastplate1 fastened to it by rings and chains of twisted gold1 made to fold over into a square1 a span in measurement1 and blazing with twelve gems1 upon which were engraved1 as upon the onyxes on the shoulders1 the names of the twelve tribes4 ,all attempts to derive edification from the nature of these jewels must be governed by the commonplace reflection that we cannot identify them2 and many of the present names are incorrect4 ,it is almost certain that neither topaz1 sapphire nor diamond could have been engraved1 as these stones were1 with the name of one of the twelve tribes 7#ac-cj74 ,in the breastplate 7that is1 evidently1 between the folds as it was doubled71 were placed those mysterious means of ascertaining the will of ,god1 the ,urim and the ,thummim1 the ,lights and the ,perfections2 but of their nature1 or of the manner in which they became significant1 nothing can be said that is not pure conjecture 7#cj74 ,lastly1 there was a mitre of white linen1 and upon it was laced with blue cords a gold plate bearing the inscription ,,holy ,,to ,,jehovah 7#cf1 #cg74 ,no mention is made of shoes or sandals2 and both from the commandment to ,moses at the burning bush1 and from history1 it is certain that the priests officiated with their feet bare4 ,the picture thus completed has the clearest ethical significance4 ,there is modesty1 reverence1 purity1 innocence typified by whiteness1 the grandeur of the office of intercession displayed in the rich colours and precious jewels by which that whiteness was relieved1 sympathy expressed by the names of the people in the breastplate that heaved with every throb of his heart1 responsibility confessed by the same names upon the shoulder1 where the government was said to press like a load 7,isa4 ix4 #f72 and over all1 at once the condition and the explanation of the rest1 upon the seat of intelligence itself1 the golden inscription on the forehead1 ,holy to ,jehovah4 ,such was the import of the raiment of the high priest3 let us see how it agrees with the nature of his office4 ,,the ,,priesthood4 ,what1 then1 are the central ideas connected with the institution of a priesthood8 ,regarding it in the broadest way1 and as a purely human institution1 we may trace it back to the eternal conflict in the breast of man between two mighty tendencies--the thirst for ,god and the dread of ,him1 a strong instinct of approach and a repelling sense of unworthiness4 ,in every age and climate1 man prays4 ,if any curious inquirer into savage habits can point to the doubtful exception of a tribe seemingly without a ritual1 he will not really show that religion is one with superstition2 for they who are said to have escaped its grasp are never the most advanced and civilised among their fellows upon that account1--they are the most savage and debased1 they are to humanity what the only people which has formally renounced ,god is fast becoming among the ,european races4 ,certainly history cannot exhibit one community1 progressive1 energetic and civilised1 which did not feel that more was needful and might be had than its own resources could supply1 and stretch aloft to a ,supreme ,being the hands which were so deft to handle the weapon and the tool4 ,certainly all experience proves that the foundations of national greatness are laid in national piety1 so that the practical result of worship1 and of the belief that ,god responds1 has not been to dull the energies of man1 but to inspire him with the self-respect befitting a confidant of deity1 and to brace him for labours worthy of one who draws1 from the sense of ,divine favour1 the hope of an infinite advance4 ,and yet1 side by side with this spiritual gravitation1 there has always been recoil and dread1 such as was expressed when ,moses hid his face because he was afraid to look upon ,god4 ,now1 it is not this apprehension1 taken alone1 which proves man to be a fallen creature3 it is the combination of the dread of ,god with the desire of ,him4 ,why should we shrink from our supreme ,good1 except as a sick man turns away from his natural food8 ,he is in an unnatural and morbid state of body1 and we of soul4 ,thus divided between fear and attraction1 man has fallen upon the device of commissioning some one to represent him before ,god4 ,the priest on earth has come by the same road with so many other mediators--angel and demigod1 saint and virgin4 ,at first it has been the secular chief of the family1 tribe or nation1 who has seemed least unworthy to negotiate as well with heaven as with centres of interest upon earth4 ,but by degrees the duty has everywhere been transferred into professional hands1 patriarch and king recoiling1 feeling the inconsistency of his earthly duties with these sacred ones1 finding his hands to be too soiled and his heart too heavily weighted with sin for the tremendous ,presence into which the family or the tribe would press him4 ,and yet the union of the two functions might be the ideal2 and the sigh of all truly enlightened hearts might be for a priest sitting upon his throne1 a priest after the order of ,melchizedek4 ,but thus it came to pass that an official1 a clique1 perhaps a family1 was chosen from among men in things pertaining to ,god1 and the institution of the priesthood was perfected4 ,now1 this is the very process which is recognised in ,scripture2 for these two conflicting forces were altogether sound and right4 ,man ought to desire ,god1 for ,whom he was created1 and ,whose voice in the garden was once so welcome3 but also he ought to shrink back from ,him1 afraid now1 because he is conscious of his own nakedness1 because he has eaten of the forbidden fruit4 ,accordingly1 as the nation is led out from ,egypt1 we find that its intercourse with heaven is at once real and indirect4 ,the leader is virtually the priest as well1 at whose intercession ,amalek is vanquished and the sin of the golden calf is pardoned1 who entered the presence of ,god and received the law upon their behalf1 when they feared to hear ,his voice lest they should die1 and by whose hand the blood of the covenant was sprinkled upon the people1 when they had sworn to obey all that the ,lord had said 7xvii4 #aa1 xxxii4 #cj1 xx4 #ai1 xxiv4 #h74 ,soon1 however1 the express command of ,god provided for an orthodox and edifying transfer of the priestly function from ,moses to his brother ,aaron4 ,some such division of duties between the secular chief and the religious priest would no doubt have come1 in ,israel as elsewhere1 as soon as ,moses disappeared2 but it might have come after a very different fashion1 associated with heresy and schism4 ,especially would it have been demanded why the family of ,moses1 if the chieftainship must pass away from it1 could not retain the religious leadership4 ,we know how cogent such a plea would have appeared2 for1 although the transfer was made publicly and by his own act1 yet no sooner did the nation begin to split into tribal subdivisions1 amid the confused efforts of each to conquer its own share of the inheritance1 than we find the grandson of ,moses securely establishing himself and his posterity in the apostate and semi-idolatrous worship of ,shechem 7,judg4 xviii4 #cj1 ,r4,v474 ,and why should not this illustrious family have been chosen8 ,perhaps because it was so illustrious4 ,a priesthood of that great line might seem to have earned its office1 and to claim special access to ,god1 like the heathen priests1 by virtue of some special desert4 ,therefore the honour was transferred to the far less eminent line of ,aaron1 and that in the very hour when he was lending his help to the first great apostacy1 the type of the many idolatries into which ,israel was yet to fall4 ,so1 too1 the whole tribe of ,levi was in some sense consecrated1 not for its merit1 but because1 through the sin of its founder1 it lacked a place and share among its brethren1 being divided in ,jacob and scattered in ,israel by reason of the massacre of ,shechem 7,gen4 xlix4 #g74 ,thus the nation1 conscious of its failure to enjoy intercourse with heaven1 found an authorised expression for its various and conflicting emotions4 ,it was not worthy to commune with ,god1 and yet it could not rest without ,him4 ,therefore a spokesman1 a representative1 an ambassador1 was given to it4 ,but he was chosen after such a fashion as to shut out any suspicion that the merit of ,levi had prevailed where that of ,israel at large had failed4 ,it was not because ,levi executed vengeance on the idolaters that he was chosen1 for the choice was already made1 and made in the person of ,aaron1 who was so far from blameless in that offence4 ,and perhaps this is the distinguishing peculiarity of the ,jewish priest among others3 that he was chosen from among his brethren1 and simply as one of them2 so that while his office was a proof of their exclusion1 it was also a kind of sacrament of their future admission1 because he was their brother and their envoy1 and entered not as outshining but as representing them1 their forerunner for them entering4 ,the almond rod of ,aaron was dry and barren as the rest1 until the miraculous power of ,god invested it with blossoms and fruit4 ,throughout the ritual1 the utmost care was taken to inculcate this double lesson of the ministry4 ,into the ,holy ,place1 whence the people were excluded1 a whole family could enter4 ,but there was an inner shrine1 whither only the high priest might penetrate1 thus reducing the family to a level with the nation2 the ,holy ,ghost this signifying1 that the way into the ,holy ,place hath not yet been made manifest1 while as the first tabernacle 7the outer shrine--ver4 #f7 was yet standing 7,heb4 ix4 #h74 ,thus the people felt a deeper awe1 a broader separation4 ,and yet1 when the sole and only representative who was left to them entered that shrine1 remote1 occult1 untrod1 they saw that the way was not wholly barred against human footsteps3 the lesson suggested was far from being that of absolute despair1--it was1 as the ,epistle to the ,hebrews said1 ,not yet4 ,the prophet ,zechariah foresaw a time when the bells of the horses should bear the same consecrating legend that shone upon the forehead of the priest3 ,,holy ,,unto ,,the ,,lord 7,zech4 xiv4 #bj74 ,it is important to observe that the only book of the ,new ,testament in which the priesthood is discussed dwells quite as largely upon the difference as upon the likeness between the ,aaronic and the ,messianic priest4 ,the latter offered but one ,sacrifice for sins1 the former offered for himself before doing so for the people 7,heb4 x4 #ab74 ,the latter was a royal ,priest1 and of the order of a ,canaanite 7,heb4 vii4 #a-d71 thus breaking down all the old system at one long-predicted blow--for if ,he were on earth ,he could not so much as be a priest at all 7,heb4 viii4 #d7--;and with it all the old racial monopolies1 all class distinctions1 being ,himself of a tribe as to which ,moses spake nothing concerning priests 7,heb4 vii4 #ad74 ,every priest standeth1 but this priest hath for ever sat down1 and even at the right hand of ,god 7,heb4 x4 #aa1 #ab74 ,in one sense this priesthood belongs to ,christ alone4 ,in another sense it belongs to all who are made one with ,him1 and therefore a kingly priesthood unto ,god4 ,but nowhere in the ,new ,testament is the name by which ,he is designated bestowed upon any earthly minister by virtue of his office4 ,the presbyter is never called sacerdos4 ,and perhaps the heaviest blow ever dealt to popular theology was the misapplying of the ,new ,testament epithet 7elder1 presbyter or priest7 to designate the sacerdotal functions of the ,old ,testament1 and those of ,christ which they foreshadowed4 ,it is not the word priest that is at fault1 but some other word for the ,old ,testament official which is lacking1 and cannot now be supplied4 ,,chapter ,,xxix4 ,,the ,,consecration ,,services4 xxix4 ,the priest being now selected1 and his raiment so provided as that it shall speak of his office and its glory1 there remains his consecration4 ,in our day there is a disposition to make light of the formal setting apart of men and things for sacred uses4 ,if ,god1 we are asked1 has called one to special service1 is not that enough8 ,what more can earth do to commission the chosen of the sky8 ,but the plain answer which we ought to have the courage to return is that this is not at all enough4 ,for ,god ,himself had already called ,paul and ,barnabas when ,he said to such folk as ,simeon ,niger and ,lucius of ,cyrene and ,manaen1 ,separate ,me ,barnabas and ,saul for the work whereunto ,i have called them 7,acts xiii4 #a-d74 ,and these obscure people not only laid their hands upon the great apostle1 but actually sent him forth4 ,now1 if he was not exempted from the need of an orderly commission by the marvellous circumstances of his call1 by his apostleship not of man1 by the explicit announcement that he was a chosen vessel to bear the sacred name before kings and peoples1 it is startling to be told of some shallow modern evangelist1 who works for no ,church and submits to no discipline1 that he can dispense with the sanction of human ordination because he is so clearly sent of heaven4 ,the example of the ,old ,testament will no doubt be brushed aside as if the religion which ,jesus learned and honoured were a mere human superstition4 ,or else it would be natural to ask1 ,is it because the offices and functions of ,judaism were more formal1 more perfunctory than ours1 that a greater spiritual grace went with their appointments than with the laying on of hands in the ,christian ,church1 a rite so clearly sanctioned in the ,new ,testament8 ,it is written of ,joshua that ,moses was to lay his hands upon him1 because already the ,spirit was in him2 and of ,timothy that he had unfeigned faith1 and that prophecies went before concerning him 7,num4 xxvii4 #ah2 #a ,tim4 i4 #ah2 #b ,tim4 i4 #e74 ,but in neither dispensation did special grace fail to accompany the official separation to sacred office3 ,joshua was full of the ,spirit of ,wisdom1 for ,moses had laid his hands upon him2 and ,timothy was bidden to stir into flame that gift of ,god which was in him through the laying on of the ,apostle's hands 7,deut xxxiv4 #i2 #b ,tim4 i4 #f74 ,accordingly there is great stress laid upon the orderly institution of the priest4 ,and yet1 to make it plain that his authority is only for his brethren1 ,moses1 the chief of the nation1 is to officiate throughout the ceremony of consecration4 ,he it is who shall offer the sacrifices upon the altar1 and sprinkle the blood1 not upon the first day only1 but throughout the ceremonies of the week4 ,in the first place certain victims must be held in readiness--a bullock and two rams2 and with these must be brought in one basket unleavened bread1 and unleavened cakes made with oil1 and unleavened wafers on which oil is poured4 ,then1 at the door of the tent of the meeting of man with ,god1 a ceremonial washing must follow1 in a laver yet to be provided4 ,here the assertion that purity is needed1 and that it is not inherent1 is too plain to be dwelt upon4 ,but such details as the assuming of the existence of a laver1 for which no directions have yet been given 7and presently also of the anointing oil1 the composition of which is still untold71 deserve notice4 ,they are much more in the manner of one who is working out a plan1 seen already by his mental vision1 but of which only the salient and essential parts have been as yet stated1 than of any priest of the latter days1 who would first have completed his catalogue of the furniture1 and only then have described the ceremonies in which he was accustomed to see all this apparatus take its appointed place4 ,what we actually find is quite natural to a creative imagination1 striking out the broad design of the work and its uses first1 and then filling in the outlines4 ,it is not natural at a time when freshness and inspiration have departed1 and squared timber1 as we are told1 has taken the place of the living tree4 ,the priest1 when cleansed1 was next to be clad in his robes of office1 with the mitre on his head1 and upon the mitre the golden plate1 with its inscription1 which is here called1 as the culminating object in all his rich array1 the holy crown 7ver4 #f74 ,and then he was to be anointed4 ,now1 the use of oil1 in the ceremony of investiture to office1 is peculiar to revealed religion4 ,and whether we suppose it to refer to the oil in a lamp1 invisible1 yet the secret source of all its illuminating power1 or to that refreshment and renovated strength bestowed upon a weary traveller when his head is anointed with oil1 in either case it expresses the grand doctrine of revealed religion--that no office may be filled in one's own strength1 but that the inspiring help of ,god is offered1 as surely as responsibilities are imposed4 ,the ,spirit of the ,lord ,god is upon ,me1 because ,he hath anointed ,me4 ,with these three ceremonies--ablution1 robing and anointing--the first and most personal section of the ritual ended4 ,and now began a course of sacrifices to ,god1 advancing from the humblest expression of sin1 and appeal to heaven to overlook the unworthiness of its servant1 to that which best exhibited conscious acceptance1 enjoyment of privilege1 admission to a feast with ,god4 ,the bullock was a sin-offering3 the word is literally sin1 and occurs more than once in the double sense3 let him offer for his sin which he hath sinned a young bullock 444 for a sin7-offering7 7,lev4 iv4 #c1 v4 #f1 etc474 ,and this is the explanation of the verse which has perplexed so many3 ,he made ,him to be sin for us1 ,who knew no sin 7#b ,cor4 v4 #ba74 ,the doctrine that pardon comes not by a cheap and painless overlooking of transgression1 as a thing indifferent1 but by the transfer of its consequences to a victim divinely chosen1 could not easily find clearer expression than in this word4 ,and it was surely a sobering experience1 and a wholesome one1 when ,aaron1 in his glorious robes1 sparkling with gems1 and bearing on his forehead the legend of his holy calling1 laid his hand1 beside those of his children and successors1 upon the doomed creature which was made sin for him4 ,the gesture meant confession1 acceptance of the appointed expiation1 submission to be freed from guilt by a method so humiliating and admonitory4 ,there was no undue exaltation in the mind of any priest whose heart went with this remembrance of sins4 ,the bullock was immediately slain at the door of the tent of meeting2 and to show that the shedding of his blood was an essential part of the rite1 part of it was put with the finger on the horns of the altar1 and the remainder was poured out at the base4 ,only then might the fat and the kidney be burned upon the altar2 but it is never said of any sin-offering1 as presently of the burnt-offering and the peace-offerings1 that it is a sweet savour before ,jehovah 7vers4 #ah1 #be7--;a phrase which is only once extended to a trespass-offering for a purely unconscious lapse 7,lev4 iv4 #ca74 ,the sin-offering is1 at the best1 a deplorable necessity4 ,and therefore the notion of a gift1 welcome to ,jehovah1 is carefully shut out3 no portion of such an offering may go to maintain the priests3 all must be burned with fire without the camp2 it is a sin-offering 7ver4 #ad74 ,rightly does the ,epistle to the ,hebrews emphasize this fact3 ,the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the ,holy ,place 444 as an offering for sin are burned without the camp4 ,the bodies of other sacrifices were not reckoned unfit for food4#dj ,and so there is a striking example of humility1 as well as an instructive coincidence1 in the fact that ,jesus suffered without the gate1 being the true ,sin-offering1 that ,he might sanctify the people through ,his own blood 7,heb4 xiii4 #aa1 #ab74 ,thus1 by sacrifice for sin1 the priest is rendered fit to offer up to ,god the symbol of a devoted life4 ,again1 therefore1 the hands of ,aaron and his sons are laid upon the head of the ram1 because they come to offer what represents themselves in another sense than that of expiation--a sweet savour now1 an offering made by fire unto ,jehovah 7ver4 #ah74 ,and to show that it is perfectly acceptable to ,him1 the whole ram shall be burnt upon the altar1 and not now without the camp3 it is a burnt-offering unto the ,lord4 ,such is the appointed way of ,god with man--first expiation1 then devotion4 ,the third animal was a peace-offering 7ver4 #bh74 ,this is wrongly explained to mean an offering by which peace is made1 for then there could be no meaning in what went before4 ,it is the offering of one who is now in a state of peace with ,god1 and who is therefore himself1 in many cases1 allowed to partake of what he brings4 ,but on this occasion some quite peculiar ceremonies were introduced1 and the ram is called by a strange name--the ram of consecration4 ,when ,aaron and his sons have again declared their connection with the animal by laying their hands upon it1 it is slain4 ,and then the blood is applied to the tip of their right ear1 the thumb of their right hand1 and the great toe of their right foot1 that the ear may hearken1 and the best energies obey1 and their life become as that of the consecrated animal1 their bodies being presented1 a living sacrifice1 holy1 acceptable to ,god4 ,then the same blood1 with the oil which spoke of heavenly anointing1 was sprinkled upon them and upon their official robes1 and all were hallowed4 ,then the fattest and richest parts of the animal were taken1 with a loaf1 a cake1 and a wafer from the basket1 and placed in the hands of ,aaron and his sons4 ,this was their formal investiture with official rights2 although not yet performing service1 it was as priests that they received these2 and their hands1 swayed by those of ,moses1 solemnly waved them before the ,lord in formal presentation1 after which the pieces were consumed by fire4 ,the breast was likewise waved1 and became the perpetual property of ,aaron and his sons--although on this occasion it passed from their hands to be the portion of ,moses1 who officiated4 ,the remainder of the flesh1 seethed in a holy place1 belonged to ,aaron and his sons4 ,no stranger 7of another family7 might eat it1 and what was left until morning should be consumed by fire1 that is to say1 destroyed in a manner absolutely clean1 seeing no corruption4 ,for seven days this rite of consecration was repeated2 and every day the altar also was cleansed1 rendering it most holy1 so that whatever touched it was holy4 ,thus the people saw their representative and chief purified1 accepted and devoted4 ,thenceforward1 when they too brought their offerings1 and beheld them presented 7in person or through his subordinates7 by the high priest with holiness emblazoned upon his brow1 they gained hope1 and even assurance1 since one so consecrated was bidden to present their intercession2 and sometimes they saw him pass into secret places of mysterious sanctity1 bearing their tribal name on his shoulder and his bosom1 while the chime of golden bells announced his movements1 ministering there for them4 ,but the nation as a whole1 with which this historical book is chiefly interested1 saw in the high priest the means of continually rendering to ,god the service of its loyalty4 ,every day began and closed with the burnt-offering of a lamb of the first year1 along with a meal-offering of fine flour and oil1 and a drink-offering of wine4 ,this would be a sweet savour unto ,god1 not after the carnal fashion in which sceptics have interpreted the words1 but in the same sense in which the wicked are a smoke in ,his nostrils from a continually burning fire4 ,and where this offering was made1 the ,omnipresent would meet with them4 ,there ,he would convey ,his mind to ,his priest4 ,there also ,he would meet with all the people--not occasionally1 as amid the more impressive but less tolerable splendours of ,sinai1 but to dwell among them and be their ,god4 ,and they should know that all this was true1 and also that for this ,he led them out of ,egypt3 ,i am ,jehovah their ,god4 ,,footnotes3 #dj ,neither1 it must be added1 were the bodies of certain sin-offerings of the lower grade1 and in which the priest was not personally concerned 7,lev4 x4 #ag1 etc474 ,,chapter ,,xxx4 ,,incense4 xxx4 #a-aj4 ,the altar of incense was not mentioned when the tent of meeting was being prepared and furnished4 ,but when1 in the ,divine idea1 this is done1 when all is ready for the intercourse of ,god and man1 and the priest and the daily victims are provided for1 something more than this formal routine of offerings might yet be sought for4 ,this material worship of the senses1 this round of splendour and of tragedy1 this blaze of gold and gold-encrusted timber1 these curtains embroidered in bright colours1 and ministers glowing with gems1 this blood and fire upon the altar1 this worldly sanctuary1--was it all8 ,or should it not do as nature ever does1 which seems to stretch its hands out into the impalpable1 and to grow all but spiritual while we gaze2 so that the mountain folds itself in vapour1 and the ocean in mist and foam1 and the rugged stem of the tree is arrayed in fineness of quivering frondage1 and it may be of tinted blossom1 and around it breathes a subtle fragrance1 the most impalpable existence known to sense8 ,fragrance indeed is matter passing into the immaterial1 it is the sigh of the sensuous for the spiritual state of being1 it is an aspiration4 ,and therefore an altar1 smaller than that of burnt-offering1 but much more precious1 being plated all around and on the top with gold 7a golden altar7 7xxxix4 #ch71 is now to be prepared1 on which incense of sweet spices should be burned whenever a burnt-offering spoke of human devotion1 and especially when the daily lamb was offered1 every morning and every night4 ,this altar occupied a significant position4 ,of necessity1 it was without the ,most ,holy ,place1 or else it would have been practically inaccessible2 and yet it was spiritually in the closest connection with the presence of ,god within4 ,the ,epistle to the ,hebrews reckons it among the furniture of the inner shrine#da 7,heb4 ix4 #d71 close to the veil of which it stood1 and within which its burning odours made their sweetness palpable4 ,in the temple of ,solomon it was the altar that belonged to the oracle 7#a ,kings vi4 #bb74 ,in ,leviticus 7xvi4 #ab7 incense was connected especially with that spot in the ,most ,holy ,place which best expressed the grace that it appealed to1 and the cloud of incense was to cover the mercy-seat4 ,therefore ,moses was bidden to put this altar before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony1 before the mercy-seat 7ver4 #f74 ,it can never have been difficult to see the meaning of the rite for which this altar was provided4 ,when ,zacharias burned incense the multitude stood without1 praying4 ,the incense in the vial of the angel of the ,apocalypse was the prayers of the saints 7,luke i4 #aj2 ,rev4 viii4 #c74 ,and1 long before1 when the ,psalmist thought of the priest approaching the veil which concealed the ,supreme ,presence1 and there kindling precious spices until their aromatic breath became a silent plea within1 it seemed to him that his own heart was even such an altar1 whence the perfumed flame of holy longings might be wafted into the presence of his ,god1 and he whispered1 ,let my prayer be set forth before ,thee as incense 7,ps4 cxli4 #b74 ,such being the import of the type1 we need not wonder that it was a perpetual ordinance in their generations1 nor yet that no strange perfume might be offered1 but only what was prescribed by ,god4 ,the admixture with prayer of any human1 self-asserting1 intrusive element1 is this unlawful fragrance4 ,it is rhetoric in the leader of extempore prayer2 studied inflexions in the conductor of liturgical service2 animal excitement1 or sentimental pensiveness1 or assent which is merely vocal1 among the worshippers4 ,it is whatever professes to be prayer1 and is not that but a substitute4 ,and formalism is an empty censer4 ,but1 however earnest and pure may seem to be the breathing of the soul to ,god1 something unworthy mingles with what is best in man4 ,the very altar of incense needs to have an atonement made for it once in the year throughout their generations with the blood of the sin-offering of atonement4 ,the prayer of every heart which knows its own secret will be this3 ,forgive what seemed my sin in me1 ,what seemed my worth since ,i began2 ,for merit lives from man to man ,and not from man1 ,o ,lord1 to ,thee4 ,,the ,,census4 xxx4 #aa-af4 ,moses by ,divine command was soon to number ,israel1 and thus to lay the foundation for its organisation upon the march4 ,a census was not1 therefore1 supposed to be presumptuous or sinful in itself2 it was the vain-glory of ,david's census which was culpable4 ,but the honour of being numbered among the people of ,god should awaken a sense of unworthiness4 ,men had reason to fear lest the enrolment of such as they were in the host of ,god should produce a pestilence to sweep out the unclean from among the righteous4 ,at least they must make some practical admission of their demerit4 ,and therefore every man of twenty years who passed over unto them that were numbered 7it is a picturesque glimpse that is here given into the method of enrolment7 should offer for his soul a ransom of half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary4 ,and because it was a ransom1 the tribute was the same for all2 the poor might not bring less1 nor the rich more4 ,here was a grand assertion of the equality of all souls in the eyes of ,god--a seed which long ages might overlook1 but which was sure to fructify in its appointed time4 ,for indeed the madness of modern levelling systems is only their attempt to level down instead of up1 their dream that absolute equality can be obtained1 or being obtained can be made a blessing1 by the envious demolition of all that is lofty1 and not by all together claiming the supreme elevation1 the measure of the stature of manhood in ,jesus ,christ4 ,it is not in any phalanstre of ,fourier or ,harmony ,hall of ,owen1 that mankind will ever learn to break a common bread and drink of a common cup2 it is at the table of a common ,lord4 ,and so this first assertion of the equality of man was given to those who all ate the same spiritual meat and drank the same spiritual drink4 ,this half-shekel gradually became an annual impost1 levied for the great expenses of the ,temple4 ,thus ,joash made a proclamation throughout ,judah and ,jerusalem1 to bring in for the ,lord the tax that ,moses1 the servant of ,god1 laid upon ,israel in the wilderness 7#b ,chron4 xxiv4 #i74 ,and it was the claim for this impost1 too rashly conceded by ,peter with regard to his ,master1 which led ,jesus to distinguish clearly between ,his own relation to ,god and that of others1 even of the chosen race4 ,he paid no ransom for ,his soul4 ,he was a ,son1 in a sense in which no other1 even of the ,jews1 could claim to be so4 ,now1 the kings of the earth did not levy tribute from their sons2 so that1 if ,christ paid1 it was not to fulfil a duty1 but to avoid being an offence4 ,and ,god ,himself would provide1 directly and miraculously1 what ,he did not demand from ,jesus4 ,therefore it was that1 on this one occasion and no other1 ,christ ,who sought figs when hungry1 and when athirst asked water at alien hands1 met ,his own personal requirement by a miracle1 as if to protest in deed1 as in word1 against any burden from such an obligation as ,peter's rashness had conceded4 ,and yet1 with that marvellous condescension which shone most brightly when ,he most asserted ,his prerogative1 ,he admitted ,peter also to a share in this miraculous redemption-money1 as ,he admits us all to a share in ,his glory in the skies4 ,is it not ,he only ,who can redeem ,his brother1 and give to ,god a ransom for him8 ,it is the silver thus levied which was used in the construction of the sanctuary4 ,all the other materials were free-will offerings2 but even as the entire tabernacle was based upon the ponderous sockets into which the boards were fitted1 made of the silver of this tax1 so do all our glad and willing services depend upon this fundamental truth1 that we are unworthy even to be reckoned ,his1 that we owe before we can bestow1 that we are only allowed to offer any gift because ,he is so merciful in ,his demand4 ,israel gladly brought much more than was needed of all things precious4 ,but first1 as an absolutely imperative ransom1 ,god demanded from each soul the half of three shillings and sevenpence4 ,,the ,,laver4 xxx4 #ag-ba4 ,for the cleansing of various sacrifices1 but especially for the ceremonial washing of the priests1 a laver of brass was to be made1 and placed upon a separate base1 the more easily to be emptied and replenished4 ,we have seen already that although its actual use preceded that of the altar1 yet the other stood in front of it1 as if to assert1 to the very eyes of all men1 that sacrifice precedes purification4 ,but the use of the laver was not by the man as man1 but by the priest as mediator4 ,in his office he represented the absolute purity of ,christ4 ,and therefore it was a capital offence to enter the tabernacle or to burn a sacrifice without first having washed the hands and feet4 ,at his inauguration1 the whole person of the priest was bathed1 and thenceforth he needed not save to remove the stains of contact with the world4 ,when the laver was actually made1 an interesting fact was recorded about its materials3 ,he made the laver of brass1 and the base of it of brass1 of the mirrors of the serving-women which served at the door of the tent of meeting 7xxxviii4 #h74 ,thus their instruments of personal adornment were applied to further a personal preparation of a more solemn kind1 like the ointment with which a penitent woman anointed the feet of ,jesus4 ,there is a fitness which ought to be considered in the direction of our gifts1 not as a matter of duty1 but of good taste and charm4 ,and thus also they continually saw the monument of their self-sacrifice4 ,there is an innocent satisfaction1 far indeed from vanity1 when one looks at his own work for ,god4 ,,the ,,anointing ,,oil ,,and ,,the ,,incense4 xxx4 #bb-ch4 ,we have already seen the meaning of the anointing oil and of the incense4 ,but we have further to remark that their ingredients were accurately prescribed1 that they were to be the best and rarest of their kind1 and that special skill was demanded in their preparation4 ,such was the natural dictate of reverence in preparing the symbols of ,god's grace to man1 and of man's appeal to ,god4 ,with the type of grace should be anointed the tent and the ark1 and the table of shewbread and the candlestick1 with all their implements1 and the altar of incense1 and the altar of burnt sacrifice and the laver4 ,all the import of every portion of the ,temple worship could be realized only by the outpouring of the ,spirit of grace4 ,it was added that this should be a holy anointing oil1 not to be made1 much less used1 for common purposes1 on pain of death4 ,the same was enacted of the incense which should burn before ,jehovah3 according to the composition thereof ye shall not make for yourselves2 it shall be unto thee holy for the ,lord3 whosoever shall make like unto that1 to smell thereto1 he shall be cut off from his people4 ,and this was meant to teach reverence4 ,one might urge that the spices and frankincense and salt were not in themselves sacred3 there was no consecrating efficacy in their combination1 no charm or spell in the union of these1 more than of any other drugs4 ,why1 then1 should they be denied to culture8 ,why should her resources be thus restricted8 ,does any one suppose that such arguments belong peculiarly to the ,new ,testament spirit1 or that the saints of the older dispensation had any superstitious views about these ingredients8 ,if it was through such notions that they abstained from vulgarising its use1 then they were on the way to paganism1 through a materialised worship4 ,but in truth they knew as well as we that gums were only gums1 just as they knew that the ,most ,high dwelleth not in temples made with hands4 ,and yet they were bidden to reverence both the shrine and the apparatus of ,his worship1 for their own sakes1 for the solemnity and sobriety of their feelings1 not because ,god would be a loser if they did otherwise4 ,and we may well ask ourselves1 in these latter days1 whether the constant proposal to secularise religious buildings1 revenues1 endowments and seasons does really indicate greater religious freedom1 or only greater freedom from religious control4 ,and we may be sure that a light treatment of sacred subjects and sacred words is a very dangerous symptom3 it is not the words and subjects alone that are being secularised1 but also our own souls4 ,there is in our time a curious tendency among men of letters to use holy things for a mere perfume1 that literature may smell thereto4 ,a novelist has chosen for the title of a story ,just as ,i am4 ,an innocent and graceful poet has seen a smile1-- ',twas such a smile1 ,aaron's twelve jewels seemed to mix ,with the lamps of the golden candlesticks4 ,another is bolder1 and sings of the war of love1-- ,in the great battle when the hosts are met ,on ,armageddon's plain1 with spears beset4 ,another thinks of ,mazzini as the ,dear lord and leader1 at whose hand ,the first days and the last days stand1 and again as he who ,said1 when all ,time's sea was foam1 ',let there be ,rome1' and there was ,rome4 ,and ,victor ,hugo did not shrink from describing1 and that with a strange and scandalous ignorance of the original incidents1 the crucifixion by ,louis ,napoleon of the ,christ of nations4 ,now1 ,scripture is literature1 besides being a great deal more2 and1 as such1 it is absurd to object to all allusions to it in other literature4 ,yet the tendency of which these extracts are examples is not merely toward allusion1 but desecration of solemn and sacred thoughts3 it is the conversion of incense into perfumery4 ,there is another development of the same tendency1 by no means modern1 noted by the prophet when he complains that the message of ,god has become as the very lovely song of one who hath a pleasant voice and playeth well on an instrument4 ,wherever divine service is only appreciated in so far as it is well rendered1 as rich music or stately enunciation charm the ear1 and the surroundings are sthetic1--wherever the gospel is heard with enjoyment only of the eloquence or controversial skill of its rendering1 wherever religion is reduced by the cultivated to a thrill or to a solace1 or by the ,salvationist to a riot or a romp1 wherever ,isaiah and the ,psalms are only admired as poetry1 and heaven is only thought of as a languid and sentimental solace amid wearying cares1--there again is a making of the sacred balms to smell thereto4 ,and as often as a minister of ,god finds in his holy office a mere outlet for his natural gifts of rhetoric or of administration1 he also is tempted to commit this crime4 ,,footnotes3 #da ,for it is incredible that1 in a catalogue of furniture which included ,aaron's rod and the pot of manna1 this altar should be omitted1 and a golden censer1 elsewhere unheard of1 substituted4 ,the gloss is too evidently an endeavour to get rid of a difficulty4 ,but in idea and suggestion this altar belonged to the ,most ,holy4 ,that shrine had it1 though it actually stood outside4 ,,chapter ,,xxxi4 ,,bezaleel ,,and ,,aholiab4 xxxi4 #a-ah4 ,next after this marking off so sharply of the holy from the profane1 this consecration of men to special service1 this protection of sacred unguents and sacred gums from secular use1 we come upon a passage curiously contrasted1 yet not really antagonistic to the last1 of marvellous practical wisdom1 and well calculated to make a nation wise and great4 ,the ,lord announces that ,he has called by name ,bezaleel1 the son of ,uri1 and has filled him with the ,spirit of ,god4 ,to what sacred office1 then1 is he called8 ,simply to be a supreme craftsman1 the rarest of artisans4 ,this also is a divine gift4 ,i have filled him with the ,spirit of ,god in wisdom and in understanding and in knowledge and in all manner of workmanship1 to devise cunning works1 to work in gold and in silver and in brass and in cutting of stones for setting1 and in carving of wood1 to work in all manner of workmanship1--that is to say1 of manual dexterity4 ,with him ,god had appointed ,aholiab2 and in the hearts of all the wise-hearted ,i have put wisdom4 ,thus should be fitly made the tabernacle and its furniture1 and the finely wrought garments1 and the anointing oil and the incense4 ,so then it appears that the ,holy ,spirit of ,god is to be recognised in the work of the carpenter and the jeweller1 the apothecary and the tailor4 ,probably we object to such a statement1 so baldly put4 ,but inspiration does not object4 ,moses told the children of ,israel that ,jehovah had filled ,bezaleel with the ,spirit of ,god1 and also ,aholiab1 for the work of the engraver 444 and of the embroiderer 444 and of the weaver 7xxxv4 #ca1 #ce74 ,it is quite clear that we must cease to think of the ,divine ,spirit as inspiring only prayers and hymns and sermons4 ,all that is good and beautiful and wise in human art is the gift of ,god4 ,we feel that the supreme ,artist is audible in the wind among the pines2 but is man left to himself when he marshals into more sublime significance the voices of the wind among the organ tubes8 ,at sunrise and sunset we feel that ,on the beautiful mountains the pictures of ,god are hung2 but is there no revelation of glory and of freshness in other pictures8 ,once the assertion that a great masterpiece was inspired was a clear recognition of the central fire at which all genius lights its lamp3 now1 alas6 it has become little more than a sceptical assumption that ,isaiah and ,milton are much upon a level4 ,but the doctrine of this passage is the divinity of all endowment2 it is quite another thing to claim ,divine authority for a given product sprung from the free human being who is so richly crowned and gifted4 ,thus far we have smoothed our way by speaking only of poetry1 painting1 music--things which really compete with nature in their spiritual suggestiveness4 ,but ,moses spoke of the robe-maker1 the embroiderer1 the weaver1 and the perfumer4 ,nevertheless1 the one is carried with the other4 ,where shall we draw the line1 for example1 in architecture or in ironwork8 ,and there is another consideration which must not be overlooked4 ,god is assuredly in the growth of humanity1 in the progress of true civilisation--in all1 the recognition of which makes history philosophical4 ,it is not only the saints who feel themselves to be the instruments of a ,greater than they4 ,cromwell and ,bismarck1 ,columbus1 ,raleigh and ,drake1 ,william the ,silent and ,william the ,third1 felt it4 ,mr4 ,stanley has told us how the consciousness that he was being used grew up in him1 not through fanaticism but by slow experience1 groping his way through the gloom of ,central ,africa4 ,but none will deny that one of the greatest factors in modern history is its industrial development4 ,is there1 then1 no sacredness here8 ,the doctrine of ,scripture is not that man is a tool1 but that he is responsible for vast gifts1 which come directly from heaven--that every good gift is from above1 that it was ,god ,himself ,who planted in ,paradise the tree of knowledge4 ,nor would anything do more to restrain the passions1 to calm the impulses and to elevate the self-respect of modern life1 to call back its energies from the base competition for gold1 and make our industries what dreamers persuade themselves that the medival industries were1 than a quick and general perception of what is meant when faculty goes by such names as talent1 endowment1 gift--of the glory of its use1 the tragedy of its defilement4 ,many persons1 indeed1 reject this doctrine because they cannot believe that man has power to abase so high a thing so sadly4 ,but what1 then1 do they think of the human body8 ,what connection is there between all this and the reiteration of the law of the ,sabbath8 ,not merely that the moral law is now made a civic statute as well1 for this had been done already 7xxiii4 #ab74 ,but1 as our ,lord has taught us that a ,jew on the ,sabbath was free to perform works of mercy1 it might easily be supposed lawful1 and even meritorious1 to hasten forward the construction of the place where ,god would meet ,his people4 ,but ,he who said ,i will have mercy and not sacrifice said also that to obey was better than sacrifice4 ,accordingly this caution closes the long story of plans and preparations4 ,and when ,moses called the people to the work1 his first words were to repeat it 7xxxv4 #b74 ,finally1 there was given to ,moses the deposit for which so noble a shrine was planned--the two tables of the law1 miraculously produced4 ,if any one1 without supposing that they were literally written with a literal finger1 conceives that this was the meaning conveyed to a ,hebrew by the expression written with the finger of ,god1 he entirely misses the ,hebrew mode of thought1 which habitually connects the ,lord with an arm1 with a chariot1 with a bow made naked1 with a tent and curtains1 without the slightest taint of materialism in its conception4 ,did not the magicians1 failing to imitate the third plague1 say ,this is the finger of a ,god8 ,did not ,jesus ,himself cast out devils by the finger of ,god8 7,ex4 viii4 #ai2 ,luke xi4 #bj74 ,,chapter ,,xxxii4 ,,the ,,golden ,,calf4 xxxii4 ,while ,god was thus providing for ,israel1 what had ,israel done with ,god8 ,they had grown weary of waiting3 had despaired of and slighted their heroic leader1 7this ,moses1 the man that brought us up17 had demanded gods1 or a god1 at the hand of ,aaron1 and had so far carried him with them or coerced him that he thought it a stroke of policy to save them from breaking the first commandment by joining them in a breach of the second1 and by infecting a feast to ,jehovah with the licentious play of paganism4 ,at the beginning1 the only fitness attributed to ,aaron was that he can speak well4 ,but the plastic and impressible temperament of a gifted speaker does not favour tenacity of will in danger4 ,demosthenes and ,cicero1 and ,savonarola1 the most eloquent of the reformers1 illustrate the tendency of such genius to be daunted by visible perils4 ,god now rejects them because the covenant is violated4 ,as ,jesus spoke no longer of ,my ,father's house1 but your house1 left unto you desolate1 so the ,lord said to ,moses1 thy people which thou broughtest up4 ,but what are we to think of the proposal to destroy them1 and to make of ,moses a great nation8 ,we are to learn from it the solemn reality of intercession1 the power of man with ,god1 ,who says not that ,he will destroy them1 but that ,he will destroy them if left alone4 ,who can tell1 at any moment1 what calamities the intercession of the ,church is averting from the world or from the nation8 ,the first prayer of ,moses is brief and intense2 there is passionate appeal1 care for the ,divine honour1 remembrance of the saintly dead for whose sake the living might yet be spared1 and absolute forgetfulness of self4 ,already the family of ,aaron had been preferred to his1 but the prospect of monopolising the ,divine predestination has no charm for this faithful and patriotic heart4 ,no sooner has the immediate destruction been arrested than he hastens to check the apostates1 makes them exhibit the madness of their idolatry by drinking the water in which the dust of their pulverised god was strewn2 receives the abject apology of ,aaron1 thoroughly spirit-broken and demoralised2 and finding the sons of ,levi faithful1 sends them to the slaughter of three thousand men4 ,yet this is he who said ,o ,lord1 why is ,thy wrath hot against ,thy people8 ,he himself felt it needful to cut deep1 in mercy1 and doubtless in wrath as well1 for true affection is not limp and nerveless3 it is like the ocean in its depth1 and also in its tempests4 ,and the stern action of the ,levites appeared to him almost an omen2 it was their consecration1 the beginning of their priestly service4 ,again he returns to intercede2 and if his prayer must fail1 then his own part in life is over3 let him too perish among the rest4 ,for this is evidently what he means and says3 he has not quite anticipated the spirit of ,christ in ,paul willing to be anathema for his brethren 7,rom4 ix4 #c71 nor has the idea of a vicarious human sacrifice been suggested to him by the institutions of the sanctuary4 ,yet how gladly would he have died for his people1 who made request that he might die among them6 ,how nobly he foreshadows1 not indeed the ,christian doctrine1 but the love of ,christ ,who died for man1 ,who from the ,mount of ,transfiguration1 as ,moses from ,sinai1 came down 7while ,peter would have lingered7 to bear the sins of ,his brethren6 ,how superior ,he is to the ,christian hymn which pronounces nothing worth a thought1 except how to make my own election sure4 ,,chapter ,,xxxiii4 ,,prevailing ,,intercession4 xxxiii4 ,at this stage the first concession is announced3 ,moses shall lead the people to their rest1 and ,god will send an angel with him4 ,we have seen that the original promise of a great ,angel in whom was the ,divine ,presence was full of encouragement and privilege 7xxiii4 #bj74 ,no unbiassed reader can suppose that it is the sending of this same ,angel of the ,presence which now expresses the absence of ,god1 or that ,he ,who then would not pardon their transgression because ,my ,name is in ,him is now sent because ,god1 if ,he were in the midst of them for a moment1 would consume them4 ,nor1 when ,moses passionately pleads against this degradation1 and is heard in this thing also1 can the answer ,my ,presence shall go with thee be merely the repetition of those evil tidings4 ,yet it was the ,angel of ,his ,presence ,who saved them4 ,all this has been already treated1 and what we are now to learn is that the faithful and sublime urgency of ,moses did really save ,israel from degradation and a lower covenant4 ,it was during the progress of this mediation that ,moses distracted by a double anxiety--afraid to absent himself from his wayward followers1 equally afraid to be so long withdrawn from the presence of ,god as the descending of ,sinai and returning thither would involve--made a noble adventure of faith4 ,inspired by the conception of the tabernacle1 he took a tent1 his tent1 and pitched it outside the camp1 to express the estrangement of the people1 and this he called the ,tent of the ,meeting 7with ,god71 but in the ,hebrew it is never called the ,tabernacle4 ,and ,god did condescend to meet him there4 ,the mystic cloud guarded the door against presumptuous intrusion1 and all the people1 who previously wist not what had become of him1 had now to confess the majesty of his communion1 and they worshipped every man at his tent door4 ,it would seem that the anxious vigilance of ,moses caused him to pass to and fro between the tent and the camp1 but his minister1 ,joshua the son of ,nun1 departed not out of the tent4 ,the dread crisis in the history of the nation was now almost over4 ,god had said1 ,my ,presence shall go with thee1 and ,i will give thee rest1--a phrase which the lowly ,jesus thought it no presumption to appropriate1 saying1 ,i will give you rest1 as ,he also appropriated the office of the ,shepherd1 the benevolence of the ,physician1 the tenderness of the ,bridegroom1 and the glory of the ,king and the ,judge1 all of which belonged to ,god4 ,but ,moses is not content merely to be secure1 for it is natural that he who best loves man should also best love ,god4 ,therefore he pleads against the least withdrawal of the ,presence3 he cannot rest until repeatedly assured that ,god will indeed go with him2 he speaks as if there were no grace but that4 ,there are many people now who think it a better proof of being religious to feel either anxious or comforted about their own salvation1 their election1 and their going to heaven4 ,and these would do wisely to consider how it comes to pass that the ,bible first taught men to love and to follow ,god1 and afterwards revealed to them the mysteries of the inner life and of eternity4 ,,chapter ,,xxxiv4 ,,the ,,vision ,,of ,,god4 xxxiv4 ,it was when ,god had most graciously assured ,moses of ,his affection1 that he ventured1 in so brief a cry that it is almost a gasp of longing1 to ask1 ,show me1 ,i pray ,thee1 ,thy glory 7xxxiii4 #ah74 ,we have seen how nobly this petition and the answer condemn all anthropomorphic misunderstandings of what had already been revealed2 and also how it exemplifies the great law1 that they who see most of ,god1 know best how much is still unrevealed4 ,the elders saw the ,god of ,israel and did eat and drink3 ,moses was led from the bush to the flaming top of ,sinai1 and thence to the tent where the pillar of cloud was as a sentinel2 but the secret remained unseen1 the longing unsatisfied1 and the nearest approach to the ,beatific ,vision reached by him with whom ,god spake face to face as with a friend1 was to be hidden in a cleft of the rock1 to be aware of an awful ,shadow1 and to hear the ,voice of the ,unseen4 ,it was a fit time for the proclamation which was then made4 ,when the people had been righteously punished and yet graciously forgiven1 the name of the ,self-,existent expanded and grew clearer1--,jehovah1 ,jehovah1 a ,god full of compassion and gracious1 slow to anger and plenteous in mercy and truth1 keeping mercy for thousands1 forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin1 and that will by no means clear the guilty1 visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon the children's children1 upon the third and upon the fourth generation4 ,and as ,moses made haste and bowed himself1 it is affecting to hear him again pleading for that beloved ,presence which even yet he can scarce believe to be restored1 and instead of claiming any separation through his fidelity and his honours1 praying ,pardon our iniquity and our sin1 and take us for ,thine inheritance 7xxxiv4 #aj74 ,thereupon the covenant is given1 as if newly1 but without requiring its actual re-enactment2 and certain of the former precepts are rehearsed1 chiefly such as would guard against a relapse into idolatry when they entered the good land where ,god would bestow on them prosperity and conquest4 ,as ,moses had broken the former tablets1 the task was imposed on him of hewing out the slabs on which ,god renewed ,his awful sanction of the ,decalogue1 the fundamental statutes of the nation4 ,and they who had failed to endure his former absence1 were required to be patient while he tarried again upon the mountain1 forty days and nights4 ,with his return a strange incident is connected4 ,unknown by himself1 the skin of his face shone by reason of ,his speaking with him1 and ,aaron and the people recoiled until he called to them4 ,and thenceforth he lived a strange and isolated life4 ,at each new interview the glory of his countenance was renewed1 and when he conveyed his revelation to the people1 they beheld the lofty sanction1 the light of ,god upon his face4 ,then he veiled his face until next he approached his ,god1 so that none might see what changes came there1 and whether--as ,st4 ,paul seems to teach us--the lustre gradually waned4 ,his revelation1 the apostle argues1 was like this occasional and fading gleam1 while the moral glory of the ,christian system has no concealments3 it uses great frankness2 there is nothing withdrawn1 no veil upon the face4 ,nor is it given to one alone to behold as in a mirror the glory of the ,lord1 and to share its lustre4 ,we all1 with face unveiled1 share this experience of the deliverer 7#b ,cor4 iii4 #ab1 #ah74 ,but the incident itself is most instructive4 ,since he had already spent an equal time with ,god1 yet no such results had followed1 it seems that we receive what we are adapted to receive1 not straitened in ,him but in our own capabilities2 and as ,moses1 after his vehemence of intercession1 his sublimity of self-negation1 and his knowledge of the greater name of ,god1 received new lustre from the unchangeable ,fountain of light1 so does all true service and earnest aspiration1 while it approaches ,god1 elevate and glorify humanity4 ,we learn also something of the exaltation of which matter is capable4 ,we who have seen coarse bulb and soil and rain transmuted by the sunshine into radiance of bloom and subtlety of perfume1 who have seen plain faces illuminated from within until they were almost angelic1--may we not hope for something great and rare for ourselves1 and the beloved who are gone1 as we muse upon the profound word1 ,it is raised a spiritual body8 ,and again we learn that the best religious attainment is the least self-conscious3 ,moses wist not that the skin of his face shone4 ,,chapters ,,xxxv-,,xl4 ,,the ,,conclusion4 ,the remainder of the narrative sets forth in terms almost identical with the directions already given1 the manner in which the ,divine injunctions were obeyed4 ,the people1 purified in heart by danger1 chastisement and shame1 brought much more than was required4 ,a quarter of a million would poorly represent the value of the shrine in which1 at the last1 ,moses and ,aaron approached their ,god1 while the cloud covered the tent and the glory filled the tabernacle1 and ,moses failed to overcome his awe and enter4 ,thenceforth the cloud was the guide of their halting and their march4 ,many a time they grieved their ,god in the wilderness1 yet the cloud was on the tabernacle by day1 and there was fire therein by night1 throughout all their journeyings4 ,that cloud is seen no longer2 but ,one has said1 ,lo1 ,i am with you all the days4 ,if the presence is less material1 it is because we ought to be more spiritual4 99 99 99 99 99 ,looking back upon the story1 we can discern more clearly what was asserted when we began--the forming and training of a nation4 ,they are called from shameful servitude by the devotion of a patriot and a hero1 who has learned in failure and exile the difference between self-confidence and faith4 ,the new name of ,god1 and ,his remembrance of their fathers1 inspire them at the same time with awe and hope and nationality4 ,they see the hollowness of earthly force1 and of superstitious worships1 in the abasement and ruin of ,egypt4 ,they are taught by the ,paschal sacrifice to confess that the ,divine favour is a gift and not a right1 that their lives also are justly forfeited4 ,the overthrow of ,pharaoh's army and the passage of the ,sea brings them into a new and utterly strange life1 in an atmosphere and amid scenes well calculated to expand and deepen their emotions1 to develop their sense of freedom and self-respect1 and yet to oblige them to depend wholly on their ,god4 ,privation at ,marah chastens them4 ,the attack of ,amalek introduces them to war1 and forbids their dependence to sink into abject softness4 ,the awful scene of ,horeb burns and brands his littleness into man4 ,the covenant shows them that1 however little in themselves1 they may enter into communion with the ,eternal4 ,it also crushes out what is selfish and individualising1 by making them feel the superiority of what they all share over anything that is peculiar to one of them4 ,the ,decalogue reveals a holiness at once simple and profound1 and forms a type of character such as will make any nation great4 ,the sacrificial system tells them at once of the pardon and the heinousness of sin4 ,religion is both exalted above the world and infused into it1 so that all is consecrated4 ,the priesthood and the shrine tell them of sin and pardon1 exclusion and hope2 but that hope is a common heritage1 which none may appropriate without his brother4 ,the especial sanctity of a sacred calling is balanced by an immediate assertion of the sacredness of toil1 and the ,divine ,spirit is recognised even in the gift of handicraft4 ,a tragic and shameful failure teaches them1 more painfully than any symbolic system of curtains and secret chambers1 how little fitted they are for the immediate intercourse of heaven4 ,and yet the ever-present cloud1 and the shrine in the heart of their encampment1 assure them that ,god is with them of a truth4 ,could any better system be imagined by which to convert a slavish and superstitious multitude into a nation at once humble and pure and gallant--a nation of brothers and of worshippers1 chastened by a genuine sense of ill desert and of responsibility1 and yet braced and fired by the conviction of an exalted destiny8 ,to do this1 and also to lead mankind to liberty1 to rescue them from sensuous worship1 and prepare them for a system yet more spiritual1 to teach the human race that life is not repose but warfare1 pilgrimage and aspiration1 and to sow the seeds of beliefs and expectations which only an atoning ,mediator and an ,incarnate ,god could satisfy1 this was the meaning of the ,exodus4 ,,the ,,expositor',s ,,bible4 #ahhi-ij4 ,crown #hvo4 ,cloth4 ,price #gs4 #f;d4 each4 ,,judges ,,and ,,ruth4 ,by the ,rev4 ,r4 ,a4 ,,watson1 ,m4,a4 ,,the ,,prophecies ,,of ,,jeremiah4 ,by the ,rev4 ,c4 ,j4 ,,ball1 ,m4,a41 ,chaplain of ,lincoln's ,inn4 ,,the ,,prophecies ,,of ,,isaiah4 ,vol4 ,,ii4 ,completing the ,work4 ,by the ,rev4 ,,george ,,adam ,,smith1 ,m4,a4 ,,the ,,gospel ,,of ,,matthew4 ,by the ,rev4 ,j4 ,,monro ,,gibson1 ,d4,d41 ,london1 ,author of ,the ,mosaic ,era1 etc4 ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,exodus4 ,by the ,very ,rev4 ,g4 ,a4 ,,chadwick1 ,d4,d41 ,dean of ,armagh4 ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,the ,,acts ,,of ,,the ,,apostles4 ,by the ,rev4 ,g4 ,t4 ,,stokes1 ,d4,d41 ,professor of ,ecclesiastical ,history in the ,university of ,dublin4 #ahhh-hi4 ,crown #hvo4 ,cloth4 ,price #gs4 #f;d4 each4 ,,the ,,epistle ,,to ,,the ,,galatians4 ,by the ,rev4 ,professor ,g4 ,g4 ,,findlay1 ,b4,a41 ,headingley ,college1 ,leeds4 ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,isaiah4 ,chap4 ,i4 to ,,xxxix4 ,by the ,rev4 ,,george ,,adam ,,smith1 ,m4,a41 ,aberdeen4 ,,the ,,pastoral ,,epistles ,by the ,rev4 ,,alfred ,,plummer1 ,d4,d41 ,master of ,university ,college1 ,durham4 ,,the ,,first ,,epistle ,,to ,,the ,,corinthians4 ,by the ,rev4 ,professor ,,marcus ,,dods1 ,d4,d4 ,second ,edition4 ,,the ,,revelation ,,of ,,st4 ,,john4 ,by the ,rev4 ,professor ,w4 ,,milligan1 ,d4,d41 of the ,university of ,aberdeen4 ,,the ,,epistles ,,of ,,st4 ,,john4 ,by the ,right ,rev4 ,w4 ,,alexander1 ,d4,d41 ,d4,c4,l41 ,lord ,bishop of ,derry and ,raphoe4 #ahhg-hh4 ,crown #hvo4 ,cloth4 ,price #gs4 #f;d4 each4 ,,the ,,epistle ,,to ,,the ,,colossians4 ,by ,,alexander ,,maclaren1 ,d4,d41 of ,manchester4 ,fourth ,edition4 ,,the ,,gospel ,,according ,,to ,,st4 ,,mark4 ,by the ,rev4 ,prebendary ,g4 ,a4 ,,chadwick1 ,d4,d41 ,dean of ,armagh4 ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,genesis4 ,by the ,rev4 ,professor ,,marcus ,,dods1 ,d4,d4 ,fourth ,edition4 ,,the ,,first ,,book ,,of ,,samuel4 ,by the ,rev4 ,professor ,w4 ,g4 ,,blaikie1 ,d4,d41 ,,ll4,d4 ,,the ,,second ,,book ,,of ,,samuel4 ,by the same ,author4 ,,the ,,epistle ,,to ,,the ,,hebrews4 ,by the ,rev4 ,principal ,t4 ,c4 ,,edwards1 ,m4,a4 ,,by ,,the ,,same ,,author4 ,third ,edition4 ,crown #hvo1 cloth1 #gs4 #f;d4 ,,the ,,gospel ,,according ,,to ,,st4 ,,mark4 ,academy4--,dr4 ,chadwick has performed his task admirably4 ,he keeps close to his subject1 avoiding irrelevant and lengthy comment4 ,he is thoughtful and penetrating in his criticism1 and yet concise and epigrammatic when he wishes4 ,scotsman4--,it is at once scholarly1 popular1 and orthodox1 and written in clear1 vigorous ,english4 ,record4--,dr4 ,chadwick's style is characteristic1 thoughtful1 clear1 and vigorous4 ,he is never commonplace or trivial4 ,english ,churchman4--,a valuable1 interesting1 and delightful work1 almost every page of which contains something worthy of quotation4 ,christian4--,if the volumes to come be like the one before us they may be sure of a warm welcome4 ,dr4 ,chadwick has caught something of the vividness of style and onward rush which characterise the writer he expounds4 ,sober in judgment1 markedly ,scriptural in tone1 well acquainted with exegetical lore1 and qualified by patient investigations to give an individual opinion on disputed points1 he makes good his claim to help and instruct students of ,mark's ,gospel4 ,methodist ,recorder4--,we are glad to say that the beginning of a very promising series is1 in our opinion1 distinctly good1 and that ,dean ,chadwick has hit the mark specially aimed at exceedingly well4 ,we have found ourselves many sparkling and memorable sentences in his pages4 ,we hope the ',expositor's ,bible' has many other volumes in store as instructive as the first instalment4 ,expositor4--,dean ,chadwick's readers1 even in the first pages1 become aware that they are in the company of a thoroughly original writer1 who repeats nothing1 echoes nothing1 imitates no one4 ,it is with a feeling of thankfulness his readers follow him from passage to passage of the ,gospel1 finding new truth in familiar words and incidents1 and1 unable to confine themselves to the limits they had set for their day's reading1 are lured on to trespass on to-morrow's portion4 ,there is every quality here that is desirable in an expositor--reverence for his text1 sufficient information about it1 sympathetic insight1 and keen observation of men and manners4 ,equally successful in opening up the significance of the text and in applying it to present conditions of life1 ,dean ,chadwick has given us an admirable specimen of what an expositor's ,bible should be4 ,london ,quarterly ,review4--,dr4 ,chadwick's exposition is thoughtful and penetrating2 his sentences are sharp and crisp4444 ,often bright aphoristic sayings occur which are likely to print themselves on the memory of the reader4 ,the expositor would almost seem to resemble his subject in the practical and condensed1 yet graphic1 style in which he has done his expository work4 ,rock4--,the style of the commentary is1 like its subject1 forcible and terse4 ,church ,bells4--,we have never yet read any commentary which we liked so well4 ,the preacher will find it full of materials for sermons1 fresh and vigorous1 and yet calm and well-weighed4 ,,london3 ,,hodder ,,stoughton1 #bg1 ,,paternoster ,,row1 ,e4,c4 ,,special ,,announcement4 ,,the ,,expositor',s ,,bible4 ,edited by ,w4 ,,robertson ,,nicoll1 ,m4,a41 ,,ll4,d41 ,editor of ,the ,expositor4 ,,third ,,year',s ,,issue4 ,price #gs4 #f;d4 each ,volume4 ,judges and ,ruth4 ,by the ,rev4 ,r4 ,a4 ,,watson1 ,m4,a41 ,author of ,gospels of ,yesterday4 ,ready4 ,the ,prophecies of ,jeremiah4 ,,with ,a ,,sketch ,,of ,,his ,,life ,,and ,,times4 ,by the ,rev4 ,c4 ,j4 ,,ball1 ,m4,a41 ,chaplain of ,lincoln's ,inn2 ,contributor to ,bishop ,ellicott's ,commentary1 ,the ,speaker's ,commentary1 etc4 ,ready4 ,the ,book of ,exodus4 ,by the ,very ,rev4 ,g4 ,a4 ,,chadwick1 ,d4,d41 ,dean of ,armagh1 ,author of ,the ,gospel of ,st4 ,mark1 etc4 ,ready4 ,the ,gospel of ,st4 ,matthew4 ,by the ,rev4 ,j4 ,,monro ,,gibson1 ,d4,d41 ,london1 ,author of ,the ,ages before ,moses1 ,the ,mosaic ,era1 etc4 ,the ,prophecies of ,isaiah1 ,vol4 ,,ii4 ,completing the work4 ,by the ,rev4 ,,george ,,adam ,,smith1 ,m4,a4 ,the ,acts of the ,apostles4 ,by the ,rev4 ,g4 ,t4 ,,stokes1 ,d4,d41 ,professor of ,ecclesiastical ,history in the ,university of ,dublin4 ,,the ,,expositor',s ,,bible4 ,,first ,,series4 ,price #gs4 #f;d4 each ,volume4 ,fourth ,edition4 ,the ,book of ,genesis4 ,by ,rev4 ,professor ,,marcus ,,dods1 ,d4,d4 ,the style of this book is so simple1 the march of the thought so strong and unencumbered1 and there is in the ripe result such a perfect assimilation of varied erudition1 that none but fellow-craftsmen will realise the amount of study1 industry1 and many-sided ability that was requisite to produce it4--,professor ,elmslie1 ,d4,d4 ,third ,edition4 ,the ,first ,book of ,samuel4 ,by the ,rev4 ,professor ,w4 ,g4 ,,blaikie1 ,d4,d41 ,,ll4,d4 ,there can be no doubt of the care and thoroughness with which ,dr4 ,blaikie has executed his task4 ,from his own point of view he has produced a solid and able piece of work4--,academy4 ,third ,edition4 ,the ,second ,book of ,samuel4 ,by the ,rev4 ,professor ,w4 ,g4 ,,blaikie1 ,d4,d41 ,,ll4,d4 ,of the utmost value to preachers and teachers1 being very full of suggestive thoughts4--,english ,churchman4 ,third ,edition4 ,the ,gospel according to ,st4 ,mark4 ,by the ,very ,rev4 ,g4 ,a4 ,,chadwick1 ,d4,d41 ,dean of ,armagh4 ,dr4 ,chadwick has performed his task admirably4 ,he keeps close to his subject1 avoiding irrelevant and lengthy comment4 ,he is thoughtful and penetrating in his criticism1 and yet concise and epigrammatic when he wishes4--,academy4 ,it is at once scholarly1 popular1 and orthodox1 and written in clear1 vigorous ,english4--,scotsman4 ,fourth ,edition4 ,the ,epistles to the ,colossians and ,philemon4 ,by the ,rev4 ,,alexander ,,maclaren1 ,d4,d4 ,in nothing ,dr4 ,maclaren has written is there more of beauty1 of spiritual insight1 or of brilliant elucidation of ,scripture4 ,indeed1 ,dr4 ,maclaren is here at his best4--,expositor4 ,the book is pre-eminently one for ministers1 but there is nothing in the exposition which may not prove a boon to any diligent student of the ,word of ,god4 ,it contains a wealth of thought for preachers4--,rock4 ,third ,edition4 ,the ,epistle to the ,hebrews4 ,by ,rev4 ,principal ,t4 ,c4 ,,edwards1 ,d4,d41 ,author of ,a ,commentary on the ,first ,epistle to the ,corinthians4 ,he has entered into the spirit and purport of what truly he calls 'one of the greatest and most difficult books of the ,new ,testament' with a systematic thoroughness and fairness which cannot be too highly commended4 ,henceforth ,english students of this portion of the ,new ,testament will have only themselves to blame if they cannot trace the connection of thought and final purport of this epistle4--,academy4 ,,the ,,expositor',s ,,bible4 ,,second ,,series4 ,price #gs4 #f;d1 each ,volume4 ,fifth ,edition4 ,the ,book of ,isaiah4 ,vol4 ,i4 ,chapters ,i4-,,xxxix4 ,by the ,rev4 ,,george ,,adam ,,smith1 ,m4,a41 ,aberdeen4 ,with ,map4 ,this is a very attractive book4 ,mr4 ,george ,adam ,smith has evidently such a mastery of the scholarship of his subject that it would be a sheer impertinence for most scholars1 even though tolerable ,hebraists1 to criticise his translations2 and certainly it is not the intention of the present reviewer to attempt anything of the kind1 to do which he is absolutely incompetent4 ,all we desire is to let ,english readers know how very lucid1 impressive1 and1 indeed1 how vivid a study of ,isaiah is within their reach--the fault of the book1 if it has a fault1 being rather that it finds too many points of connection between ,isaiah and our modern world1 than that it finds too few4 ,in other words1 no one can say that the book is not full of life4--,spectator4 ,second ,edition4 ,the ,first ,epistle to the ,corinthians4 ,by the ,rev4 ,professor ,,marcus ,,dods1 ,d4,d4 ,a clear1 close1 unaffected1 unostentatious exposition1 not verse by verse1 but thought after thought of this most interesting1 perhaps1 and certainly most various1 of all the ,apostle's writings4--,london ,quarterly ,review4 ,second ,edition4 ,the ,epistle to the ,galatians4 ,by the ,rev4 ,professor ,g4 ,g4 ,,findlay1 ,b4,a41 ,headingley ,college1 ,leeds4 ,professor ,g4,g4 ,findlay discloses a minute acquaintance with his subject1 an earnest desire to penetrate its inmost meaning1 and a marked capacity of illustrating and enforcing the text4--,record4 ,second ,edition4 ,the ,pastoral ,epistles4 ,by the ,rev4 ,,alfred ,,plummer1 ,d4,d41 ,master of ,university ,college1 ,durham4 ,it is an admirable example of what popular theology ought to be--presuming a somewhat high level of education and interest in its readers1 and built throughout upon sound erudition and sensible1 devout1 and well-disciplined reflection4--,saturday ,review4 ,the ,epistles of ,st4 ,john4 ,by ,,william ,,alexander1 ,d4,d41 ,d4,c4,l41 ,brasenose ,college1 ,oxford1 ,lord ,bishop of ,derry and ,raphoe4 ,full of felicities of exegesis4444 ,brilliant and valuable4--,literary ,churchman4 ,the discourses are eloquent and impressive1 and show a thorough knowledge of the subject4--,scotsman4 ,the ,revelation of ,st4 ,john4 ,by ,rev4 ,prof4 ,w4 ,,milligan1 ,d4,d41 of the ,university of ,aberdeen4 ,the most delightful work on the ,apocalypse that we have read4 ,the practical and spiritual teaching even of the most recondite and mysterious passages is made plain4--,methodist ,recorder4 ,,the ,,theological ,,educator4 ,price #bs4 #f;d4 each ,volume4 ,fcap4 #hvo4 ,the ,language of the ,new ,testament4 ,by ,rev4 ,,william ,,henry ,,simcox1 ,m4,a41 ,rector of ,harlaxton4 ,the distinctive peculiarities of ,new ,testament ,greek are defined with exactness1 the gradations by which one grammatical usage passes into another are clearly traced1 the frontier between grammar and exegesis marked with unusual sense and discrimination4 ,in a word1 this is the most living grammar of the ,new ,testament we have4--,expositor4 ,outlines of ,christian ,doctrine4 ,by the ,rev4 ,h4 ,c4 ,g4 ,,moule1 ,m4,a41 ,principal of ,ridley ,hall1 ,cambridge4 ,fifth ,thousand4 ,marked throughout by the most careful and critical knowledge of ,scripture1 more particularly of the ,new ,testament1 and the most patient weighing and comparison of parallel texts4444 ,it forms an admirable introduction to the subject1 and seems in intellectual power to even surpass any other of ,mr4 ,moule's published writings4--,record4 ,an ,introduction to the ,new ,testament4 ,by ,rev4 ,professor ,,marcus ,,dods1 ,d4,d4 ,now ,ready4 ,fourth ,edition4 ,the authenticity1 authorship1 history1 object1 and general character of each book are discussed with admirable condensation and lucidity1 and with ample critical knowledge4--,scotsman4 ,a ,manual of ,christian ,evidences4 ,by the ,rev4 ,c4 ,a4 ,,row1 ,m4,a41 ,prebendary of ,st4 ,paul's4 ,fifth ,thousand4 ,a veritable multum in parvo1 clear1 cogent1 and concise1 without being sketchy or superficial4--,saturday ,review4 ,an ,introduction to the ,textual ,criticism of the ,new ,testament4 ,by the ,rev4 ,professor ,b4 ,b4 ,,warfield1 ,d4,d4 ,third ,thousand4 ,a ,hebrew ,grammar4 ,by the ,rev4 ,w4 ,h4 ,,lowe1 ,m4,a41 ,joint ,author of ,a ,commentary on the ,psalms1 etc41 etc42 ,hebrew ,lecturer1 ,christ's ,college1 ,cambridge4 ,second ,thousand4 ,an ,exposition of the ,apostles' ,creed4 ,by the ,rev4 ,j4 ,e4 ,,yonge1 ,m4,a41 ,late ,fellow of ,king's ,college1 ,cambridge1 and ,assistant-,master in ,eton ,college4 ,a ,manual of the ,book of ,common ,prayer4 ,showing its ,history and ,contents4 ,by the ,rev4 ,,charles ,,hole1 ,b4,a41 ,king's ,college1 ,london4 ,a ,manual of ,church ,history4 ,by the ,rev4 ,a4 ,c4 ,,jennings1 ,m4,a4 ,in ,two ,vols4 ,vol4 ,i4--,from the ,first to the ,tenth ,century4 ,vol4 ,,ii4--,from the ,eleventh to the ,nineteenth ,century4 ,,completion ,,of ,,the ,,old ,,testament4 ,,the ,,sermon ,,bible4 ,each ,volume contains upwards of ,five ,hundred ,sermon ,outlines and ,several ,thousand ,references4 ,strongly bound in half buckram4 ,price #gs4 #f;d4 each4 ,,volume ,i4 ,genesis to #b ,samuel4 ,a very complete guide to the sermon literature of the present day4--,scotsman4 ,we do not hesitate to pronounce this the most practically useful work of its kind at present extant4 ,it is not a commentary1 but a ,thesaurus of sermons on texts arranged consecutively1 chapter after chapter and book after book4444 ,we are bound to say that the object announced by the compilers is on the way to be realised1 and here will be given the essence of the best homiletic literature of this generation4--,literary ,churchman4 ,,volume ,,ii4 #a ,kings to ,psalm ,,lxxvi4 ,preachers anxious to discover the best books out of which they may discover golden thoughts on any particular text1 for use in their sermons1 will doubtless be glad of the volume before us1 which aims at being a guide-book1 pointing out where sermons and articles on those texts may be found4 ,in addition to this1 extracts from sermons are given in the book itself4--,english ,churchman4 ,a hearty word of commendation can be said of the selected and condensed outlines of sermons in this volume1 most of which are by well-known preachers4 ,they will be of considerable service4--,nonconformist4 ,,volume ,,iii4 ,psalm ,,lxxvii4 to ,the ,song of ,solomon4 ,like its two predecessors1 the third volume is distinguished by the perfect catholicity of the selections1 the admirable condensation of the sermons and expositions that are quoted1 and the fulness of the references to the best sermon literature on each of the texts4 ,it is beyond question the richest treasury of modern homiletics which has ever issued from the press4--,christian ,leader4 ,,volume ,,iv4 ,isaiah to ,malachi4 ,a marvellous amount of information is here presented in compact and readable form at a very moderate price4--,methodist ,recorder4 ,a great number of the best contemporary sermons are here rendered generally available in a very convenient form1 and at a very low price indeed4--,literary ,churchman4 ,,london3 ,,hodder ,,stoughton1 #bg1 ,,paternoster ,,row4