lends them to mnko pledges, whirh they nre poesy called forth hy the pussag" or the Rrrl nry unwilling to stand hy afterwards. Hence Sea (eh. xv. 1-18), would seem to have ,·0111- JfoReR requires somothing more than n verh11l mencerl with "the Book or the Cnvenant." nss.,nt. Upon this nucleus the rest or the lnw was Ver. 4.-Mo■ea wrote aJI the words of the hRsed; and it was to explain anrl enrnrre the Lord. We may prcsumo that they were mi- hiw that M()ses composed the 1 ,ntateurh raculously brought to his rememhrnnce hy In the audienoe of the people. Literally, ·' ,n that Spirit of Truth which guided ell the the ears of the people," which is e'lually int<•l- Prophets (2 Pet. i. 21; John xiv. 26). Hav- ligihle, and more graphic. And they aaid, elr ing writlen the words, he waited till the next The people made the same answer as hefore day, nod then rose up early and bnilded an (ver. 3), adding a general promise or oherli- altar, in prcpnrntion for the sacrifice without ence to all that God might command in future. which no covenant was regarded as hinding. Ver. 8.-Moses then proceeded to the final And twelve pillars. Syrnholicnl of the twelve act-He took the blood from the hasins, and tribes. Compare Josh. iv. 3, 9, 20. sprinkled it-not certainly upon all the people, Ver. 5.-And heeent young men. The Levi- who numbered above two millions--lmt upon tical priesthood not being ns yet instituted, their lenders and representatives, the " elders " either all the people were regarded as holy, and and other chief men, drawn up at the hearl of so any one might offer sacrifice, or the "young each tribe, and thus hrought within his reach men" selected may have been of the number It has been supposed by some that he merely of the first-born, who were priests in their sprinkled the blood on the twelve pillars. as respective families until the appointment of representing the twelve tribes ; but, had this Aaron and his sons to be priests of the nation been the case, the expression in the text (eh. xxviii. 1). No doubt young men were would probably have been different. We selected as most competent to deal with read, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, that he struggling animals. " sprinkled both the book, and all the pwple " Ver. 6.-Moses took ha.lf of the blood. The (Heh. ix. 19). As he sprinkled, he &lit.I, blood, which symbolised the life of the victim, Behold the blood of the covenant, etc. It was a was the essential part of every sacrifice, and common practice among the nations of an- was usually poured over the altar, or at any tiquity to seal covenants with blood. Some- rate sprinkled upon it, as the very crowning times the blood was that of a victim, and the act of offering. (See Lev. i. 5; iii. 8; two parties to the covenant prayed, that, if ete.) On this occasion Moses retained half they broke it, his fate might be theirs (Hom. of the blood, and pnt it in basins, for the pur- ll. iii. 298 ; xix. 252 ; Lev. i. 24 ; x.xi. -15 ; pose of so uniting all the people in the sacrifice, etc.). Sometimes it was the blood of the two and thereby the more solemnly pledging them parties themselves, who each drank of the to the covenant, which the sacrifice at once other's blood, and thereby contracted a. blood- consecrated and consummated. (See Heh. ix. rela.tionship, which would have made their 18-20.) The other ha.lf of the blood was, breaking the covenant more unpardonable according to the usual practice, sprinkled (Herod. i. 74; iv. 70 ; Tacit. Ann. xii. -17). upon the Altar. Moses seems to have followed neither practice Ver. 7.-And he took the Book of the Cove- at all closely, but, adopting simply the prin- nant. In this book we have the germ of the ciple that a covenant required to be sealed Holy Scriptures-the first " book" actually with blood, to have arranged the details as he mentioned as written in the narrative of the thought best. By the sprinkling of both the Bible. Genesis may conto..in other older docu- altar and the people the two parties to the ments, inserted by Moses, under the sanction covenant were made partakers of one and the of the Holy Spirit, in his compilation. But same blood, and so brought into a sort of sa- his owu composition, if we except the burst of cramental union.
HOMILETICS. Vers. 3--8.-Man's readiness to enter into covenant with God, and promise unlimited obedience. In any covenant which God proposes to man, the advantages offered to hiu:: are so great, and the requirements made of him so manifestly" holy, just, and good,'· that it is almost impossible that he should calmly consider the terms and reject them. It. is his natural instinct to exclaim-" All that the Lord bath said I will do, and be obedient." There are m11ny reasons for this feeling, of which the following are some:- 1. Trrn CREATURE IS MORALLY BOUND TO OBEY ITS CREATOR. That which an intelligent agent has made belong~ to him absolutely, and cannot resist his will without rebellion. Now," it is God that has made us, and not we ourselves." \Ve are his, whether we choose to obey him or no-his to punish or reward-to kill or make alive-to e~a.lt to happiness or condemn to misery. \Ve cannot resist his will without being self-cun• l!:lWJ.lUS-11. 226 THE BOOK OF EXODUS. [en. HIV. 1-11.