thnn the pyramids themselves or the grent temple of Karnak-here was a mnn•unerit shaped by the hand of God, nnd inscribed with his finger in characters thnt wonld l,a,·,, possessed through nil ages nn undying interest for man. Here, moreover, was a prcr;i,.,is deposit of truth-God's great revelation to his people--put in a written form and ,,, rendered uaaltornble; no more liable to be corrupted by the uncertainty of hnrnan memory, or the glosses of tradition-pure, changeless, perfect truth; the greatest blessin" thnt man can recoive. All this, committed by God to his servant's care, and kaowingh~ wilfully destroyed in a moment of time I The thing seems, at first, incredible; yet-'~" have the witness of God that it is true. Then we ask, How could Moses have so acted, and was not his action inexcusable? We look to Scripture, and we find that he is never blamed for it. He relates it of himself without any sign of self-condemnation-nay! he, at a later date, reminds the people of it in a tone which is evidently one of self- approval (Deut. ix. 17). What is the explanat_ion of all this? It may help us to find a satisfactory answer, if we consider- I. THE PROVOCATION TO THE ACT. Moses had left the people devoted apparently to God's service. When he reported to them the entire contents of the " Book of the Covenant," they had answered with 011e voice, "All the words which the Lord hath said, we will do" (eh. xxiv. 3). He had given them in charge to Aaron and Hur, on whose faithfulness he might well imagine himself justified in placing complete reliance. He had been absent less than six weeks-it might seem to him that he had been absent but a few days. And now-now that on rounding a corner of the gorge through which he was descending-he comes in sight of them once more and has them fully presented • to his view, what is it he beholds? He sees the entire people-Levites and priests as well as laymen--dancing around a. golden idol in a lewd and indecent way! Was not this enough to move him? Was it not enough to transport him out of himself, and render him no longer master of his actions? The wickedness of the people stood revealed • to him, and made him feel how utterly unworthy they were of the treasure which he was bringing them. Yielding to a.n irresistible impulse, in a. paroxysm of indig- nation, to shew his horror at what he witnessed, he cast the tables to the ground. God ~eems to ha.ve regarded the provocation as sufficient, a.nd therefore Moses receives no blame for what he did. II. THE ACT ITSELF. The a.et was the destruction of a record which the people wero at the moment setting at nought. It was akin to the action of God in withdrawing light from them who sin againl!t light. It was a. deserved punishment. It wa.s a way uf declaring to the people that they were unworthy to receive the truth and should not receive it. Those who saw Moses descend saw that he was bringing them something, carefully, in his two hands, a.nd must have felt that, as he had gone up to the summit to God, it must be something from God. When he lifted up his two hands, and with a gesture of abhorrence, cast the " something" to the ground, there must ha.ve gone through them a. sudden thrill of fear, a. sudden sense of loss. They must have felt that their "sin had found them out "-that their punishment had begun. Casting the tables down and breaking them, was saying to the multitude in the most significant way- " God has cast you off from being his people." III. THE SEQUEL OF THE ACT. If anything could ha.ve brought the Israelites gene- rally to a sense of their guilt and shame, it would have been the act of Moses which they had witnessed. As it was, a deep impression seems to have been made; but only on the men of his own tribe. When Moses, shortly afterwards, demanded to know, " \Vho was on the Lord's side ? " ( verse 26 ), "all the men of Levi "-i.e., the great mass of the tribe-rallied to him, and were ready to become the executioners of his wrath upon the most determined of the idolaters. This revulsion of feeling on their part was probably brought about, in a great measure, by the exhibition of indignation on the part of Moses, which culminated in his dashing the tables to the earth.
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 15-25.-The return of Moses to the camp. It ma:r :Yell be believ~d that i~ was with deeply agitated heart that Moses, stunned by the tidings he had JUst rec~1ved, rejoined his faithful attendant, and as speedily as possible descended the rocky s1u~s 01 'l'TIE TIOOK OF EXODUS.