mit to it in its full extent; and if we deny that the prohibition of marriage between relations by affinity extends as far as to those of consanguinity, where shall we draw the line? Will not the consequence be, that a man may marry his father's widow; or a woman marry her mother's husband? Either, there is no incest in the marriage of relations by affinity, or the prohibition extends as far in regard to such relationship, as to that of consanguinity. It may still, admitting this rule, he difficult to decide precisely in regard to some degrees of kindred, whether they are lawful or unlawful. Then it is best to keep on the safe side. No man is liable to offend by avoiding to intermarry with a near relation, but he may offend by marrying within the prescribed limits.

SECTION XXVIII.

MISCELLANEOUS LAWS.

THE poor were provided for by having the privilege of gleaning, after the reapers, and picking up what they dropped; and so also in regard to the vintage, and olive-yards, something was to be left for the poor and the stranger.

The wages of a hired man were required to be paid on the evening of the same day in which the work was performed. Regard is had, in the law, to the misfortunes of the blind and deaf; and a prohibition was given, not to place a stumblingblock before the former, nor to curse the latter. There must be no respect of persons in judgment; neither in favour to the poor or the rich. Tale-bearing is particularly and expressly forbidden; and officious appearance against another as a witness, is forbidden. Fraternal rebuke is enjoined; and the neglect of it is considered in the law a species of hatred of our brother. All hatred and revenge are expressly forbidden, on the ground that we are bound to love our neighbour as ourselves. Heterogeneous mixtures of animals in breeding or ploughing, and of different materials in weaving garments, and of diverse kinds of seed in sowing the ground, are prohibited, as being contrary to nature, which is beautiful in its simplicity. The eating of blood or fat, or the flesh of strangled animals, is repeatedly forbidden.

All enchantments, or observance of times, and consulting of wizards or witches, is forbidden on heavy penalties. Old age was to be specially respected. The law was, "Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man.' Strangers dwelling among them were not to be oppressed, but

treated kindly, for they were never to forget that they were once strangers, in Egypt, themselves.

Strict justice and equity were required in traffic; "just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin." All unnatural lust, and idolatrous practices, are repeatedly forbidden; and especially the cruel practice of sacrificing children to Moloch.

An Israelite could not be brought with his family into perpetual bondage. If, through the pressure of poverty, he sold himself, yet at the year of Jubilee he had the privilege of going out free with his children. But of the heathen round about, they were permitted to buy bond-men and bond-women; and of the strangers that sojourned among them. "And ye shall take them for an inheritance to your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bond-men for ever." And an Israelite, who through poverty had been obliged to sell himself to a stranger might be redeemed by any of his near kindred; and the price of redemption was made to depend on the number of years between the time and the return of Jubilee, when, of course, every Israelite obtained his liberty, to whomsoever he might be bound.

SECTION XXIX.

DAILY SERVICE OF THE TABERNACLE.

THE fire on the altar was to be kept continually burning; and, therefore, several fires or piles, according to the Jews, were built up. As the offering of sacrifices produced, necessarily, much defilement, the first thing in the morning was to cleanse the altar, by carrying away the ashes, and the fragments of the sacrifices of the former day that might remain. This was done by the person to whom it was allotted, very early in the morning, and here, it may be proper to remark, that the services of the altar, especially at the public festivals, requiring many persons to be employed, to prevent confusion, the several parts were apportioned by lot; so that every man knew precisely what duty he was to perform.

The prescribed daily service, consisted of the sacrifice of two lambs, as a burnt-offering; the one in the morning, the other in the afternoon. These sacrifices were accompanied with prayers, and hymns of praise, sung by the choir of Levites in attendance. The blowing of trumpets when the sacrifice was laid on the altar, was a part of the ceremony observed. The offering in the afternoon was about the hour of nine; or, three o'clock, according to our computation of time.

The burning of incense within the sanctuary took place at the same time that the morning and evening sacrifices were laid upon the altar without. It was also a part of the daily service to trim the lamps of the golden candlestick. From our version, it would seem, that the lamps were put out in the day time, and burnt all night; but it may well be questioned whether this is correct. The original word means "to cause to ascend," that is, to trim the lamps so as to cause the light to rise. And as the tabernacle had no window, the light of the lamps was as much needed in the day as in the night, and more, because the service performed in the sanctuary was all required to be done during the day.

SECTION XXX.

TABLES OF THE LAW.

MOSES having been called up to the sacred mount, was kept there for no less than thirty days, during which time he did neither eat nor drink. Here God communed with him face to

face, as a man with his friend. "And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him, upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God." "The tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables."

The people becoming impatient at the long delay of Moses on the mount, insisted on it that Aaron should make them gods to go before them. To this impious proposal, Aaron, through fear, too readily acceded, and directed them to bring him their ear-rings, out of which he made a golden calf; which when they saw, they exclaimed, "These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." Aaron directed an altar to be built for it, and proclaimed a feast to the Lord, for the ensuing day. "And they rose up early and offered burnt-offerings, and brought peace-offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play." The Lord now commanded Moses to go down, as the people had grossly corrupted themselves, and had made themselves a calf and worshipped it; and the Lord proposed to Moses that he would destroy this stiff-necked people, and make a great nation of him; but this disinterested man preferred the glory of God to his own advantage. "And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt,

with great power and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of, will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever." This earnest prayer and expostulation had the desired effect, "for the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people." And Moses went down unto the people with the two tables of testimony in his hand. And Joshua, who was with him said, "There is the voice of war in the camp." "And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, nor the cry of those that are overcome." And when Moses drew near, he saw the calf, and the people dancing around it; "and his anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. And he took the calf which they had made and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it." Moses then upbraided Aaron for what he had done; who excused himself by alleging the perverseness of the people. He then stood in the gate of the camp and said, "Who is on the Lord's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him." Moses commanded them to gird on their swords, and to pass through the camp, "and slay every man his brother, and every man his neighbour, and every man his companion." And the sons of Levi did so; "and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to the Lord, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother, that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day." Moses after this expression of holy indignation, went to the Lord and entreated him to pardon the sin of the people; and in the disinterested fervency of his spirit, he went so far as to say, "If thou wilt not forgive their sin, blot me, pray thee, out of thy book, which thou hast written. And the Lord said unto Moses, Whoever sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. And the Lord plagued the people because they made the calf which Aaron made."

I

And the Lord directed Moses to hew two tables of stone like unto the first, and said, "I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables which thou brakest. And be ready in the morning, and come up to mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount. And no man shall come up with thee; neither let any man be seen through

all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before the mount." And Moses did as he was commanded. "And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth. Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty: visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third, and to the fourth generation." "And Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth and worshipped."

And the Lord communed with Moses on the mount; and repeated to him some of the laws which had before been given; "and he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread nor drink water.' And when Moses came down from the mount, with the tables of testimony in his hand, he was not aware that the skin of his face shone; but when Aaron and all the people saw him, they were afraid to come nigh him. Moses called unto them; and he put a veil on his face while he talked with them: "And he gave them in commandment, all that the Lord had spoken with him in mount Sinai." When Moses went in before the Lord, he took the veil off until he came out. And when he spake to the people, he put the veil again upon his face, "And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone."

SECTION XXXI.

DEPARTURE FROM MOUNT SINAI-ORDER OF MARCH.

BEFORE they began their march, Moses received orders to make two silver trumpets, for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps. When they sounded both trumpets it was a signal for the assembling of the whole congregation; but when the princes only were to be convened, they blew upon one of the trumpets only. When they blew an alarm, or made a broken sound with the trumpets, the eastern part of the camp was to go forward; upon a second alarm, the southern part of the camp were to put themselves in motion. The blowing on these trumpets was at all times made the duty of the priests; and they were to be sounded when the people went to war; and also in days of rejoicing; and particularly, at the commencement of every month, when the priests were commanded to blow the trumpets over the sacrifices which were then offered. It was on the twentieth day of the second month, in the