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terrors may not fall on us, nor his excellency make us afraid. We have reason to be thankful, that we are allowed to approach to God, and to enjoy communion with him. Let us esteem this a great privilege, and admire that grace which allows it. But, 5. Let us not lay too great a stress on any external privileges in religion. These elders saw the glory of God: what greater honour could they enjoy! yet their carcasses fell in the wilderness, and Nadab and Abihu were consumed by divine vengeance; their privileges were of no avail. What would it avail us to be thus favoured, or to eat and drink in his presence, if we continue disobedient? It would only aggravate our folly and ingratitude. It will be in vain to say, Lord, we have eaten and drank in thy presence, and been admitted to the nearest approaches to thee; should he reply, I know you not, depart from me, ye workers of iniquity.

6. We have reason to entertain venerabie notions of the Mosaic dispensation, which was established with such pomp, and came directly from God's mouth. It was an excellent dispensation, well suited to the circumstances of the people, and to promote the knowledge and worship of God, and faith in a Messiah to come. Let us not entertain light notions of it, as if it was trifling and ridiculous; if any thing in it appears so, it is owing to our ignorance. Let us reverence the voice of God, that spake on mount Sinai; and be thankful for that purer and plainer revelation, which we have. May we reverence the law which was given by Moses, and endeavour to understand it; but especially reverence, love, understand, and be obedient to, that grace which came by Jesus Christ. Amen.

CHAP. XXV.

God having delivered the moral and judicial laws, now comes to the ceremonial. In this chapter is an account of the offering of the tabernacle; the form of the ark; the mercy seat; the table, and candlestick.*

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ND the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart 3 ye shall take my offering. And this [is] the offering which

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In the original manuscript, there is no enlargement or reflections from this chapter to the thirty second, for which the author gives the following reason: I omit the chap ters between the twenty fourth and the thirty third, because they relate entirely to building and furnishing the tabernacle; to the dress of the priests, and the like; things in which we have but little concern. Critical niceties may be dispensed with in such a work as this; and the inferences drawn from them, often contain so much of allusion and metaphor, so forced and strained, as hath done great dishonour to the sacred writings." The few illustrations, which the reader will find in these and other similar chapters, are chiefly taken from slarke and Doddridge's manuscript notes, &c.

4 ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass, And blue, and purple, and scarlet wool, and fine linen, and goats' [hair,] 5 And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim

wood, (thought to be a kind of cedar, whereof Solomon's temple ɓ was built, 1 Kings vi. 9, 10.) Oil for the light, spices for 7 anointing oil, and for sweet incense, Onyx stones, and stones 8 to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate. And let them make me a sanctuary, a place of public and solemn worship; it was a kind of moveable temple, which might be carried about with them; that I may dwell among them, by my grace and glorious operations, as well as by this symbol of my presence. 9 According to all that I show thee, [after] the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make [it ;] according to some model which Moses had seen, or which was given to him.

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And they shall make an ark [of] shittim wood, a little chest or coffer to lay up the tables of the covenant in: two cubits and a half [shall be] the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.* 11 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without

shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about; a border or ledge, both for ornament, and for the 12 covering to fall into. And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put [them] in the four corners thereof; and two rings [shall be] in the one side of it, and two rings in the other 13 side of it, to carry it by. And thou shalt make staves [of] 14 shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. And thou shalt

put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, at the ends of the ark, (as appears from 1 Kings viii. 8. 2 Chron. v. 9.) 15 that the ark may be borne with them. The staves shall be 16 in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it. And

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thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee; the two tables of stone, whereon the law, or ten commandments, were written.

And thou shalt make a mercy seat [of] pure gold: two cubits and a half [shall be] the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof; this was the covering of the ark. 18 And thou shalt make two cherubims [of] gold, figures of a human shape, but with wings, to represent the angels, who continually attend upon God in heaven ;t [of] beaten work shalt 19 thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end [even] of the mercy seat, or, of the matter of the mercy seat, shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends

A yard and half long, and two feet nine inches broad, and high.

† Grotius and others think they came nearer to the representation of oxen, than any other form; which might be the reason why Jeroboam's idols were in the shape of calves ar oxen, 1 Kings xii. 28.

20 thereof. And the cherubims shall stretch forth [their] wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces [shall look] one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be, that is, toward the middle 21 of the mercy seat, where the Shekinah was to reside. And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark, as the covering of it; and in the ark, under the cover, thou shalt put the tes22 timony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which [are] upon the ark of the testimony, of all [things] which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

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Thou shalt also make a table [of] shittim wood: two cubits [shall be] the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth 24 thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. And thou

shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown, or 25 ledge, of gold round about. And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand breadth round about, and thou shalt make 26 a golden crown to the border thereof round about. And thou

shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the 27 four corners that [arc] on the four feet thereof. Over against

the border shall the rings be for places of the staves to bear the 28 table. And thou shalt make the staves [of] shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with 29 them. And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, wherein the bread was set on the table, and spoons thereof, or cups for the incense to be put in, (see Num. vii. 14.) and covers thereof, to cover the bread in the dishes, and the incense in the cups, and bowls thereof, to cover withal, or, to pour out withal: [of] 30 pure gold shalt thou make them. And thou shalt set upon the table shew bread before me alway.*

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And thou shalt make a candlestick [of] pure gold: [of] beaten work shall the candlestick be made his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be 32 of the same. And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side: 33 Three bowls made like unto almonds, [with] a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, [with] a knop and a flower: so in the six 34 branches that come out of the candlestick. And in the candlestick, [shall be] four bowls made like unto almonds, [with] 35 their knops and their flowers. And [there shall be] a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same,

Shew bread, or bread of the presence, was so called, because it was constantly placed In God's presence. It was divided into twelve thin loaves, one for every tribe, as a public acknowledgment that they received all their food from God, and were to use it as under his

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according to the six branches that proceed out of the can36 dlestick. Their knops and their branches shall be of the

same all of it [shall be] one beaten work [of] pure gold. 37 And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they whom I shall appoint shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it, that is, the table of shew bread. 38 And the tongs thereof, and the snuff dishes thereof, [shall be 39 of pure gold. [Of] a talent of pure gold shall he make it 40 with all these vessels. And look that thou make [them] after their pattern, which was showed thee in the mount.

CHAP. XXVI.

An account of the ten curtains of the tabernacle, and the veil of

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the ark.

OREOVER, thou shalt make the tabernacle [with]

ten curtains [of] fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: [with] cherubims of cunning work shalt 2 thou make them.* The length of one curtain [shall be] eight and twenty cubits, fifty one feet, or seventeen yards two inches, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits, seven feet four inches and every one of the curtains shall have one 3 measure. The five curtains shall be coupled together one to another and [other] five curtains [shall be] coupled one to 4 another. And thou shalt make loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvage in the coupling; and likewise shalt thou make in the uttermost edge of [another] 5 curtain, in the coupling of the second. Fifty loops shalt thou make in the one curtain, and fifty loops shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain that [is] in the coupling of the second; 6 that the loops may take hold one of another. And thou shalt make fifty taches, or buttons, of gold, and couple the curtains together with the taches and it shall be one tabernacle. 7 And thou shalt make curtains [of] goats' [hair] to be a covering upon the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou 8 make. The length of one curtain [shall be] thirty cubits. eighteen yards and a quarter, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits and the eleven curtains [shall be all] of one 9 measure. And thou shalt couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and shalt double the sixth 10 curtain in the forefront of the tabernacle. And thou shalt make fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain [that is] outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops in the edge of the cur11 tain, which coupleth the second. And thou shalt make fifty

In the Hebrew, the work of a cunning workman, or embroiderer.

taches of brass, and put the taches into the loops, and couple 12 the tent together, that it may be one. And the remnant that remaineth of the curtain of the tent, the half curtain that remaineth, shall hang over the back side of the taber13 nacle. And a cubit on the one side, and a cubit on the other side of that which remaineth in the length of the curtains of the tent, it shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle on this side, and on that side, to cover it.

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And thou shalt make a covering for the tent [of] rams' skins dyed red, and a covering above [of] badgers' skins.

And thou shalt make boards for the tabernacle [of] shit16 tim wood standing up. Ten cubits, eighteen feet three inches, [shall be] the length of a board, and a cubit and a half, two 17 feet nine inches, [shall be] the breadth of one board. Two tenons [shall there be] in one board, set in order one against another: thus shalt thou make for all the boards of the taber18 nacle. And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle, 19 twenty boards on the south side southward. And thou shalt

make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets 20 under another board for his two tenons. And for the second side of the tabernacle on the north side [there shall be] twenty 21 boards: And their forty sockets [of] silver; two sockets 22 under one board, and two sockets under another board. And for the sides of the tabernacle westward thou shalt make six 23 boards. And two boards shalt thou make for the corners of 24 the tabernacle in the two sides. And they shall be coupled

together beneath, and they shall be coupled together above the head of it unto one ring: thus shall it be for them both; 25 they shall be for the two corners. And they shall be eight boards, and their sockets [of] silver, sixteen sockets; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another 26 board. And thou shalt make bars [of] shittim wood; five 27 for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle, And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the two 28 sides westward. And the middle bar in the midst of the boards 29 shall reach from end to end. And thou shalt overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings [of] gold [for] places for the bars and thou shalt overlay the bars with gold. 30 And thou shalt rear up the tabernacle according to the fashion thereof which was showed thee in the mount.

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And thou shalt make a veil [of] blue and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims 32 shall it be made: And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim [wood] overlaid with gold: their hooks [shall be of] 33 gold, upon the four sockets of silver. And thou shalt hang up the veil under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither

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