thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and the people feared the Lord, and his servant Moses."

"Then sang Moses and the children of Israel unto the Lord, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation; he is my God, and I will prepare Him a habitation." Thus baptized into Moses by the cloud and sea, the children of Israel journeyed to Mt. Sinai, where the Lord said: "Ye have seen what I have done unto the Egyptians, and how I have you on eagles' wings, and brought you to myself. Now if you will obey my voice, indeed, and keep my covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people. And you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." And the people said: "All that the Lord hath spoken, we will do."

From the mountain, the Lord delivered the law for the children of Israel on two

tables of stone. In addition to the ten commandments, He gave full regulations, concerning property, life and all the conduct of the nation. In these laws, Jehovah directed the order of worship, and authorized Moses to make a tabernacle in which alone was his service to be performed. The work was completed under the direction of Bezaleel and Aholiab, men who were "wisehearted," and "filled with the spirit of God."

When the tabernacle was finished, all the vessels and furniture were placed in it, as the Lord directed, and "A cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle." Thus it was owned as God's house; and "the cloud was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys." And thus closes Exodus, the second book of Moses, all the contents of which are intimately connected with the trials of the family of Abraham, and, indeed, the first church of the Living God, on earth.

THE THIRD BOOK OF MOSES, CALLED

LEVITICUS.-In the Hebrew canon, it is called bayekra, and signifies, to call; perhaps, from the first verse of the book, in which it is said, "The Lord called unto Moses, and spoke unto him out of the tabernacle."

The subject-matter pertains, mainly, to instructions of the priests, the sons of Levi.

It contains fuller statements and developments of the tabernacle-worship than is. found in the book of Exodus. It begins, indeed, by describing the worship itself, and the first seven chapters are devoted chiefly to the Jewish sacrifices. In the eighth and ninth chapters, we have directions for consecrating Aaron and his sons to the priest's office. As we proceed through the book, holy and unholy things are minutely described.

The great feast of Atonement, formed the central point of the nation's sanctity; for by it, all the people were reconciled to God. The sixteenth chapter ends with this declaration: "And this shall be an everlasting

statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel, for all their sins once a year."

Most of the other chapters, to the close of the book, are intended to guard the priests and the people against the influence of all foreign religions, and the proper motives for separating themselves from other nations, are clearly, and most forcibly set forth.

The details, however, are full of interest, and we would urge upon the reader the importance of studying the entire book with

care.

NUMBERS, or the fourth book of Moses, gets its title from the fact, that, the children of Israel were numbered in the wilderness for the purpose of separating the Levites from such as had to bear arms. In Hebrew, it is called, be-midbar, which means, in the wilderness.

Many of the most important events which occurred with the Jews during their forty years in the desert, are faithfully described in this book, and the narrative conducts us to "The plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho."

DEUTERONOMY, is the fifth and last book of Moses, and the title indicates, "a second publishing of the Law." It is a rehearsal of all that God had spoken by Moses, and contains, in addition, many earnest exhortations, and sublime prophecies. When

Moses wrote it, he was anxious to look to the future-the world was fading from his vision and, indeed, it may be called his farewell address to the people who had followed him during his forty years' journey from Egypt.

He ascended the mountain of Nebo, opposite Jericho, to the top of Pisgah, from whose summit he could view the long-promised land. Although he was a hundred and twenty years old, "his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated." Here he died, and was buried in one of the valleys. The children of Israel wept for him thirty days. The balance of the eighteen historical books of the Old Testamant are equally plain; still the valuable instructions contained in each, can be acquired only by diligent and prayerful study.