would provide in case it should fail next day, putrified, bred worms, and became good for nothing. That proves to be most wasted which is covetously and distrustfully spared. Such riches are corrupted, (James v. 2, 3).

AN omer contained about five pints, English measure.Exod. xvi. 16

THE manna is called spiritual meat (1 Cor. x. 3), because it was typical of spiritual blessings in heavenly things. Christ himself is the true Manna, the Bread of Life, of which this was a figure (John vi. 49). The Word of God is the manna by which our souls are nourished (Matt. iv. 4) The comforts of the Spirit are hidden manna (Rev. ii. 17). These came from heaven, as the manna did, and are the support and comfort of the divine life in the soul while we are in the wilderness of this world. We must every one of us gather for ourselves, and gather in the morning of our days-the morning of our opportunities; which, if we let slip, it may be too late to gather. The manna they gathered must not be hoarded up, but eaten; those who have received Christ must by faith live upon him, and not receive his grace in vain. There was manna enough for all, enough for each, and none had too much; so in Christ there is a complete sufficiency, and no superfluity. But those who eat manna hungered again, died at last, and with many of them God was not well pleased; whereas they that feed on Christ by faith, shall never hunger, and shall die no more, and with them God will be for ever well pleased. The Lord evermore give us this bread! Let us thankfully welcome, early and diligently go forth together, and joyfully feed upon this heavenly provision. Let us seek earnestly for the grace of the Holy Spirit, to turn all our knowledge of the doctrine of Christ crucified, into the spiritual nourishment of our souls by faith and love, that we may not rest in barren notions, nor feed on worldly vanities, nor satisfy ourselves with former supposed experiences. Living upon this bread from day to day, in attendance on all the means of grace, we shall show that our souls are thereby nourished in all holiness, and fitted for all obedience. Thus also edifying others by the way, we shall in due time arrive at the heavenly Canaan, there to feast for ever on the rich provisions of our Father's house above.-Exod. xvi. 32-36.

WHEN Moses held up his hand in prayer, so the Chaldee explains, Israel prevailed; but when he let down his hand. from prayer, Amalek prevailed.-Exod. xvii. 8-16.

DECLENSION in religion almost invariably begins in the

closet. If private prayer be discontinued, or formally made, the life of God within us will droop in proportion.--Buddicom. HUR (according to Josephus) was Moses's brother-in-law, the husband of Miriam.-Henry and Scott.

MOSES was famed even among the heathen for the efficacy of his prayers. Numerius, the Pythagoric philosopher, says of him that he was a man very powerful in prayer with God.Exod xvii. 11.—Gill.

JETHRO was Abraham's descendant by Keturah, being a Midianite.-Exod. xvii. 7-12.

THE Kenites and Rechabites descended from Jethro, who in after-times lived among the Jews, and were proselytes to their religion, (Judges i. 16; 1 Chron. ii. 55; Jer. xxxv. 2).— Exod. xviii. 13-27.

IT is computed that the law was given just fifty days after the Israelites came out of Egypt, in remembrance of which the Feast of Pentecost was observed the fiftieth day after the Passover; in agreement with which, the Spirit was poured out upon the Apostles, at the Feast of Pentecost, fifty days after the death of Christ.—Exod. xix. 1—8.

Ar its northern extremity, the Red Sea divides into two gulfs, forming a mountainous peninsula, to parts of which the names of Horeb and Sinai were given, and are still applied. One of the mountains is pointed out as the place from whence the law was given, and is called by the Arabs Jebbel Mousa, or the mountain of Moses. Several modern travellers have given minute descriptions of this district. The mountain was called Sinai, from the multitude of thorny bushes that overspread it.-Exod. xix. 1.

IN approaching to God, we must never forget his holiness. and greatness, or our own meanness and pollution. Even upon Mount Sion our God is a consuming fire, and must be worshipped with reverence and godly fear (Heb. xii. 28), without presumptuous familiarity or vain curiosity. How, then, shall we approach him upon this terrible Mount Sinai ? Could we rush uncalled into the midst of fire, tempest, and earthquakes? No more can we stand in judgment before him according to the tenor of his righteous law. Happy they who have felt their need of a Mediator, have hearkened to the voice of the Saviour-have from him obtained forgiveness of all their sins-who have acceptance with God, and access to him-who have received the law from his gracious hands, disarmed of its terrors, and have been taught by his grace to obey and love it in sincerity and in truth.-Exod. xix. 16-25.

A MAN may take away the life of another undesignedly; but much which is not deemed murder by the laws of man will be considered such before God. Furious passions, excited by provocations or by drunkenness, are no excuse: much more atrocious is the murder committed in duels, which is a horrible effect of a haughty revengeful spirit. All fighting, whether for wagers, for renown, or out of anger and malice, are violations of this command, and the blood shed therein is murder. All assaulting wounding others, or assisting therein, is here forbidden. To tempt men to vice and crimes which shorten life may be included. Misconduct, such as may break the heart, or shorten the lives of parents, wives, or other relations, is a breach of this command. The spiritual extent of this command includes the revengeful or covetous wish for the death of others; it also prohibits all envy, malice, hatred, or anger, all provoking or insulting language. The destruction of our own lives is included. We are no more the authors or lords of our own life than of that of others. This commandment requires a spirit of kindness, long-suffering, and forgiveness, with endeavours to preserve the life and save the soul of every human being.- Exod. xx. 13.

THE seventh commandment concerns our own and our neighbour's chastity. We should be as much afraid of that which defiles the body, as that which destroys it.-Exod. xx.

14.

THE eighth commandment is the law of love as it respects our neighbour's property. Human laws punish various transgressions of this command; but disobedience to the law of God will be punished, whether human justice reach it or not. Imposing upon the ignorance, credulity, or necessity of others; abuse of confidence, extortion, and many other things, are transgressions of God's law, though scarcely censured in society. Plunderers of kingdoms, and oppressors of millions, who are above human justice, will be included in this sentence. Defrauding the public, whether by oppressive rulers or by evading payments lawfully required, contracting debts without prospect of paying them, or evading payment of just debts when enabled to do so, all extravagance, unnecessary subsistence upon charity, squeezing the poor in their wages so as scarcely to allow them to subsist-all these, and many such like things, violate the spiritual meaning of this command; which excludes covetousness, luxury, and the pride of life, and requires industry, frugality, and contentedness-a disposition

to do to others, in respect of worldly property, as we would they should do to us.-Exod xx 15.

"He shall serve him for ever," as long as he lives, or, until the year of jubilee, if there were one before his death.-Gill. The boring of the ear, in sign of servitude, is alluded to by heathen writers, as customary in Syria, and some other countries.-Exod. xxi. 5, 6.

GOD, who, by his providence, gives and maintains life, by his law protects it; so that mercy showed to a wilful murderer is real cruelty to all mankind besides.-Exod. xxi. 12-21.

Is some countries it still is the law that if an animal entrusted to the care of any one die, he shall bring to the owner the horns, or hoof, or some part of it, to show that he had not allowed it to be stolen or lost by his carelessness.-Exod. xxii. 13.

THE raiment here spoken of was the upper garment now called the hyke among the Arabs; a sort of cloak, about six yards long and two wide, in which they wrap themselves during the day when needful, and which serves them as bedding at night.-Exod. xxii. 26.

THE word "gods" is often used in Scripture to signify princes or rulers-Exod. xxii. 28.

THE word rendered "countenance" signifies to adorn, and seems to refer to the arts of oratory and the sophistry of law, by which the badness of a cause is varnished over.-Exod. xxiii. 4.

THE Jews speak of this angel under a name, Metatron, which they have devised. They identify him with the Messiah, and rightly ascribe to him all the characteristics of the Divine nature. They represent him as performing the functions of a Mediator, saying, that by him alone we have access to God. Some of their notions respecting him are evidently derived from the prophecy of Isaiah ix. 6; and they represent him as making expiation for sin when in the wilderness, in a tabernacle distinct from the Levitical tabernacle-by the terms they use evidently pointing out the human body, in which the Angel of the Presence was wont to appear, and in which he was at length to be born as an infant. The views of the Jewish doctors are so remarkably clear on this point, that while we admire the gocd providence of God in having so amply prepared for the reception of the Messiah by the predictions and phraseology of the Old Testament, which were the only sources whence the Rabbins could derive their knowledge, we cannot but wonder at the blindness of the chosen

people, in not perceiving that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.-Faber. When we recollect the many Scriptures which call an angel that appeared to the people of God, by the names of Jehovah and Elohim, we cannot be in doubt who this Angel was, who had power on earth to forgive sins, and in whom was the name of Jehovah, (ver. 21.)-Exod. xxiii. 20-33.

THE Greek version is, "They saw the place where the God of Israel stood, and what was under his feet was like a pavement of sapphire, and in clearness like the appearance of the firmament of heaven."-Exod. xxiv. 10.

MANY heathen nations have had arks or chests which they used in their sacred rites, probably imitated from the ark of the Israelites. The shittim wood and the shittah tree (Isaiah, xli. 19) are the same.-Exod. xxv. 10.

THE word translated "knop," in the original, signifies apple or pomegranate.-Exod. xxv. 31-40.-J. Edwards.

A COARSE sort of cloth, made from goat's hair, is still used for a covering to the tents in the East. The hair of the goats of Asia is longer and finer than that of European goats.Exod. xxvi. 7.-Henry and Scott.

BEATEN oil was the purest oil, such as was obtained by bruising the olives, without putting them into a press. Exod. xxvii. 20.

URIM and Thummim signify light and integrity.-Exod. xxviii. 15-30.

THE mitre for the high priest was flat upon the head like a turban. That of the other priests rose up in the middle like a high-crowned hat.-Exod. xxviii. 36.—Gill.

A DEAL signifies a part, from a Saxon word which signifies to divide.-Exod. xxix. 40.-Henry and Scott.

THE tribute was half a shekel, about fifteen pence of our money. The rich were not to give more, nor the poor less; to intimate that the souls of the rich and poor are alike precious, and that God is no respecter of persons, (Acts x. 34; Job xxxiv. 19). In other offerings men were to give according to their worldly ability; but this, which was the ransom of the soul, must be alike for all. The rich need Christ as much as the poor, and the poor are as welcome to him as the rich. The souls of all are of equal value, equally forfeited, and all equally need a ransom. This was the tribute-money which Christ paid, (Matt. xvii. 24). Both rich and poor contributed to the maintenance of the temple-service, because both were to have like interest in it, and benefit by it. In Christ and