Exodus 40

ourselves to keep a conscience void of offence, be contented with its testimony, and wait that day, “when the Lord shall come, and bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then shall every man have praise of God.” For though the glory of all the good we do belongs to him, and our best needs much forgiveness; yet, if by his grace our hearts are humbly upright and willing, and we work by his rule, for his glory, and in dependance on his teaching and assistance, he will graciously applaud us, and say, “Well done, good and faithful servants;” and his blessing will abundantly repay our labour, which indeed is even here its own reward. After his example, therefore, as well as that of Moses, parents, masters, ministers, magistrates, and others, should learn not to be always finding fault; but to show themselves pleased with, and to commend, the honest endeavours of others to do well.—They who serve the cause of religion have a claim to our prayers, even as if they were our own benefactors; and we should both thank God for them, and beg of him to bless them.— T’.

Scott. Chap. XL. Ver. 1—38. The tabernacle reared and consecrated.—This was one year, all but fifteen days, after the Israelites left Egypt; 50 days after that event the law was given, and it is reckoned that Moses spent eighty days, from first to last, on the holy mount; only half a year was therefore occupied in this laborious pected [expectation], but their hearts were in the work, and they be, willingly. “When unanimity, diligence, and zeal, animate the hearts of numbers in a good cause,” says Scott, “much may be done in a short time; and when the command. It is difficult for us to form an accurate not able to enter in.” Thus much we may remark, that the exidea of this scene. ment of God is duly attended to, as the rule and standard of every service, the whole will be done well.”

ternal cloud afforded sufficient evidence of the Lord’s presence “everlasting The priesthood of Aaron is here said to be an “ey is also the people in general, while the glory within, was such that priesthood;” but the meaning of this term (everlasting The best evidence of the Lord’s even Moses could not support. ways to be regulated by the subject to which it is applied. The is often involved in ion to which it presence with his people in the present state, priesthood cannot last longer than the dispensation in mystery and obscurity; if his glory were to be revealed without a cloud, we should be constrained to say with St. Paul, know not.”

(2 a necessity to change the priesthood: both Moses and Aaron “Whether in the body, or out of the body, we Nees complex character and united must give place to Jesus, w Cor. xii. 2.) f (See Heb. ch. vii. 11—14.) offices they but faintly represented. The cloud hitherto had taken various stations; now it rested be argued from the un- The perpetuity of his priesthood is to holy place. What on the tabernacle, and the glory in the most changeable nature of the Christian dispensation. Before the I i He only the cloud was to them, a written revelation is to us. can be a priest for ever, who is himself ever living. (Ver. Scriptures were complete, visions and revelations were necessary assistants; now, the whole revealed will of God is concentrate The business of this day was crowned by the divine presence, and the Bible only, is our in the sacred canon: “the Bible, covered the tent of the congregation, and “Then a cloud rule”

and guide. glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle,” so that “Moses was endbi teks Ay Wipe See NO Seppe ohn hs ee nn EEE

Notes on the verses

It is the hardest and most valuable of all gems; when pure, etch clear and pellucid, as the clearest water, and eminently distinguished from all other substances by its vivid splendour, and the brightness of its reflections. ]}— Ver. 12. Ligure.—{Leshem, the ligure, the same as the jacinth, or hyacinth, a precious stone of a deep red, with a considerable tinge of yellow. Theophrastus and Pliny say it resembles the carbuncle, of a brightness sparkling like fire.—Agate.—Shevo, the agate, a semi-pellucid compound gem, formed of different simple minerals, as chalcedony, cornelian, jasper, hornstone, quartz, amethyst, &c. joined irregularly or in layers. It is of a white, reddish, yellowish, or greenish ground; and so variously figured in its substance as to represent plants, trees, animals and other objects.

—Amethyst.— Achlamah, an amethyst, a transparent gem, composed of a strong blue and deep red; and according as either prevails, affording different tinges of purple, sometimes approaching to violet, and sometimes even fading to a pale rose colour. |—Bagster. Ver. 13. Beryl.—Tarshish, probably the beryl, a pellucid gem, of a sea, or bluish green colour.—Jasper.— Yaspeh, the jasper, a hard stone, of which there are not less than 15 varieties of various colours, as green, red, yellow, brown, black, &c.|—Bagster. Chap. XL. Ver. 19. He spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle.—That is, the coverings of skin, &c. over the framework. put the testimony in the ark.—That is, the tables of the law Ver.

20. He were put inside the chest of the ark. Ver. 33. Tabernacle.—{The tabernacle might either be called a house or a tent, because it had wooden walls and partitions like a house, and curtains but as it externally resembled a common oblong and Thanking, like a tent; tent, and the wooden walls were without a roof, and properly only supports for the many curtains and hangings spread over them, it is more properly called a tent. Even the ordinary tents of the Arabs have at least two main divisions; the innermost for the women, and hence called sacred, i. e. cut off, inaccessible. In the tent of an emir the innermost space is only accessible to himself or those whom he particularly honours; The furniture is costly, the floor covered with a rich carpet, and has a stand with a censer and coals, on which incense is strewed.

Hence we have the simple idea after which God of the Hebrews, was made. |—Bagster. into the outer tent others may come. with a rich carpet, and has a stand this magnificent royal tent of JEHOVAH, the King and