MOSES, 
66 
divine commands, and requeuing that all future com¬ 
munications of the divine will might come through him 
alone. This awe and readinefs of obedience which they 
profeffed Mofes highly commended, and went up again 
to the mountain, where he received additional precepts 
and ordinances, both moral and ceremonial, which were, 
with the decalogue, to form the heads of a covenant 
between God and the Ifraelites ; ch. xx-xxiii. 
After his return to the camp, Mofes erefted an altar, 
and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings upon it; 
(ch. xxiv.) and, having caufed the contents of the new 
covenant to be read to all the people, he received a folemn 
promife from them that they would faithfully adhere to 
it, and ratified it by the ceremony of fprinkling the altar, 
the book, and the people, or the elders their reprefen- 
tatives, with the blood of the viftims. Immediately 
afterwards, Mofes took with him Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, 
and fo many as feventy of the elders of Ifrael, and brought 
them near to the mountain, where they beheld fome 
fymbol of the divine prefence fufficient to convince them 
that they were tranfafting with the Divine Being himfelf; 
and, having then committed the care of the people to 
them, took Jofliua with him up to the mountain, and 
entered himfelf into the cloud. Here he remained forty 
days, during which he was inftrufted in the whole plan 
of the religion which was bell adapted to the difpofition 
and circumftances of the Ifraelites, and received two 
tables of ftone, on which the ten commandments were 
written, or engraved, without human means, by the im¬ 
mediate direction of God ; ch. xxv-xxxi. 
In the mean time, the people, when more than a month 
had elapfed after Mofes was feen to enter the cloud, find¬ 
ing that he did not return, probably concluded that he 
was dead, and might think that God as well as his pro¬ 
phet had forfaken them; (ch. xxxii.) In this ftate of 
uncertainty they affembled in a tumultuous mannerabout 
Aaron’s tent, and, having contracted a propenfity to 
image-worfhip during their abode in Egypt, demanded 
that he fliould make an idol to be carried before them, 
probably prefcribing that it fliould be a likenefs of the 
Egyptian Apis. This demand Aaron does not appear to 
liave refilled with becoming fortitude, but, overcome by 
his fears, he confented to receive their ear-rings and 
other jewels of gold, and to caff them into the form of a 
calf, which he let upon a pedeftal, and erefted an altar 
before it. At this fight the infatuated populace exclaim¬ 
ed, “ This, O Ifraelites! is your god, who brought you 
out of the land of Egyptand Aaron appointed the 
following day as a folemn feftival in honour of the new 
deity, which was begun with burnt-offerings and peace- 
offerings, and concluded with feafting, dancing, and iing- 
ing. Mofes, being informed, by the Almighty himfelf, 
of the behaviour of the Ifraelites, with fuch threatening 
expreflions againft them, as made him apprehend that 
fome heavy punilhment, if not entire deftruftion, was 
ready to fall upon them, (ver. 10.) endeavoured, by 
humble but earned interceflion, to deprecate the effefts 
of the divine difpleafure: he then took the two tables, 
and haltened down the mountain with Jofliua, that he 
might fpeedily correft the alarming evil. As foon as he 
came near the camp, and faw the people dancing round 
the objeft of their idolatry, he was fo agitated at the 
fcene, that he broke the two tables in pieces by throwing 
them on the ground; and, coming up to his brother, he 
upbraided him in the llrongeft terms for countenancing 
the criminal behaviour of the people, which threatened 
their ruin, by caufing them to forfeit the divine protec¬ 
tion. He then proceeded to deftroy the idol, and after¬ 
wards reduced it to powder, which he threw into water, 
of which all the people drank by his order. In the mean 
time, having called upon thofe to come forward who 
were willing to vindicate the infulted honour of the true 
God, and'being joined by the Levites, he commanded 
them to put on their fwords, and to kill, without regard 
to age, quality, kindred, or acquaintance, all whom they 
fliould find obftinately perfevering in their profane feftaf 
rites. This command they immediately obeyed, and put 
to death about three thoufand men whom they dilco- 
vered to be delinquents. By fuch a dreadful example of 
punilhment the Ifraelites feemed to be awakened to a fenfe 
of their crime, and were filled with apprehenfion con¬ 
cerning the Judgments which might Hill be inflicted upon 
them. In tliefe circumftances Mofes interceded fo power¬ 
fully on their behalf, that the Divine Being was pleated 
fo far to pardon their offence, as to renew his promife of 
conducing them to the land of Canaan; but faid, that 
their conduft fliould not be wholly forgotten, but would 
be confidered in his future dilpenfations with refpeft to 
them. This promife, however, was to be fo far con¬ 
ditional, that before they could claim it they were to 
obferve a folemn and public aft of humiliation, and pro¬ 
duce the fruits of fincere contrition and repentance. 
After the day of humiliation was pafl'ed, Mofes was 
direfted to afcend Mount Sinai again, with two tables of 
ftone which he had been ordered to prepare for the pur- 
pole of having the decalogue re-written or engraved on 
them; (ch. xxxiv.) Here he continued another forty 
days, during which he received further inftruftions rela¬ 
tive to the fyftem of policy and religion which he was to 
eftabliih, and was favoured with a new and extraordinary 
manifeftation of the divine prefence, to fupport and con- 
fole him under the labours of his arduous office. What 
the appearance was which he now faw, and which is called 
“ the glory of God,” we are not informed ; but the effeft 
of it was fuch a glorious luftre on the countenance of 
Mofes himfelf, that, when he defcended from the mount 
with the two tables of commandments, Aaron and the 
elders of the people were deterred by the dazzling bright- 
nefs from approaching him, till he covered his face with 
a veil. To the fame expedient he was obliged to have 
recourfe for fome time afterwards, whenever they met to 
converl'e with him. 
The next aft of Mofes was to call an affembly of the 
people, (ch. xxxv.) in which he announced God’s re¬ 
newal of his covenant with them; enjoined the ftrift ob- 
fervance of the fabbath; declared the command which 
he had received to ereft a tabernacle of the moft coftly 
materials, for the refidence of the fymbols of the divine 
prelence; and invited them to liberality in their volun¬ 
tary offerings for the conltruftion of this undertaking. 
On this occalion there appears to have been a generous 
emulation in all the people to contribute their moft valu¬ 
able effefts and ornaments towards this work; the molt 
Ikilful artifts in all branches of curious workmanlhip 
were employed; and they proceeded with fuch zeal and 
diligence, that the tabernacle, and all its rich furniture 
and coftly apparatus, were completed and fet up in lefs 
than fix months. Mofes now proceeded to confecrate 
the building with folemn ceremonies, and afterward* 
anointed Aaron high-prieft, and his fons his afliftants, 
who offered all kinds of facrifices upon the new altar; and 
thus commenced, in the year 1490 B. C. that pompon* 
worfliip of the Deity which was adapted to the prefent 
ftate of the minds of the Ifraelites, who were incapable 
of being affefted with a purer and more fpiritual one. 
As an indication that God approved of what had been 
done, the cloud, which was the fymbol of the divine pre¬ 
fence, defcended upon the tabernacle, where it appeared 
as a pillar of fire in the night, and by its movements di¬ 
refted the journeyings of the people through the wilder- 
nefs. (Exod. xl. Lev. viii. ix.) 
Not long after this, an awful inftance of the punilh¬ 
ment of dilobedience was difplayed in the cafe of perfons 
who were nearly allied to Mofes himfelf: for his two ne¬ 
phews, Nadab and Abihu, the fons of Aaron, were (truck 
dead by fire from heaven, for prefuming to burn incenfe 
in the tabernacle wfith other fire than that on the altar, 
contrary to the divine command. (Lev. x.) To fliow hi* 
impartiality in the treatment of offenders of whatever 
rank, Moles commanded that their bodies fliould be im¬ 
mediately 
