presence of God: Verses 12, 13, "And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death: there shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount." The law, the sanction, and the duration of the obedience required, are here represented. The law expresseth an evil prohibited, both in itself and in the end of it. The evil itself, was going up into, or so much as touching by any means, the mountain or the border of it. The end wherefore this was prohibited was, that they might not gaze: Verse 21, "Charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze." The sanction is death, enjoined from the hand of men in these verses; and threatened from the hand of Heaven, verses 21, 24. The continuance of the observance was until the trumpet sounded long, or had done sounding; the sign of the departure of God's special presence, which made the place holy only during its continuance. 37. For the law, it is said expressly that the mount was not to be touched; it might not be touched by man or beast. Yet our apostle, treating concerning it, calls it "The mount that might be touched," Heb. xii. 18. For although de jure, whilst that temporary command continued in force, it might not be touched,-which seemed to render it glorious,-yet, saith the apostle, it was but a carnal thing, that might de facto be touched by man or beast, had they not been severely prohibited; and so is no way to be compared with that heavenly "mount Sion" which we are called unto in the worship of God under the gospel. - 38. The contexture of the words in our translation seems to have some difficulty: Exod. xix. 12, "Whosoever toucheth the mount." Verse 13, "There shall not an hand touch it," ia van. It should seem that by "it," ja, the mount itself is intended, and that the law is re-enforced in a particular caution, that so much as an hand should not touch the mount. But it is far more probable that by "it," "touch it," the person, man or beast, that touched the mountain is intended; and that the words declare the manner how the offender should be destroyed. Being made anathema, devoted, accursed, by his presumptuous sin, no man was to touch him, or to lay hand on him to deliver him, lest he also contracted of his guilt. And this sense the ensuing words, with the series of them, evinceth: pp Sipp " ,that is, * No hand shall touch it ;אוֹ־יָרֹה יִגְרֶה אִם־בְּהֵמָה אִם־אִישׁ לֹא יִהְיֶה either to save it or to punish it, "but stoning it shall be stoned, or thrusting through it shall be thrust through; whether man or beast, it shall not live;"-"Let none think, by laying hand on it, to deliver it.' Whence Aquila renders by por: 'He shall be slain or destroyed cum impetu et horrore, with force and terror; all being to cast stones at him, or to shoot him through with arrows, or thrust הטעם לא יכנס אדם לתפשו :him through with darts. So Aben Ezra ,The meaning is -; רק יסקלוהו הרואי ממקום מעמדם ואם רחיק יורוהו בחצים 'Men shall not gather about him to take him; but those that see him shall stone him from the place of their station. And if he be afar off, they shall shoot him through with arrows.' 39. Touching the mountain, or the border, limit, or bound set unto it by God's appointment, was the sin forbidden. And the end of it, as was said, was, that they should not break through nin?, "to see;" "to gaze," say we, properly; to look with curiosity on the appearances of God's glory,-for which cause he smote the men of Beth-shemesh upon their looking into the ark, 1 Sam. vi. 19: God intending by this prohibition to beget in the people an awe and reverence of his holy majesty, as the great Lawgiver; and by the terror thereof to bring them and their posterity into that bondage frame of spirit, that servile awe, that was to abide upon them until such time as He came who was to give liberty and boldness to his church, by dispensing unto believers the Spirit of adoption, enabling them to cry, "Abba, Father," and to enter with boldness into the holy place, even to the throne of grace. 40. In case the punishment appointed were neglected by the people, God threatens to see to the execution of it himself: Exod. xix. 21, "Lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish." Verse 24, "But let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest he break forth upon them." For to make them watchful in their duty, he lets them know that their miscarriage in this matter, devolving the punishment of the transgressor by their neglect upon him, should be imputed by him unto the whole people; so that he would in such a case break forth upon them with his judgments, and many of them should be consumed, to the terror and warning of the remnant. The continuance of this prescription was from the day before the appearance of the glory of God on the mount, until by the long sounding of the trumpet they perceived the presence of God had left the place: Verse 13, "When the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount;" that is, they had liberty so to do. 41. Things thus prepared, the people were brought forth unto their station, to attend unto the law: Verse 17, " And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount." This station of the people in mount Sinai is, amongst the Jews, the most celebrious thing that ever befell them, and many disputes they have about their order therein. Some few things we may observe from it. ??, "in occursum ipsius Moses brought forth the people Dei," to meet with God himself. (or "before") "the Word of God," saith Onkelos. ", saith Ben Uzziel,-"The glorious presence of God." 'O Aóyos roữ Qɛoũ, and ázavyaoμa rñs dóğns aůrou—“ The essential Word of God, the brightness of his glory," the Son of God, the head and lawgiver of the church in all ages. 42. "And they stood at the nether part of the mount." Verse 2, it is And Israel encamped there before the"-; וָיְחַ שָׁם יִשְׂרָאֵל נֶגֶד הָהָר ,said mount, ,"in the singular number; that is, "in such order," saith Jarchi, "that they were all as one man." And saith he, "They were on the east side of the mountain, where also they kept their station at the giving of the law;" for so he would have the word ? to denote, though he gives no instance to confirm his opinion. But Aben Ezra expressly rejects this fancy, and that by a notable instance, where it is said, "The people pitched their tents," "before the tabernacle of the congregation round about." So that although they were round about the tabernacle, they are said to be before it, because of the special regard which they had unto it. And at this station in the wilderness command was given to "set bounds unto the people '," "round about," verse 12; which there had been no need of had not the people been gathered round about the mountain. 43. Now, they generally agree that this was the order wherein they stood:-First stood the priests, mentioned expressly verse 22, and said there to "come near to the LORD;" that is, nearer than the rest of the people, though they also are expressly forbidden to come so nigh as to touch the mount, verse 24. These priests were as yet the first-born, before a commutation was made, and the tribe of Levi accepted in their room. Next to the priests stood the princes or heads of the tribes, attended with the elders and officers of the people. The body of the people, or the "men of Israel," as they speak, stood next to them, and behind them the women and children; the remotest of all in this order being, as they suppose, the proselytes that adhered unto them. Thus Aben Ezra expressly: nbnna „ be orwin 17103 ;-"First were the first-born, who drew nigh and after them were "-, ואחריהם ראשי שבטים הם הנשיאים ; to God the heads of the tribes," that is, the princes; Dupin D," after them the elders;" on Dл," after them the officers;" ואחריהם ";after them all the men of Israel -, ואחריהם כל איש ישראל ," after them the children," that is, males; D'IN DO'JANI,"after them the women;" "," after them the proselytes" or "strangers." 44. All things being thus disposed, in the morning of the third day the appearances of God's glorious presence began to be manifested: Verse 16, "And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled." Verse 18, "And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly." That all these things were the effects of the ministry of angels, preparing the place of God's glorious presence, and attending upon him in their work, the Scripture elsewhere testifies, and we have before manifested; so that there is no need here further to insist upon it. 45. Upon this preparation for the descent of the glory of God, upon the sight of his harbingers and evidence of his coming, Moses brought forth the people Dлp?,-" to meet with God." He brought them out of the camp, which was at some farther distance, unto the bounds that by God's prescription he had set unto mount Sinai. And Rashi on the place observes, not unfitly, that this going of the people to meet with God argues that the glory of God came also to meet with them, as the bridegroom goeth out to meet the bride; for it was a marriage covenant that God then took the people into, whence it is said that "the LORD came from Sinai," namely, to meet the people, Deut. xxxiii. 2. 46. The utmost of the approach of the people was to "the nether part of the mount." The Targum of Jerusalem hath a foolish imagination from this expression, which they have also in the Talmud, -namely, that mount Sinai was plucked up by the roots, and lifted up into the air, so that the people stood under it: which Jarchi calls a "midrash;" that is, though not in the signification of the word, yet in the usual application of it, an allegorical fable. In this posture the people trembled, and were not able to keep their station, but removed from their place, Exod. xx. 18. "And the whole mount quaked greatly," chap. xix. 18; so terrible was the appearance of the majesty of God in giving out his "fiery law." In this general consternation of all, it is added that Moses himself spake, verse 19, "and God answered him by a voice." What he spake is not declared, nor was there any occasion for his speaking, nor can any account be given why he should speak to God, when God was solemnly preparing to speak to him and the people; nor is it said that he spake to God, but only that he spake. And it is signally added that God answered him Sip?, "in" (or "by") "a voice." For my part, I doubt not but that in this general consternation that befell all the people, Moses himself, being surprised with fear, spake the words recorded by our apostle, Heb. xii. 21, "I exceedingly fear and quake;" which condition he was relieved from by the comforting voice of God, and so confirmed unto the remainder of his ministry. These brief remarks being given upon the preparation for and the manner of the giving of the law, we shall summarily consider the general nature of the law and its sanctions in our next Exercitations. EXERCITATION XX. THE LAW AND PRECEPTS THEREOF. 3. 1. What meant by the "law" among the Jews. 2. The common distribution of it into moral, ceremonial, and judicial-The ground of that distribution. This distinction not insisted on by the Jews-Six hundred and thirteen precepts collected by them. 4. Reasons of that number-Of these, two hundred and forty-eight affirmative, three hundred and sixty-five negative. 5. Twelve houses of each sort. 6. First house of affirmatives, concerning God and his worship, in twenty precepts. 7. The second, concerning the temple and priesthood, in number nineteen. 8. The third, concerning sacrifices, in fifty-seven precepts. 9. The fourth, of cleanness and uncleanness, eighteen. 10. The fifth, of alms and tithes, in thirty-two precepts. 11. The sixth, about things to be eaten, in seven commands. 12. The seventh, concerning the passover and other festivals, twenty. 13. The eighth, of rule and judgment, in thirteen precepts. 14. The ninth, of doctrine and truth, whose commands are twenty-five. 15. The tenth, concerning women and matrimony, in twelve precepts. 16. The eleventh, of criminal judgments and punishments, in eight precepts. 17. The twelfth, of civil judgments, in seventeen precepts. 18. Censure of this collection. 19. Negative precepts, in twelve families. 20. The first family, of false worship, in forty-seven prohibitions. 21. Remarks. 22. The second family, of separation from the heathen. 23. The third family, of things sacred. 24. The fourth family, of sacrifices and priests. 25. The fifth family, of meats. 26. The sixth family, of fields and harvest. 27. The seventh family, the house of doctrines. 28. The eighth family, of justice and judgment. 29. The ninth family, of feasts. 30. The tenth family, of chastity. 31. The eleventh family, of marriages. 32. The twelfth family, of the manner of the kingdom. 33-35. Concluding remarks. 1. THE law itself and its sanctions are the next thing that our apostle makes mention of in the economy of the Judaical church. By this law he especially understands the law given on mount Sinai, or partly there, partly from the tabernacle, the type of Christ, after it was erected. The Jews by the nn, or "law," generally understand the whole five books of Moses, as they are also called in the New Testament; and all precepts that they can gather out of them anywhere they refer to the law: wherein they are not to be contended withal. 2. This whole law is generally distributed into three parts;-first, the moral; secondly, the ceremonial; thirdly, the judicial part of it. And, indeed, there is no precept but may conveniently be referred unto one or other of these heads, as they are usually explained. That which is commonly called the moral law, the Scripture terms, 7 727, Exod. xxxiv. 28, "The words of the covenant, |