The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 4 · Section 25 – Section 28
SECT. XXV.
MOſes now ſtaying again 40 days and 40 nights in the Mount without Meat or Drink, [verſ. 28.] He humbly and earneſtly beſought the Lord with many preſſing arguments [ſee Deut. 9.18, 19. and from 25. to the end] to pardon the people, and to own them ſtill for his Inheritance, *See Pſ. 33.12. & Zach. 2.12.and to go along with them, and to manifeſt his gracious Preſence among them, for they were (He ackowledges) a ſtiff-necked people, and had need both of his Mercy and Conduct.
The Lord, being now appeaſed, renews his Covenant with them upon certain Conditions; and promiſes that his Preſence with them ſhould work more powerfully then ever, and ſhew it ſelf in more ſtupendious Miracles then ever it had done before; and that He would do terrible things by them (his Almighty Power and Providence accompanying of them) and would give them poſſeſſion of the Land of Canaan, and would drive out the Inhabitants thereof before them. The Conditions he requires of them to perform were theſe: (1. Not to make a League or Covenant with the Inhabitants of the Land,*See Chap. 23.32. (whom He had determined to deſtroy for their ſins) nor to make Marriages with them, leſt it ſhould enſnare them, and draw them to be Partakers in their Idolatries, and ſo in their Puniſhments; but ſhould deſtroy their Altars, Images and Groves, and ſhould not eat of their Sacrifices, and ſhould eſpecially be careful not to make to themſelves any molten Gods, ſuch as the golden Calf was. For the Lord was a jealous God, and would not endure that any falſe God ſhould ſhare with Him in the Worſhip that was peculiar to himſelf. (2) That they ſhould obſerve the Feaſt of unleavened Bread, *See Ch. 23.15.the Feaſt of Weeks or Pentecoſt, and the Feaſt of Booths or Tabernacles. At which three Feaſts All their Males ſhould appear before him with an Offering to be given to the Prieſt, (which He would account as given to Himſelf) and He would take care that none ſhould deſire their Land in their abſence. (3) That the firſt-born Males both of Men and Beaſts ſhould be conſecrated unto Him, [ſee Ch. 22.29, 30.] but the firſtlings of an Aſs ſhould be redeemed with a Lamb, [ſee Exod. 13.13.] (4) That they ſhould carefully obſerve the weekly Sabbath, *See Ch. 23.12.and not violate it either in Seed-time or Harveſt. (5) That they ſhould not offer the blood (l)Certe removebis fermentatum, cum immolas Paſcha. Vatab.of the Paſchal Lamb with Leaven, and that nothing thereof ſhould be left till the morning. (6) That the firſt of their Friſt-fruits ſhould be brought to the Houſe of the Lord. (7.) That they ſhould not ſeeth a Kid in its Mothers milk. Which Laws were all enjoyned, Ch. 23. and were now repeated. Theſe were the Laws that Moſes was to write down in a Book, and to injoyn the people to obſerve. Then the Lord wrote the Ten Commandments on the Tables Moſes had brought up, and gave them unto him, who brought them, and the other Laws which himſelf had written, unto the people; and having ſeen Gods Glory in ſo great a meaſure and degree, there was a dazeling brightneſs imprinted by God on his face while he talked with him; ſo that the skin of his Face (m)The glory of Moſes face ſignified the glory of the Law which he brought, 2 Cor. 3.7, 8. His Miniſtration was Death and Condemnation, becauſe the Law giveth the knowledge of Sin, but no pardon for it.ſhone (which he himſelf was not ſenſible of)*Sic Humilitas propriam jubet ignorare excellentiam. by the reflective rays and beams (n)foreign ſignifies to ſhine, from whence foreign an Horn is derived; which gave occaſion to the Papiſts to paint Moſe's face with two Horns like an Ox. The Vulgar Latine ſays Moſe's Face was horned.of the divine Splendor, which might aſſure the Iſraelites he had been with God, (who taught and inſtructed him) and that thereupon they might the more reverence him, might fear breaking this Law again. Aaron and the people were not able to bear the ſplendor of his Face, but being afraid fled from him as if he had been ſome Angel. But Moſes called them back, and put a Vail on his Face(o)Ut ipſum Moſaicae facici ſplendorem Iſraelitae non viderunt ob impoſitum velamen, ſic Carnales Judaei ſpiritualem Moſis ſplendorem, hoc eſt, Scriptorum ejus ſummum finem at que ſcopum, qui eſt Jeſus Chriſtus, non intelligebant ob ſponte attractam mentis Caecitatem quae inſtar Velaminis eſt inter corda eorum & verum legis intellectum quaſi obducti: ne que hoc tolli poteſt niſi per praedicationem Evangelij, & per veram converſionem ad Dominum, &c. Vide 2 Cor. 13.14, 15, 16. whilſt he ſpake with them, and then delivered to them all that the Lord had given him in Charge. But Moſes when he went to the Lord for the people, took the Vail off. And 'tis like that this brightneſs on his Face continued not all his life after, but only during the time of his going to and fro between God and the people.
Exod. 34. from 9. to the end.
SECT. XXVI.
MOſes now injoyns them again a ſtrict Obſervation of the weekly Sabbath, and that they ſhould not kindle a fire (p)But 'tis probable to kindle a fire to warm themſelves by in the extream cold of Winter, or when any other exigencies of neceſſity or mercy required it; was allowed them.thereon to dreſs meat, or to do any work by (though for the framing of the Tabernacle) threatning death to them that diſobey. Then He injoyns the people to bring their free-will Offerings towards the framing of the Tabernacle (which was now forthwith to be gone in hand with) according to the Directions given him by God, Ch. 25. The people very readily agree hereunto. And to the end that this good Work might the more effectually be promoted, all the Males were numbred from twenty years old and upwards (who were found to be 603550) who every one (according to the Law preſcribed, Exod. 30.12, 13.) contributing half a Shekel, the total Sum of the Poll-money amounted to an hundred Talents (q)A Talent among the Jews amounted to 3000 Shekels, or 50 l. ſterling, every pound containing 60 Shekels. See Biſhop Uſher's Annals.and 1775 Shekels of Silver [See Exod. 38.25, 26.] And beſides this Poll-money, the people both men and women brought in their free-will Offerings very chearfully, and preſented what was agreeable to their Condition, viz. The Princes and Rulers brought precious Stones for the Ephod and Breaſt-plate; Thoſe that were rich offered Gold and Silver; the middle ſort fine Linnen, and Braſs, and Spices; and the meaneſt, Goats Hair and Badgers Skins. And all of them contributed theſe things as willingly now (after their Repentance) for the Service of the Tabernacle, as before they had contributed for the making the golden Calf. So that the voluntary Offerings amounted to the Sum of 29 Talents and 730 Shekels of Gold, and to 70 Talents and 2400 Shekels of Braſs, Exod. 38.24, 29. And the moſt skilful and moſt ingenious of the Women ſpun Blue, and Purple, and Scarlet, and fine Linnen, and Goats hair, for this Sacred uſe. In ſo much that for materials requiſite for the framing of the Tabernacle there came in more than enough, ſo that the people were forbidden to bring in any more, [Ch. 36.5, 6, 7.]
Exod. 35. from 1. to 30.
SECT. XXVII.
NOw that all things appertaining to the Tabernacle might be exactly framed according to the Pattern given to Moſes in the Mount; the Lord was pleaſed (as was ſaid before) to call and appoint Bezaleel and Aholiab to be the chief Artificers for the performance of all things belonging thereunto, filling them with extraordinary Wiſdom and Underſtanding for that great undertaking; ſo that they knew how to deviſe all curious Works, and to work in Gold, Silver and Braſs, to cut Stones, to carve Wood, to engrave, to embroider. So that being skilful in all Handicrafts to Work, and Headcrafts to Contrive (and that by divine Inſpiration) they were able to teach and inſtruct others that were ingenious how to work and aſſiſt in this great buſineſs. And accordingly the Artificers now fall to work, and in the laſt ſix months of this year they finiſhed all things belonging to the Tabernacle, viz. the Curtains with the Cherubims, the Curtains of Goats hair, the Covers of Rams skins and Badgers skins, the boards with their Sockets, and the bars, the Vail, and the Ark of the Covenant, and the Mercy-Seat with the Cherubims, the Table of Shew-bread with its Furniture, the Candleſtick with its Lamps and Veſſels, the Altars of Incenſe, the Anointing Oil, the ſweet Incenſe, the Altar of Burnt-Offering, the Laver of Braſs, the Hangings for the Court, the Cloaths of Service, or Coverings to wrap up the holy things in, and the Prieſts Garments, and holy Veſtments. This is the ſum or particular of the holy things belonging to the Tabernacle, which were Inventoried (as it were) by Ithamar, at the Commandment of Moſes, and ſo delivered into the Cuſtody of the Levites that nothing might be loſt. All theſe were finiſhed in the Deſert, at Mount Sinai, and brought unto Moſes, who upon viewing of them approved them all, as made according to Gods appointment. And he bleſſed the people for their forwardneſs in this Work, and the Artificers for their care and exactneſs in the Workmanſhip of every particular, and as Gods Miniſter pronounced a bleſſing on them for it from the Lord.
Exod. 35. from 30. to the end.
Exod. 36. whole Chapter.
Exod. 37. whole Chapter.
Ezod. 38. whole Chapter.
Exod. 39. whole Chapter.
SECT. XXVIII.
ON the firſt day of the firſt month of the ſecond Year after their coming out of Egypt, the Lord commanded Moſes to ſet up the Tabernacle, and to put all things in order belonging thereunto, and to anoint the Tabernacle, and all the Veſſels and Furniture thereof with Oil, and ſo Conſecrate them to his Service. Alſo he commanded him to waſh Aaron and his Sons, and to apparrel them, and to anoint and Conſecrate them for their Miniſtry, ſo that the Children and Succeſſors of the ordinary Prieſts ſhould not need to be anointed, but ſhould execute their Office by vertue of this firſt Ʋnction of their Fathers. Only the High Prieſts were to be anointed in their following Generations. See Levit. 4.3, All which things Moſes ſet himſelf immediately to perform; and the Tabernacle being ſet up, He, for the preſent executed the Prieſts Office, [ſee Exod. 29.10, 11.) and Pſal. 99.6.] and offered Burnt-Offerings and Peace-Offerings, and burnt Incenſe. Then the Cloud, the Teſtimony of Gods Preſence covered the Tent of the Congregation, and, as it were, took poſſeſſion of it, [ſee Exod. 25.8.] and the Glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle; And it ſeems the manner of the Clouds abode, and the Lords appearing in Glory at this time was extraordinary; inſomuch that Moſes could not for the preſent, through the dazeling brightneſs thereof, enter into the Tabernacle. But uſually and ordinarily it was not ſo, elſe the holy miniſtration in that place could not have been performed. And whilſt the Cloud ſtayed upon the Tabernacle, the people were not to ſtir; but when it removed, they were to remove alſo, and to go that way in which it guided them.
Exod. 40. whole Chapter.
Numb. 9. from 15. to the end.