N the second year after Israel had come out of Egypt, Moses was ordered to number the people. They had greatly increased in numbers, and God would now prove to them how he had kept

his word to Abraham, that he should be the father of a very numerous posterity. They were so unbelieving, as by this time you must well know, that they would hardly have thought it possible they were so numerous, had Moses only told them their number; and so he was ordered to count them, that they might see for themselves.

What a wonderful increase was here! You must well remember that when Jacob's sons went down into Egypt there were only seventy souls; and now, about two hundred and fifteen years afterwards, the people are indeed as the stars of heaven for multitude."

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They had also murmured and sinned against God; so that he had resolved that they should never be put in possession of the promised land of Canaan, but that their children only should have it. These would then know how true was the word of God, when, at the end of thirty-eight years, they should find there were but three left out of this large number, now amounting to six hundred and twenty-five thousand eight hundred and fifty men, reckoning those above twenty years of age; for at that period they were ordered to be counted again.

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Another reason for this numbering of the people was to set them in order, so that, as they were now so very numerous, they might know how to march through the wilderness, which they were otherwise likely to do in great confusion, like as a mob moves compared with a regular army.

Yet a further reason is clearly understood, in the command to count all those only that were" able to go forth to war in Israel." For the children of Israel were very timid, and they would feel more courage when they knew how strong they were; though all their numbers would have been nothing, if God had not protected them; for the Canaanites were much more numerous than they, when they entered into the land to drive them out yet, as God was not with that idolatrous people, to protect them, they often fled before a few handfuls of Israelites.

"Every man by their polls," means by the number of their heads.

The Law concerning Nazarites.

NUMB. VI.

A Nazarite means a separated person,—that is, one who separates himself from the affairs of the world, to be entirely employed in the service of God.

Under the ancient law of Moses, there were persons who made peculiar TOWS to become Nazarites. When this was the case, the Nazarite would not allow himself to drink wine prepared in any way; for the sacred command respecting the Nazarite was, "He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk." The reason of this was, that his understanding might be quite clear to meditate on God Almighty's goodness, and that he might be the fitter for praise and prayer to God. The Nazarite never shaved his head, but let his hair grow. So God commanded: "All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head." He was not to cut off his hair in any way; for, at the end of the time fixed by his vow, he was to cut off the hair; and, as he could not offer his own body, for God did not require that,―he offered his hair that he cut off, and put it in the fire on the altar of the Lord: this was a sign by which he would show that he belonged to the Lord.

The Nazarite was also not to enter any house in which there was a dead corpse, for that was defiling; nor was he to be present AT ANY FUNERAL. This is what is meant in those words, "All the days that he separateth himself unto the Lord he shall come at no DEAD BODY. He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his

sister, when they die," which he would have done had he touched their dead bodies.

The vows of the Nazarites sometimes lasted for all their lives, but some only for as short a time as eight days.

When the time was over, the priest brought the person to the door of the Temple, who there offered to the Lord a he-lamb for a burnt-offering, a shelamb for a sacrifice of expiation or removing guilt, and a ram for a peaceoffering. He also offered loaves and cakes, with wine. When all was done, the priest, or some one beside, shaved the head of the Nazarite at the door of the Tabernacle, and burnt his hair, for the reasons before-mentioned, on the fire of the altar. Then the priest put into the hands of the Nazarite the shoulder of the ram which had been roasted, with a loaf and a cake, which the Nazarite put back into the priest's hands, who offered them to the Lord. From this time the Nazarite might again drink wine, and his vow was finished.

All this form about the Nazarite is meant to show us, that if we would separate ourselves for the service of God, as every Christian ought to do, we should "live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world."

The Offerings of the Tribes to the Tabernacle.

NUMB. VII.

We have read before about the building of the Tabernacle, and the duties of the various officers belonging to it. Here we have something more about it; and this chapter gives us an account of the liberal offering which God put it into the hearts of all the princes, or chief men of the tribes, to present for the use of the Tabernacle, after having probably collected some of what they gave from amongst the people.

They first presented "six covered waggons, aud twelve oxen; a waggon for two of the princes, and for each one an ox: and they brought them before the Tabernacle." As their other presents were very handsome, these waggons were no doubt the best of their kind, that they might be fit for the service of the Tabernacle. But what did they want with waggons? Why, you know that the children of Israel moved about from place to place in the wilderness, and that then they had to take down the Tabernacle, and move all its materials with them. You must recollect that there were persons called Levites, who were appointed to carry the materials: so Moses divided the waggons among them accordingly. To the Gershonites, or sons

of Gershon, who had to carry the lighter things, such as the curtains and hangings, he gave two waggons, and two yoke of oxen; when they had loaded these, they must carry the rest, if any remained, upon their shoulders. The Merarites, that had the heavy carriage, or such things as were more solid and weighty, such as the boards, and pillars, and sockets,-had four. raggons, and four yoke of oxen; yet much must have remained for them to carry upon their backs, so that they were not to be idle; but they were not at the same time to be overburdened. The weight of which they had to take care was very great, for the silver sockets only weighed a hundred talents, which was about four tons, and one ton only is twenty hundred weight, every hundred weight, so called, being one hundred and twelve pounds. These four tons were enough to load four waggons that were drawn by but one yoke of oxen a-piece; two oxen having quite as much as they could draw with one ton. Each socket being a talent weight, which is about a man's burthen, probably they carried those on their backs, and put the boards and pillars into the waggons.

Thus, you see, the waggons served to ease the Levites of their burthens; and being covered waggons, they would better protect some of the materials of the Tabernacle, that needed to be kept from the sun and weather.

"But unto the sons of Kohath, he" (Moses) "gave none" (no waggons), "because the service of the sanctuary belonging unto them was that they should bear upon their shoulders." For in the fourth chapter we have read, that they had the charge of the ark, table, candlestick, altars, and the like, which were to be carried upon their shoulders; for those sacred things were not to be drawn by beasts.

The princes offered, besides other things, during twelve days, one prince after the other, that is, one every day for each tribe, according to the marching order of their standards; and their offerings were the same each day. This was as God commanded, that each tribe might have equal honour in contributing.

The offering of each prince was as follows: "One silver charger," or dish, perhaps, to hold the meat-offering, the weight whereof was one hundred and thirty shekels; "which was above sixty-one ounces," and in value more than sixteen pounds. "One silver bowl of seventy shekels, arter the shekel of the sanctuary," or after the standard weight of the sanctuary; a standard being kept there to weigh the shekel exactly. This bowl was either to hold the drink-offering, or receive the blood of the sacrifices, weighe dabove thirty-three ounces, and was worth about nine pounds.

"Both of them were full of fine flour, mingled with oil for a meat-offering." There was also " one spoon of ten shekels of gold, full of incense," intended for the service of the golden altar.

Besides the before-named, there were added "one young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering. And for a sacrifice of peace-offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five lambs of the first year." Part of these offerings were to be eaten with their friends,expressing that the service of God may be connected with the moderate enjoyment of providential comforts; and part of them were to point to Christ, the great sacrifice for sin, through whom, whatever we offer to God acceptably, must be received.

In all, then, there were twelve large silver dishes, as many silver cups, and as many golden spoons, for the service of the altar; besides the animals.

"This was the dedication of the altar after that it was anointed."

All this shows us that we ought to support the worship of God, and to do all that we can to keep it up in the world,-and that cheerfully and willingly, and as far as we can liberally.

Directions about the Levites.

NUMB. VIII. 1—14.

Aaron is now told to light the seven lamps of the golden candlestick, and then to proceed to prepare the Levites for their work.

This he was to do in this way :-He was to sprinkle water upon them, and they were to shave themselves, and wash their clothes. All this meant that the ministers of religion must be good men, and not wicked men: good men being represented as purifying themselves, by God's help, from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit; or, of the disposition as well as of the practice; and evil men as being defiled, because they love sin and live in sin.

Now, God having spared all the first-born children of the Israelites, when he destroyed those of the Egyptians, just before the Israelites came out of Egypt, he desired that the first-born of "man and beast should always afterwards be given to him; but instead of the first-born children, he accepted of the Levites.

"Thus," said the Lord to Moses, "shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine."