priests wore vestments of a peculiar form, according to their degree. They all wore a mitre, or head-dress, a white linen tunic, and a variegated girdle. The highpriest wore also a blue robe, reaching down to the ancles, the bottom of it being hung with little golden bells and pomegranates. Outside this robe was the ephod, of rich stuff, embroidered with gold; it was without sleeves, and reached half-way down the body; and on the onyx stones which clasped it together over the shoulders were engraved the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites. On the breast of the ephod was a square plate, or pectoral, of embroidery, set with twelve precious stones, on which the names of the tribes were engraved. The words Urim and Thummim were also engraved on it, as it is supposed; unless it is that these words, meaning Light and Truth, were the name given to the breastplate itself, indicative of those revelations of His will which God from time to time gave to the Jews by means of these twelve stones. On the mitre, which was a kind of turban of twisted silk, was fixed a plate of gold across the forehead, with the words, "Sacred to

the Lord."

All these things, with the tabernacle, were made from the offerings given by the people, and were designed and finished under a special direction from God Himself. When completed, they were consecrated with a solemn anointing; and, on the first day that sacrifice was offered, fire came down from heaven, and consumed the victims upon the altar, as a token of the presence of God, and of His acceptance of the sacrifice.

CHAP. X. Nadab and Abiu. The Twelve Spies.

THUS the tabernacle was set up, and public religious services commenced in the beginning of the second year after the departure from Egypt. A fixed code of laws was also given by God through Moses, regulating all the life of the Jews, and designed to keep them separate from the heathen nations, to preserve among them the

worship of the one true God, and to keep them constantly looking forward to the coming of the promised Saviour. Almost their whole history is, however, a series of acts of disobedience to their gracious God, and of neglects of the commands He thus gave them in the most important particulars.

Shortly after the daily sacrifice began to be offered up on the newly-made altar, the family of Aaron itself called down the wrath of God upon its head. It had been ordered by God, that the fire used in the burning of incense should be taken from the altar of incense, which was always kept burning. On one occasion two of Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abiu, thinking, no doubt, that the command was of a very trifling importance, lighted their censers, in which they were going to offer incense to the Lord, with common fire, and not from the altar. But as they stood offering the forbidden thing, fire from heaven struck them dead upon the spot. And Moses commanded their bodies, clothed as they were in their priestly vestments, to be cast out of the camp dishonoured, and forbade their kindred to mourn for them.

Other punishments shewed the rigour with which God was determined to visit those who broke his laws. Two of the people quarrelling, one of them blasphemed the name of God; and when the report of his sin was brought to Moses, God commanded the blasphemer to be stoned to death.

Again, Aaron and his sister Mary, or Miriam, on one occasion attempted to set up their authority in opposition to that of Moses, and found fault with him for having married a wife not of the number of the Israelites; and immediately Mary was struck with the leprosy, a loathsome disease, and only healed after seven days, by the intercession of Moses in her behalf.

As soon as they had reached the neighbourhood of Chanaan, twelve men were chosen from the twelve tribes to go and visit the country, and ascertain its condition, and bring back a report to their fellow-countrymen. They went accordingly, and returned with bunches of grapes, pomegranates, and figs of the most beautiful

kind; declaring that the fertility and richness of Chanaan were wonderful; and that, in truth, it flowed, as it were, with milk and honey. All of them but two, Josue and Caleb, at the same time strove to frighten the people with such accounts of the strength and ferocity of the inhabitants of this delightful country, as should deter them from attempting to conquer it, notwithstanding all the promises of support which God had given them. These fatal reports ran throughout the whole camp of the Israelites; and, in the morning, they resolved to cast off the rule of Moses and Aaron, to choose another leader, and to return at once to Egypt. In vain Moses and Aaron, with Josue and Caleb, remonstrated on this disobedience and unbelief; the murmurs and obstinacy of the people waxed worse and worse; and the glory of the Lord appeared over the tabernacle, as a sign that He was about to take vengeance upon the sinful race who thus spurned His favours. At the intercession of Moses, however, God spared the lives of the body of the people; though the ten spies, who were the authors of the sedition, were struck dead. At the same time the Lord declared that of the whole multitude who had come forth from Egypt, only Josue and Caleb should live to enter the promised land.

Still the people were not humbled. The next day they demanded of Moses to lead them at once against the Chanaanites; and when he forbade it, because they would be going against the will of God, they marched without him, and were smitten with a terrible slaughter by their enemies.

CHAP. XI. The Rebellion of Core.

It was not long before a rebellion of another kind broke out among the Israelites. Two hundred and fifty influential men, at the head of whom were Core, Dathan, and Abiron,—the first of whom was a Levite, and the others of the tribe of Ruben,-stirred up the people to revolt against the authority of Moses and Aaron. They

declared also, that Aaron had no right to claim for himself the priesthood; for that all the congregation were holy; and that Moses and Aaron were usurpers of powers which God had not really given them.

Moses instantly appealed to Almighty God as judge between him and the rebels; and he bade Core and his band assemble the next day before the Lord, and come with censers in their hands, and burn incense, and see whether God would accept their offering. Those among the rebels who were of the tribe of Levi he most severely rebuked for their daring presumption, asking them whether it was not enough for them to be separated from the rest of the people to minister in sacred things, without seeking the priesthood also.

When the hour for the judgment was come, Moses divided the rebels from the rest of the congregation, and bade them stand apart with their censers, Aaron standing apart by himself with his censer. The whole multitude of the people were also drawn up before the tabernacle, to behold what would happen. And when all was completed, a glorious light shone from heaven, a token of the immediate presence of God; and a voice came forth and said to Moses and Aaron: Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may presently destroy them. They fell flat on their face, and said: O most mighty, the God of the spirits of all flesh, for one man's sin shall Thy wrath rage against all? And the Lord said to Moses: Command the whole people to separate themselves from the tents of Core and Dathan and Abiron. And Moses arose, and went to Dathan and Abiron: and the ancients of Israel following him, he said to the multitude: Depart from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be involved in their sins. And when they were departed from their tents round about, Dathan and Abiron coming out stood in the entry of their pavilions with their wives and children, and all the people. And Moses said: By this you shall know that the Lord hath sent me to do all things that you see, and that I have not forged them of my own head: if these men die the

common death of men, and if they be visited with a plague wherewith others also are wont to be visited, the Lord did not send me: but if the Lord do a new thing, and the earth opening her mouth swallow them down, and all things that belong to them, and they go down alive into hell, you shall know that they have blasphemed the Lord. And immediately as he had made an end of speaking, the earth broke asunder under their feet and opening her mouth, devoured them with their tents and all their substance. And they went down alive into hell, the ground closing upon them, and they perished from among the people. But all Israel, that was standing round about, fled at the cry of them that were perishing, saying: Lest perhaps the earth swallow us up also. And a fire coming out from the Lord, destroyed the two hundred and fifty men that offered the incense. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Command Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest to take up the censers that lie in the burning, and to scatter the fire of one side and the other: because they are sanctified in the deaths of the sinners: and let him beat them into plates, and fasten them to the altar, because incense hath been offered in them to the Lord, and they are sanctified, that the children of Israel may see them for a sign and a memorial.

The following day a tumult arose among the infatuated people, and they charged Moses and Aaron with murdering the people of the Lord. And Moses and Aaron fled to the tabernacle of the covenant. And when they were gone into it, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared. And the Lord said to Moses: Get you out from the midst of this multitude; this moment will I destroy them. And as they were lying on the ground, Moses said to Aaron: Take the censer, and putting fire in it from the altar, put incense upon it, and go quickly to the people to pray for them: for already wrath is gone out from the Lord, and the plague rageth. When Aaron had done this, and had run to the midst of the multitude, which the burning fire was now destroying, he offered the incense: and standing be