Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-08-25

Central IrtiN - 10 lo'e 'ou WIN MI
the heart is mans first duty and high.
est privilege.
From the Wilderness of Sin. Israel
iourneyed to Rephidim, where three
noteworthy things transpired.
Finding no water, they were angry
with Moses aud ready to stone him,
whereupon God directed him TO smite
the rock of the mountain, and out OF it
gushed stream Of living water. 1t
was here that the Amalekites, a wild
tribe, descendants OF Esau, fell upon
them and were discomtted. 1t was an
uuprovoked assault, and God taught his
people the true source of victory. As
long as the hands and rod of Moses
were uplifted in prayer, Israel prevail.
ed and Aaron and Hur stayed up his
hands until the victory was complete.
1t was also here that Jethro made his
visit. bringing with him the wife and
children of Moses.
From Rephidim, Israel came to Sinai,
Sinai or Horeb, as general name, is
applied to the centre group of the
great mountain system TO which it be
longs. This is not the place to discuss
the question as to which particular peak
was the scene of the giving of the law
though it is commonly believed to have
been the Jebel Musa. This rises so
abruptly from the plain that you might
stand under the sharp precipice and
touch its base. The plain, where the
people were gathered, was about a mile
and a half in length and shut in on
every side by steep cliffs. The whole is
like a great mountain temple.
Why God brought his people to this
place we do not know. 1t was not the
nearest or easiest way. But it was
we'll suited to the solemn and import.
ant scenes to be here enacted; the
most solemn and important, save the
advent OF the Son OF God, in the his.
tory of the divine dealings with men.
God had two purposes now TO accom-.
plish. First, he would enter into cove.
nant with his people. OF this we have
the account in the nineteenth chapter.
Israel was now no longer family or
tribe. They had begun to be a great
nation. God would make them his
peculiar treasure" And all the peo.
pie said, "All that the Lord hath
spoken, we will do" But people that
is to be the Lords must know his will.
That will he is now to make known.
And he does it amid signs which indi.
cate that he is great and terrible in his
holiness a jealous as well as long suf.
fering God. Everything is ordered so as
TO deepen this impression. Two days
are given to cleansing. Bounds are set
so that neither man nor beast can come
near the mountain. Then, amid thun.
derings and lightnings, the quaking of
the mountain and the terror OF the
people, the Lord descends. On two
tables of stone he writes, and gives to
Moses, his holy and eternal law.
In Just what the law was written and
communicated, we are not told. In
Acts q: 53) it is said that il was IRE
ceived by the disposition of angels -
and in Galatians (3 l9) that it was cor.
dained by angels" But is not certain
that in either of these New Testament
the events at Sinai. But, whatever the
agency and manner, the tables and
writings were of God.
Which commandments were written
on the first tab<, and which on the
second, we are Dot told. Commonly
four are reckonsd to the first, and six
to the second. How the ancient Jews
divided them is not certain. But all
are agreed that the first table included
those duties which we owe directly to
God. and the second, those which we
render to him through duties to our
fellow. men. Some have thought the
fifth properly belongs to the first divi.
sion. 1t is certainly "link between
the two :" our duty to our parents
being higher than that toward fellow.
men.
The "prefAce" to the commandments
declares the ground on which the Israel.
ties were required to keep them. The
Lord was their God, and hal redeemed
them from bondage. The command.
ments of such a being, from whom they
had received such benefit, could not be
otherwise than just and good. II was
an appeal both to their sense of right
and TO their gratitude.
Ii should be observed that the first
commandment is fundamental and com.
prehensive. 1t includes the spirit of
the entire first table. It is impossible
to keep it. and not TO keep the other
three. Indeed. to keep it in spirit one
must keep the ten; for every duty to
fellow.men grows out OF our and their
relation to God.
To be more specific the first forbids
our giving to any creature or object the
place, homage, or service which is due
to the one God IL requires that we
should worship, trust, love and obey
him, and him only. The most common
form OF disobedience to IL is the wor-
ship and service of self: the enthrone.
ment of our own pleasure and will. OF
all idoIatry this Is the root and the sum.
il is at this point that we are TO make
our most constant fight with that which
Is displeasing TO God.
The second requires that lie should be
worshipped as q Spirit, and in spirit. IL
specifically forbids the use Of images or
outward representations. But the pro
hibition includes any and every prac-
tice tending 10 material or sensual no.
tions of him, or to impair our sense Of