Before  publishing  His  law,  the  Lord,  by  Moses,  said  to
the  people,  "  Ye  have  seen  what  I  did  unto  the  Egyptians,
and  how  I  bare  you  on  eagles'  wings,  and  brought  you  unto
myself  Now,  therefore,  if  ye  will  obey  my  voice  indeed,
and  keep  my  covenant,  then  ye  shall  be  a  peculiar  treasure

1  Exod.  XX.  ;  Matt.  v.  ^  Gal.  iv.  «  John  xvii.
2  Exod.  XX.  *  Exod.  xxi.-xxiii.
Christ  '^171  the  Law  of  Moses"  93

unto  me,  above  all  people.  .  .  .  And  ye  shall  be  unto  me  a
kingdom  of  priests,  an  holy  nation."^  Accordingly,  after  the
law  was  given  from  Sinai,  "  Moses  wrote  all  the  words  of
the  Lord,  and  builded  an  altar,  and  offered  burnt-offerings
and  peace-offerings,  and  sprinkled  half  of  the  blood  on  the
altar,  and  read  the  book  of  the  covenant  to  the  people,  and
received  their  promise  of  obedience,  and  sprinkled  the  blood
on  the  people,  as  the  blood  of  the  covenant  which  the  Lord
had  made  with  them ; "  ^  words,  these,  which  lead  us  to  see
in  them  a  representation  of  all  whom  Christ  loves  and
washes  from  their  sins  in  His  own  blood,  and  makes  kings
and  priests  unto  God  and  His  Father,  makes  a  chosen  gene-
ration, a  royal  priesthood,  a  holy  nation,  a  peculiar  (a  pur-
chased) people."  ^  The  covenant  thus  entered  into  between
God  and  Israel  was  a  national  covenant,  one  which  in
respect  of  its  distinctive  character,  and  peculiar  provisions,
was  of  a  temporary  nature,  and  confined  in  its  operations  to
the  land  of  Canaan,  and  the  children  of  Israel  dwelling  there.
