The above quotation from the 84th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants throws much light, not only upon the Pentateuch, but upon the whole of the Old Testament, the law of Moses, and the whole polity and history of Israel. In the light of the truth the said quotation reveals, it is to be seen that "when the Lord took the children of Israel from the land of Egypt to make of them a people for himself, he presented them first with the gospel of Christ, with all its mercy and inspiring love and gentleness; but they would not live in accordance with its high moral precepts, nor reflect in their lives its spiritual excellence. Accordingly, a less perfect law was given to Israel; a law which in the New Testament is called "the law of carnal commandments;" a law more in keeping with the status of their moral development; a law which breathed less of mercy, forgiveness and love, and more of exacting, relentless justice; demanding an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth--and this was to be their schoolmaster, to prepare them for the more excellent law of the gospel of Christ. Many things in that law of the Old Testament are confessedly imperfect, and must not be taken as reflecting the full glory and excellence of the Divine wisdom or goodness. On the contrary it is plainly stated, and that too by the voice of inspiration in the New Testament, that it was a law carnal and imperfect, and yet, withal, demanding a higher excellence than the people of those days seemed able to attain. In proof that the gospel was first offered to ancient Israel, and then because of transgression the law of carnal commandments, I invite the reader's attention to the following Scriptures: Heb., latter part of chap. iii, in connection with Heb. iv: 1, 2; I Cor. x. 1-4; and Gal. iii; also Doc. & Cov., sec. 84; see also the chapter on "History of the Gospel" in The Gospel (Roberts), pp. 86, 87. 6. _The Song of Moses:_ "This song is some hundred years the oldest poem in the world. There is a sublimity and beauty in the language that is unexampled. But its unrivalled superiority arises not solely from the splendor of the diction. Its poetical excellencies have often drawn forth the admiration of the best judges, while the character of the event commemorated, and its being prompted by divine inspiration, contribute to give to it an interest and sublimity peculiar to itself." (Commentary, Explanatory and Critical, p. 59.) LESSON V. LECTURES. REFERENCES. _I. Abraham. (Paper.) (a)_ Genesis xi-xxv. Pearl of Great Price, Book of Abraham, Chaps. vi-xvii. Note 1.