mes; and at Sinai, when Israel engaged to be for the Lord, in
the second commandment they had addressed to them a reason of obedience,
implying that their engagement was not merely on their own, but also on
their children's behalf. "I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting
the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth
generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of
them that love me, and keep my commandments."[113]

PERMANENT MEANS OF COVENANT RATIFICATION.

It has been shown that whenever a vow is made, or an oath is sworn, a
covenant with God is made. It now remains to be proved that every
covenant with God is ratified by oath.

Though the oath is frequently exhibited without explicit reference to
the Covenant, and the Covenant in like manner is spoken of without
mention being made of the oath, yet since in no passage either
explicitly or implicitly is evidence afforded that the one is ever
dissociated from the other, and, since the two occur so frequently
together, it may be warrantably concluded, that when the one alone is
adverted to, the other is implied.

In many passages are the ideas of oath and covenant so associated
together, that the strongest presumption is afforded that the one is
essential to the other; and, accordingly, that when a covenant with God
is made, it is in the use of the oath. What on this point could be more
conclusive than the language,--"Thus saith the Lord God, I will even
deal with thee as thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in
breaking the covenant?"[114]

A verb ([Hebrew: shavoa]), signifying _to swear_, and two corresponding
nouns are derived from a word for the number _seven_. That was a sacred
number, or a number of perfection, not merely among the Israelites, but
among other nations, and was used for the purpose of signifying an oath.
A present of seven vouchers sometimes accompanied the act of swearing.
"Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech: and both of
them made a covenant. And Abraham set seven ewe-lambs of the flock by
themselves.--And he said, For these seven ewe-lambs shalt thou take of
my hand, that they may be a witness unto me that I have digged this
well. Wherefore he called that place Beer-sheba; because there they
sware both of them."[115] The design of thus using the number being to
give confirmation, such also must have been the end of using the oath.
It is not improbable that the