included, paid L90,000 a year.

'Also they have dominion over our bodies.'

They can force us against our will to be either soldiers or sailors, and
can make us fight their battles for them.

They have dominion 'over our cattle.'

They can seize our cattle at their pleasure, for their own use or the
use of their armies.

'And we are in great distress.'

Yes, our sin has indeed brought its punishment; and feeling this,
realizing this very deeply, we have gathered together to do what we
intend to do this day, to make a solemn agreement, a covenant with God.
We intend to promise to have done with sin, and for the future to serve
and glorify God.

Then a long roll of parchment was brought out, on which the covenant was
written, and one by one all the leading men in Jerusalem came forward
and put their seals to it, as a sign that they intended to keep it.

In the East it is always the seal that authenticates a document. In
Babylon the documents were often sealed with half-a-dozen seals or more.
These were impressed on moist clay, and then the clay was baked, and the
seals were each fastened to the parchment by a separate string. In this
way any number of seals could be attached.

We are given in Neh. x. the names of those who sealed, honoured names,
for they made a brave and noble stand. First of all comes the name of
Nehemiah, the governor, setting a good example to the rest. He is
followed by Zidkijah, or Zadok, the secretary. Then come the names of
eighty-two others, heads of families, all well-known men in Jerusalem.
Each one fastened his seal to the roll of parchment containing the
solemn covenant. No less than eighty-four seals were attached to it.

What then were the articles of the covenant?

What did those who sealed promise?

First of all, they bound themselves (x. 29) to walk in God's law, and to
observe and do all the commandments. What need after that to enter a
single other article in the covenant? If a man walks in God's law he
cannot go wrong; if he keeps all God's commandments, what more can be
required?

But they were wise men who drew up that solemn covenant. They knew and
understood the human heart. Is it not a fact, that whilst we are all
ready to own that we are sinners in a general sense, we are slow to own
that we are guilty of any particular sin? We do not mind confessing that
we are miserable sinners, but we should indignantly deny being selfish
or idle, or unforgiving, or proud, or