Note, Of these the Denarius, Victoriatus, Sestertius, and sometimes the As, were of silver; the rest of brass.

There were sometimes also coined of brass, the Triens, Sextants, Uncia, Sextula, and Dupondius.

The Roman gold coin was the Aureus, which weighed generally double the Denarius.

The Aureus, according to the first proportion of coinage, mentioned by Pliny, lib. xxxiii. cap. 3. was worth According to the proportion that obtains now amongst us, worth

According to the Decuple proportion, mentioned by Livy

and Julius Polux, worth

According to the proportion mentioned by Tacitus, and which afterwards obtained, whereby the Aureus exchanged for 25 Denarii, its value

}

Jewish money reduced to the English standard.

MONEY-CHANGERS,

5475 0 0

were feasts, or other worship at Jerusalem. such as, at a certain rate of profit, These Jesus twice drove from the have lesser pieces of money for great-stations which they had taken in the er, or greater for lesser, to accommo- courts of the temple, John ii. 14, 15. date such as came to the solemn Matt. xxi. 12.

MONSTERS, huge and unshape- 7. Nisan 30 ly animals, such as whales, &c. Lam.

iv. 3.

8. Jiar
9. Sivan

29
30

30
29

answering to

March

April
May
June

July
August

See the word YEAR.

MONTH, is a space of time mea- 10. Thammuz 29 sured either by the sun, passing the 11. Ab Zodiac, and called Solar; or by the 12. Elul moon, running through the whole Zodiac, and called Lunar; and both are either astronomical, consisting MONUMENTS. Those in which not only of whole days, but of super-idolaters lodged, were either tombs, numerary hours, minutes, &c. or ci-idol-temples, desert places, or any vil or calendar months, consisting of where with idols, or their supposed whole days only, coming the nearest resident devils; by sleeping in which possible to some astronomical month, they expected fellowship with their either solar or lunar consisting alter- false gods, in dreams, visions, or the nately of 30 and of 29 days, as ap-like, Isa. Ixv. 4.

pears from the following table. When MOON, a secondary planet alwe say, that the Jewish months an- ways attendant on our earth. Many swer to ours, this is to be understood astronomers draw her face as if diwith some latitude; for lunar months versified with hills, vallies, contican never be reduced exactly to so- nents, and seas; but some are still in lar. The vernal equinox falls be-doubt of all this, and if she has so tween the 20th and 21st of March, much as an atmosphere to produce according to the solar year; but in clouds, rain, snow, or other like methe lunar year, the new moon will teors. The diameter of the moon is fall in the month of March, and the reckoned 2175 miles; her surface 14 full in April. So that the Hebrew millions of square miles; and her dismonths will commonly answer to part of two of our months, and partake of both. A month of thirty days intercalated between Adar and Nisan is called Veader.

tance from the earth 240,000 miles. She performs her revolution from a fixed star to the same again, in 27 days 7 hours and 43 minutes; but as the sun is still advancing in the ecliptic circle, the time from one conjunc

The names of the months of the holy tion with the sun to another, is 29

(March
April

May

June

July

days 12 hours 44 minutes and 3 seconds. She moves about her own axis in the same time she moves about the earth, and hence shows always the same face to us. The moon is of herself a dark body, but reflects the light of the sun to us; and perSeptember haps our earth reflects as much light, October if not more, towards the moon.November When, at her change, she comes diDecember rectly between us and the sun, the sun is eclipsed to us. When, at her full, the earth is directly between her

August

January
February

The names of the months of the ci-and the sun, she is eclipsed to us.

Heathens have generally worshipped Ahasuerus finding that he had rethe moon under the names of Queen ceived no reward, asked Haman, who of Heaven, Venus-Urania, Succoth- was just come to obtain the king's benoth, Ashtaroth, Diana, Hecate, permission to hang Mordecai on his or perhaps Meni, &c. Job xxxi. 26, lofty gallows, what should be done 27. Deut. iv. 19. and xvii. 3. Out- to honour the king's great favourite? ward prosperity, and the saints with As Haman imagined it could be none their present excellencies, are liken- other than himself, he proposed the ed to a moon; they borrow all their highest honours he could think off. glory and usefulness from Jesus the According to the tenor of his own Sun of righteousness, Isa. lx. 20. proposal, he was ordered to array MORDECAI, bitter contrition, Mordecai in the king's ordinary pure myrrh, teaching contrition, the robes, set him on the king's own son of Jair, grandson of Kish, and horse, and lead the horse with Mordescendant of the family of Saul, was decai on it, through all the city of carried to Babylon with Jehoiachim, Shushan, and proclaim before him, king of Judah, when he was very Thus shall it be done to the man whom young. If he was one of the chiefs the king delighteth to honour. No way who conducted the Jews from Babylon inflated with these extraordinary hoto Judea, he must have returned to nours, Mordecai returned to the king's Shushan in Persia. When Esther his gate; but Haman being hanged that cousin, whom he had trained up, was very day, he was advanced to his ofmarried to Ahasuerus, Mordecai wait- fice. After he and Esther had, by ed near the palace gate, that he might letters to the various provinces, stopt have information concerning her from the massacre of their nation, he for time to time. Here having got know- some time continued to discharge his ledge of Bigthan and Teresh's inten- high trust with great fidelity and tion to murder the king, he informed usefulness, Esth. vi.-X. Esther of it, and the traitors were MORIAH, the bitterness of the hanged; and it was entered in the an- Lord, or the fear of the Lord, a hill nals of the kingdom, that Mordecai on the north-east part of Jerusalem, had given the information against and which is sometimes reckoned as a them. When Haman was made prime part of Zion. Here, it is supposed, minister of Persia, all the servants Isaac was intentionally offered; and were ordered to bow the knee to him here Araunah had his threshing-floor; as he passed by them. Mordecai con- and hereon the temple was built, 2 ceiving this an approach towards di- Chron. iii. 1. The whole place where vine honour, or reckoning it sinful to Jerusalem stood, was anciently called revere an Amalekite, declined com- the land of Moriah, Gen. xxii. 2. but pliance. Scorning to punish Mor- the plain of MOREH lay a good way decai alone, Haman procured a royal north between Gerizzim and Ebal, edict for an universal massacre of the Gen. xii. 6. Deut. xi. 29, 30. and the Jewish nation. Mordecai hearing of hill of MOREH was perhaps a top of this, informed Esther, and earnestly Gilboa, Judg. vii. 1. begged she would interpose with the

MORNING, (1.) That part of king for the life of her people. At the day before or about the rising of her desire, Mordecai caused all the the sun, Mark xvi. 2. (2.) The light Jews in Shushan to fast three days, which by its spread forms the mornfor success from God in her attempt, ing, Joel ii. 2. The morning is reNeh. vii. 7. Esth. ii. 5. to chap. iv. presented as having eye-lids, to inMeanwhile, Providence directed to timate the first appearance of the be read to Ahasuerus, one night as he rising light in the reddish sky, Job could not sleep, that part of the royal xli. 18. as having wings, to denote annals which mentioned Mordecai's the rapid motion of light, Psal. discovery of the treacherous eunuchs. cxxxix. 9. and as having a womb,

from which the dew is produced, grind the manna, to prepare it for be Psal. cx. 3. Every morning, is dai- ing baked into bread, Numb. xi. 8. ly, often, Psal. Ixxiii. 14. In the To bray a fool with a pestil in a mormorning, is early, seasonably, ear- tar, is to punish him severely for his nestly, suddenly, Psal. v. 3. and folly, Prov. xxvii. 22. xxx. 5. To execute judgment in the MORTAR, a well-known materimorning, is to do it readily, and as al used to connect stones in buildings, seasonably and speedily as possible, and it was anciently made by the Jer. xxi. 12. Psal. ci. 8. To eat in treading of the feet of men or beasts: the morning, denotes unseasonable so the Ninevites are bid to go into and intemperate eating and drinking, the clay, and tread the mortar; that luxury, Eccl. x. 16. Jer. v. 8. A is, prepare materials for repairing state of grace is called a morning: the breaches of their walls, Neh. iii. it comes after a sad night of sin and 14. To come upon princes as upon misery; and how happily one is mortar, is easily to subdue, enslave, awakened, enlightened, and refreshed, and oppress them, Isa. xli. 25. Flatby the increase of its spiritual dis-tering and false doctrines and precoveries, and application of heart-dictions, are likened to a daubing warming love, till it issue in the high with untempered mortar; however day of eternal happiness! Isa. viii. they may for a while seem to strength20. A season of prosperity, or gos-en, yet in the end they but ruin napel-opportunity, is called a morning: tions, churches, and persons, thereit comes after a night of distress or by encouraged.-One built a wall, dark ignorance; and how delightful and another daubed it with untempered and refreshing! Isa. xxi. 12. The mortar; one false prophet said, Jegeneral resurrection is called a morn-rusalem would stand the Chaldean ing after a night of darkness and siege, and another most wickedly and sleep of death how shall men be falsely confirmed his word. So one awakened by the last trumpet, en- preacher encourages his hearers to lightened by the glory of and ma- hope for acceptance with God through nifold discoveries made by the Son their own righteousness, and another of man! and into what an everlasting confirms them in this opinion, till they day will it usher the saints! Psal. xlix.be eternally ruined, Ezek. xiii. 10, 11. 14. Fearful judgments are likened To MORTGAGE land, is to conto the morning; they overtake trans-sign it over to a creditor to be his gressors in their spiritual sleep and properity, if it be not redeemed by carnal security, and often suddenly, the payment of the debt within a and always seasonably, when their time limited, Neh. v. 3. sins richly deserve them, Ezek. vii. 7, 10. To-morrow, next day, or in a short time, Luke xiii. 32, 33.

MORTIFY, to put to death. To mortify the deeds of the body, and our members which are on the earth; is, MORSEL, (1.) A small piece of by the Spirit, and through the word bread, Psal. cxlvii. 18. (2.) A of God, to apply the blood and inmeal of meat, Heb. xii. 16. Better fluence of Jesus Christ, for the deis a dry morsel with quietness, than a stroying of our sinful corruptions, house full of sacrifices with strife. Bet- Rom. viii. 13. Col. iii. 5. ter is the meanest fare in a state of MOSES, drawn up, drawn forth, peace with God, and in the enjoy-taken out, the brother of AARON, ment of peace of conscience, and of and MIRIAM, and younger than eitrue peace with men, than the most ther, was boru A. M. 2433. Before abundant and delicate provision with- his birth, Pharaoh king of Egypt out it, Prov. xvii. 1. had issued orders to murder every MORTAR, a hollow vessel for male infant of the Hebrews. His braying things in with a pestil. In parents, however, either perceiving mortars did some of the Hebrews some things about him which they

reckoned presages of his future great-40 years of age, and being divinely ness, or from affection, they hid instructed that he was to be the dehim three months. When they liverer of Israel, he went to visit his could hide him no longer, his mo- brethren at their hard labour. Obther, Jochebed, made an ark of serving an Egyptian cruelly abuse bulrushes; and, having pitched it, a Hebrew, and going to murder that it might draw no water, she put him, he hastened to them, assisted Moses therein, and laid it near the the Hebrew, and killed the Egypbanks of the Nile, where the princes tian, and hid his body in the sand. and other noble Egyptians used to Next day, he observed two Hebrews walk. He had not been long in this at variance, and begged the faulty condition, when Pharaoh's daughter, person not to hurt his brother. The Thermutis, coming to wash herself, fellow pertly replied, who made as perhaps was usual, observed the thee a ruler or judge over us? wilt ark, and caused one of her maids to thou kill me as thou didst the Egypfetch it, and opening it, found the tian yesterday? Finding that his child! Moved with the beanty and slaughter of the Egyptian was diweeping of the babe, she, knowing vulged, he fled into the country of it to be one of the Hebrew children, Midian, on the Red Sea. Sitting resolved to bring him up for herself, down by a well, the seven daughters as a child of her own. Miriam, his of Jethro came up to it, with their sister, who waited hard by, asked flocks: they had scarcely filled the leave to call a nurse; being allowed, troughs with the water which they she called Jochebed, his mother,drew, when some barbarous fellows Pharaoh's daughter called him Mo- came up, and would have the water sheh, because she drew him out of for their flocks. Moses assisted the the water She took care to have damsels, and drove away the injurihim instructed in all the sciences then ous shepherds. Jethro had no sooner known in Egypt. In his earliest heard of his kindness to his daughyears, Jochebed and Amram, no ters, than he ordered him to be calldoubt, took care to instruct him in ed in, to take some refreshment. the Hebrew language, and in the Moses hired himself to feed Jethro's principles of the true religion, and flock, and received his daughter Zipin the knowledge of the promises porah in marriage, by whom he had that God had made concerning Is-two sons. The first he called Gerrael. Affected with these, and endow-shom, to denote his being a stranger ed with the grace of God, he, when in that place; the other re called grown up, refused to be called the Eliezer, to denote that his God was son of Pharaoh's daughter, and chose his help, Exod. ii. Acts vii. 20-29. rather to suffer affliction with the Heb. xi. 24, 25, 26. About the bepeople of God, than to enjoy the ginning of 4. M. 2513, the king of short-lived pleasures of sin. Trusting Egypt, by whose daughter or sister in the invisible God, and encouraged Moses had been educated, was dead; by the hopes of an everlasting re-but the bondage of the Hebrews still ward, he feared not the wrath of the continued under their new tyrant. Egyptian king, nor whatever ridi- As Moses one day led his flocks near cule, threatening, or persecution, he to the north or west side of Sinai, had to endure. the Lord appeared to him in a bushi It is scarcely to our purpose to relate that burnt, but was nothing conthe perhaps fabulous story of his suc- sumed. Moses, astonished, went near cessful expedition against the Ethio- to see the miracle. The Lord spoke pians, who about this time emigrated to him out of the bush, and bid him from Arabia to Abyssina southward put off his shoes ere he came any of Egypt, at the head of the Egyp-nearer, as the spot was sacred to tian forces. It is certain, that being the honour of God. He declared him