But Moses had yet more to ask. And he begins with expressing how deeply he felt the value of what God had already granted. "If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence." It would be better to be left to perish in the wilderness, than to attempt to take possession of Canaan, without the manifest interference of God. But Moses would have it so manifested, as to place a marked distinction between the children of Israel, and all the rest of the nations. He wished them to be a separate people. He desired to have assurance, that God would not only see them safe into Canaan, but also dwell with them as their Sovereign when there "so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth." And God again granted his petition, "The Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.' No wonder that No wonder that

he who prevailed so greatly coveted yet more.
he was now emboldened to say, "Shew me thy glory."

In order to understand this extraordinary request, we must consider how highly Moses was already exalted. The cloudy pillar, a supernatural appearance of bright light veiled in clouds, had come down to the door of the tabernacle where he was; and a voice out of that light was heard to commune with him, "as a man speaketh unto his friend." Ver. 11. He must have run some risk, like St. Paul, of being exalted above measure, by the abundance of the revelations given unto him. See 2 Cor. 12. 7. And yet he appears to have made his request in a spirit which God who saw it could approve. And we may therefore conclude that it was out of no idle curiosity, no vain presumption, that he asked to see more of God's glory, but from pure love, and fervent desire to enjoy the brightness of his presence. Here too God granted his request, as far as the case admitted. No man, whilst yet in the flesh, could bear to look on the brightness of the Father's person. But as it is written of a faithful woman in the Gospel, that she went behind our Lord to touch the hem of his garment, wanting courage perhaps to press forward to his face; see Matt. 9. 20; so it is here signified to Moses, that he should see so much of God's glory, in proportion as the back is to the face, and be sheltered whilst the rest passed by. See then here once more the efficacy of prayer. And learn to pray with holy boldness for the best of all that God has to bestow. And know that to see Him in all his glory, this is the very heaven of heavens. What can we ask for more than this? And if we really are allowed to ask for this, how can we be so faint hearted as to ask for less?

Lord, if we have found grace in thy sight, give us not only peace on earth, but joy in heaven; not only strength to do thy will, but ability to endure the brightness of thy face, the glory of all thy goodness. Let us see it, and live. Let us live in the light of thy countenance for ever.

God renews his covenant by Moses.
LORD, let my Lord, I
pray thee,
go among us; for it is a stiff-
necked people; and pardon our
iniquity and our sin, and take us
for thine inheritance.

1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tabies, which thou brakest.

2 And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning, unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the

mount.

3 And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount.

4 And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.

5 And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.

6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

8 And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.

9 And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O

10 And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the LORD: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee.

11 Observe thou that which I command thee this day : behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

12 Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:

13 But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:

14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: 15 Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;

16 And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.

17 Thou shalt make thee no molten gods. LECTURE 170.

The consequences of not fulfilling our covenant with God.

God now renews his covenant. And though the tables of testimony must be hewed by Moses, God promises that He would

again write upon them "the words that were in the first tables." It would be well to have the tables perfect as at the first from God's hand. But it is enough if the writing be his. The covenant is then sure, beyond all question. There is the same mediator, and he must go up unto the same mount, and there must be like solemn reverence observed, even to the hindering flocks and herds from feeding before the mount. And above all, the same words are to be written. It is therefore the very same covenant renewed. And this may be some comfort to us, when we reflect how often we fall away from our Christian vows; God is willing to renew the covenant, if we earnestly desire this favour at his hands. He is never weary of granting our petitions. Oh that we were not so soon weary in praying!

"And Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone." He was employed in the fulfilment of God's commands, when the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And what a glorious name was this! How much of God's glory is here manifested!"The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation." It was gracious in God to know Moses by name; how much more, to proclaim his own name to Moses! Let us remember, that this his name tells us of his nature. Let us observe how much there is in this his nature, at once severe against sin, and merciful to sinners.

The more we know of God's name and true character, we have so much the more encouragement to pray to Him. Moses upon this revelation of God's glory again prays that his presence may accompany the people. God promises that it shall, and that in their behalf He will do marvels hitherto unheard of, and that He will drive out the inhabitants of Canaan before them. At the same time He binds them by covenant, that they should make no alliance with the inhabitants of the land, and give no quarter nor countenance to their idolatry, and neither worship any other god, nor make any images as helps to devotion. This is in the very nature of every covenant that there should be two parts. And this is necessary in our covenant with God, that we do our part, as well as that He do his. Else the covenant is broken, and He is no longer bound. Do we trust that we are now in covenant with God through Christ? Do we believe that He has bound Himself to forgive our sins, to give us grace, and to admit us to the joys of heaven? Let us then take heed lest we fall. The very next time we are tempted to sin wilfully, let us remember, that if we do so, He is bound no more.

Several laws are repeated. The vail on the face of Moses. 18 The feast of unleavened for after the tenor of these words bread shalt thou keep. Seven I have made a covenant with days thou shalt eat unleavened thee and with Israel. bread, às I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt.

LECTURE 171.

We must pray that there be no vail on our hearts. This passage contains a short recital of a few of the chief points in the previous covenant; whereby it might be known that the whole previous covenant was now again established. And the points recited appear to be those which were of most importance as checks, or guards, or hinderances, against the sin of which the children of Israel had been guilty, in worshipping the molten calf. All such worship is strictly forbidden. And all connection with such worshippers is prohibited. See Ver. 12-17. The observance of the three great festivals, and of the weekly sabbath, the redemption of the firstborn, and the offering of the firstfruits, these, as well as the prohibition of a practice connected with idolatry, the boiling a kid in its mother's milk, were all especially directed to prevent the people from falling again into the same snare of Satan. And for the better security of the sabbath, it is here added "in earing time and in harvest shalt thou rest." They must not even plough or gather in the crops, on the sabbath day. God who had promised them abundance, would not suffer them to lose by obeying his commands. Their enemies should not so much as desire their land, during the time when they went up to appear before the Lord. He rules over the hearts of men, as well as over the vicissitudes of the weather. Both seem to us alike inconstant, alike beyond the reach of all controul. But He who created all things, can make all things work together for our good. And He has promised so to do, to all them that love Him.

"And he was there with the Lord forty days, and forty nights; he did neither eat bread nor drink water." Herein Moses appears as a type of the Mediator of the new covenant, who fasted for the same length of time. "And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments." That is to say God wrote them; for so it is expressly said in the book of Deuteronomy; 10. 4; these ten moral commandments being the testimony of the whole covenant. And when Moses came down from this long communion with God, his countenance was lighted up with some reflection of that heavenly glory, which he had been privileged to behold. This appearance made the beholders afraid to draw nigh to him; so that he was forced to put a vail upon his face whenever he had to speak to them; which vail has been referred to by St. Paul, as betokening the blindness which is upon the hearts of the Israelites, "in the reading of the old testament." 2 Cor. 3. 14. Let us pray that there be no such vail on our hearts. Let us endeavour to understand all that has been revealed by Moses, that we may the better profit by all that has been revealed by Christ. And let us thankfully use our privilege of beholding not only the face of Moses, but that of Christ, unvailed. Let us so devoutly fix our view on the glory of the Lord, that his holiness may be reflected in us, and we be "changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Cor. 3. 18.