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In answer to

the fathers, had foreshewed that in the fulness of time God would send forth his son; it was the promise of his gracious presence, which encouraged Moses to undertake his office; if that promise is withdrawn, if the Great Angel himself did not accompany them, Moses foresaw their ruin; therefore he thus begins his interesting inquiry: Let me know by whom thou wilt send. In like manner, in the 13th verse, the same inquiry is thus expressed, Show me now thy way, that I may find grace in thy sight.' God's WAY is the same with his SENT, whose goings forth have been of old from everlasting. Solomon thus describes him, ، Jehovah possessed ME, the BEGINNING, his WAY, before his works of old,' Prov. viii. 22. ; and he thus speaks himself, I am THE WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE,' John xiv. 6. Guilty sinners are described as ، wandering in ⚫ the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in hungry and thirsty, their souls fainted within them; then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of • their distresses; and he led them forth by the RIGHTEOUS WAY, that they might go to the city of his habitation,' Psal, cvii. 4—7. He appeared as God's war, when he consecrated ، a new and li ving way through the vail, that is to say his flesh.' The gospel, pointing to him, proclaims to wandering sinful man, This is the WAY, walk ye in it.' It is the WAY of holiness, consecrated by his blood, and the ransomed of the Lord walk there. this request of Moses, God most graciously replies, MY PRESENCE shall go with thee, and I will give thee REST.' truth and hope of the gospel were never more strikingly expressed. MY PRESENCE, or FACE, was an expression, by which the Son of God was well known under the Old Testament. Our first parents hid themselves from the Presence of God, viz. from Jesus Christ, Gen. ii. S. In like manner, • Cain went out from the Presence_of • the Lord,' Gen. iv. 16. viz. from the place of his worship, where the symbol of his Presence stood. For this reason, the holy place is called the secret of his PRESENCE, Psalm xxxi. 20. The prophet Isaiah expressly denominates Jesus Christ, the Angel, bis Presence,' Isa. Ixiii. 9. He is God's Presence, before whom, when he ariseth, his enemies shall be scattered, Psalm lxviii. 2.; for Paul tells us, they shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the Pre sence of the Lord,' 2 Thess. i. 9. while his people shall enjoy times of refreshing, (viz. in the great Sabbath, the antitype of that in which God rested and was refreshed) from the Presence of the Lord; for when he comes the second time to shake terribly the earth, he will destroy Antichrist, and give ، the kingdom and greatness of the dominion, under the whole heaven, to the people of the ، saints of the Most High, and they shall reign. In this way shall this promise to Moses be completely fulfilled, and I will give thee • rest."

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The

Moses, convinced that without the guidance and protection of Jesus Christ himself, all would be in vain, replies, ، If thy Presence ga

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not with us, carry us not up hence; and he proceeds to mention in verse 16. that Presence as the glorious distinguishing excellency of Israel, as it is indeed of the church of God in all ages. If the question is asked, How is the church of Christ to be known? Is it not by this, that he goes with them; this separates them from all people; by this the people dwell alone, and are not numbered among the nations.' God in the midst of her,' was the glory of the old testament church; and on every little dwelling place of Mount Zion, to this day, his glory is her defence; for where two or three are gathered together in his name, there is he in the midst ‹ of them,' Matth. xviii. 20. This separation of the church of God is thus expressed, And they were all, with one accord, in Solomon's porch; and of the rest durst no man join himself to them, but the • people magnified them; and believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women,' Acts v. 12-14.

In the 18th verse, Moses makes the following most remarkable request, I beseech thee shew me thy glory.' The exact nature of this request has been variously considered. Moses had seen more of the divine glory than any man had before him: the display of that glory at Sinai, and even in the cloudy pillar, were very wonderful discoveries of the glory of God. From the Lord's reply in the 20th verse, no man shall see my face,' it seems probable that Moses wished a more visible discovery of the manifestation of that glory which should be made in the human nature of the Son of God. Thus the Psalmist, evidently alluding to that period when mercy and truth should meet together, and righteousness and peace kiss each other, says,Surely his salvation shall be near them that fear him, that glory may be seen tabernacling in our land,' Psal. lxxxv. 9— 13. No man can behold the glory of God, for he dwelleth in light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath seen < nor can see,' 1 Tim. vi. 16. The FACE of God was not visible to guilty man, till the holy thing was born of the virgin, when Jesus of Nazareth, EMMANUEL, that is, God with us, manifested forth his glory; he alone from the bosom of the Father declared him; he could say, ⚫ he that hath seen me, hath seen the Father;' the divine glory shone forth in him, for he is the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person,' Heb. i. 2. Moses's request seems therefore plainly to point to a more clear revelation of this discovery of the glory and face of God. The answer is very remarkable: it may be thus paraphrased: "Until my manifestation in flesh, no man can see my face, but I will make that in which my glory is then to be displayed, to pass before thee. You are mistaken, Moses, if you suppose that the manifestation of my glory in flesh is to be of an outward visible splendour. No; when they shall see me, they will see no form nor comeliness in me to be desired; but I will make pass before

We shall take another opportunity of examining the old catholic explication of this text, which has lately been adopted, viz. that this text means, two or three church officers.

you that glory, which they who shall be honoured to see the only begotten of the Father, will alone behold the fulness of grace and truth."

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In the 19th verse, the Lord sets before Moses that in which his glory consists, the manifestation of his name and character as displayed in the Son of his love: I will make all my goodness pass before thee,' &c. It is very remarkable, that the unspeakable gifts of God, Jesus Christ, is often called his goodness. I had fainted unless I had believed to see the Lord's goodness in the land of the living,' Psal. xxvii. 13. O how great is the goodness stored up for them that love thee!' xxxi. 19. The Lord will give his goodness,' lxxxv. 12. They shall abundantly utter the memorial of thy great goodness,' cxlv. 7.; and thus the question of Nathaniel becomes intelligible. • Can the goodness come out of Galilee? John. i. Now all that goodness was displayed in Jesus Christ, in whom the goodness of God which endureth for ever was treasured. This goodness is the rich sovereignof his grace expressed in these words: I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious; and I will shew mercy to whom I will shew mercy? By the which will we are sanctified, through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ.' The grace which flows boundless in the gospel of Christ, is not the accidental mercy of one class of reasoners, nor the humane benignity of another class, which passes over the failings and imperfections of the well disposed. It is that DIVINE, GLORIOUS, GODLIKE GRACE, which says to the CHIEF of lothsome, defiled, polluted SINNERS: I will, be thou clean! When the blood of Christ was shed, without the gates of Jerusalem, the fountain of sovereign grace was displayed! It flows clear as crystal, out of the throne of God, and of the Lamb,' and washes away the filth of the daughters of Zion.' It contemns the narrow limits of the thoughts of man; it acknowledges none of her distinctions of character; but as the heavens are high above the earth, so it proclaims mercy to the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills, that NONE MAY DESPAIR. The purpose of GRACE was laid in the councils of heaven before the world began: it was first revealed, when it was said to the woman in Eden, I WILL put enmity,' &c. That I WILL is here proclaimed to Moses, as the source of divine GOODNESS; and when Jesus of Nazareth appeared, his meat and drink was to do the • WILL of him that sent him, and to finish his work. Our blessed Lord, the Father's righteous servant, the angel, his presence, came not to do his own will, but the WILL of him that sent him: he laid the fulness of open and truth grace ; and now it is declared that God delighteth in MERCY.' The concluding circumstance of this chapter deserves particular notice; while the glory of God passed by, the Lord put Moses in a cleft of the rock, covering him with his hand; but discovering his back parts to Moses, though his face could not be seen. This has an evident reference to the nature of the old testament revelation, which was a discovery of the back parts, as distinguished from the face

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of Jesus Christ. When the word was made flesh, the light of the glorious gospel shone in the face of Jesus Christ. It is remarkable that Moses was put in a cleft of the rock, viz. the rock which followed them, and that rock was Christ; that rock which was cleft, and waters gushed out. In the cleft of that rock, there is safety when the divine majesty passeth by. Referring to this, the prophet says, • To go into the clefts of the rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth,' Isa. ii. 21. We may farther remark, that Moses beheld the full splendour of the glory of his face on the holy mount; for then his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was whiter than any fuller on earth could whiten them.

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CHAP. XXXIV. Moses is now called up again to the mount, and commanded to hew two tables of stone, like the first two which were broken, as a presage of the breach of the old covenant founded on that law. The mount is on this occasion more strictly guarded than before; even the cattle were not to be allowed to feed before it. Moses must again appear early in the morning. This is a circumstance connected with the distinction of the seven days which has been strangely overlooked. It is a renewed assurance, that early in the morning of the great and notable day of the Lord, he who here descended, and proclaimed his glorious name, will descend to make his last display of terror to his enemies, and boundless mercy and grace to all the Israel of God. In like manner it was · very early in the morning, as it began to dawn towards the first day of the week,' that he arose from the dead. Nor can we refrain from reminding our readers, that on the first day of the week, the Christian Sabbath, it is a comely thing to shew forth God's loving kindness in the • morning,' as well as his faithfulness in the evening,' by breaking bread in commemoration of what took place that night in which he was betrayed.' We know not a more comely thing, than to see a company of guilty sinners meeting together in the morning of the first day of the week, praising God for his mercy that endureth for ever; it reminds of the loud alleluias which shall resound from the lips and harps of God's redeemed, in that morning of which the Psalmist says, Weeping may endure for the night, but joy cometh in the morning.' The night is far spent, the midnight cry, the bridegroom cometh, is now sounding in the stately steps of God's majesty in his judgments throughout the earth. Let us put off the works of darkness, and put on the Lord Jesus Christ, making no provision for the flesh to fulfil its lusts.'

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It will be remembered, that this is the renewed covenant of Horeb, mentioned Deut. i. and that on this occasion Moses is employed to hew the stones; formerly they were the workmanship of God. Still however the writing is by the finger of the Almighty, Eternal, and Immutable.

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The Lord descended to proclaim his name; it was on his descent, in the womb of the virgin, that his name, EMMANUEL, was displayed; his name, merciful and gracious, manifested. In examining this proclamation, it will be observed, 1. That the godhead is brought to view, JEHOVAH, JEHOVAH, ELOHIM; and 2. That the character of God, or his name, is completely revealed, in seven attributes, 1. Merciful and gracious; 2. Long-suffering; 3. Abundant in goodness and truth; 4. Keeping mercy for thousands; 5. Forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin; 6. That will by no means clear the guilty; and 4. Visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children, to the third and fourth generation. This name of God is alone to be seen in his beloved Son; in the gospel of Jesus Christ, mercy and grace appear in their brightest colours. In him God appears clearing, yet not clearing the guilty, but visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children. The revelation of this blessed name made Moses instantly worship; indeed there is no acceptable worship to God, but what the knowledge of this name inspires. When Jesus appeared to Saul going to Damascus, the angel said to Ananias, Behold, he "prayeth;' and he was declared to be a chosen vessel to bear God's name to the Gentiles. This was the same revelation of God's name made to Moses, of which the apostles testified, There is no other name given under heaven amongst men whereby we must be saved." In the 9th verse Moses renews his request that God should go with them, that he would pardon their iniquity, and take them for his inheritance. In reply Jehovah says, Behold, I make a covenant:' here the reader will observe, that the covenant is altogether of God; he alone strikes his covenant, as the passage literally reads, that is, he pledges his divine promise, for which the blood of the covenant was shed, that in the sight of all the people he would do marvels, such as had not been done in any nation before. God's whole proceedings with Israel was a work of marvels, and thus the Psalmist says, Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, Psal. Ixxviii, 12. The work of the son of God, in dying for his people, and bringing them into his heavenly kingdom, is a marvellous work. This is the Lord's doing, and -wonderful in our eyes.' Sing unto the Lord, for he hath done marvellous things; his right hand and his holy arm hath gotten him the victory," Psal. xcviii. 1. 2. The gospel is a display of God's marvellous loving kindness, Psal. xvii. 7. and xxxi. 21.; and thus Peter exhorts to shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.' God's judgments are also called marvellous in scripture; and particularly he shewed marvels, such as had not been done in all the earth, in his awful judgments in unchurching Israel. Isaiah thus speaks of it, and the cause for which it was executed— • Wherefore the Lord saith, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear towards me is taught by the precept of men; therefore, behold I will proceed to do a