confume them."

How enormous their guilt!

How weighty their punishment!

4. As Mofes had the most difficult work cut out for him; fo he was enabled to execute it with dexterity, firmnefs, and fuccefs.When God announced Ifrael's revolt unto him, he became their compaffionate interceffor. God enumerated the aggravating circumstances of their enormous guilt, threatening their deftruction; and promifing to make of Mofes a great nation: But he, far from being taken with the flattering profpect of the aggrandizement of his own family, turned his faith to the promife, and urged the oath by which it had been ratified to the patriarchs; as alfo the occafion which his enemies would take to blafpheme his name, as arguments for its accomplifhment and their prefervation *.When he had fo far prevailed with God, as to prevent the utter deftruction of that people, he came down to stop the progrefs of their idolatry, arraign them for their revolt, and punish the moft flagrant offenders.He burnt the calf in fire; and, by his miraculous power, perhaps, ground it to powder; and, by caufing Ifracl to drink the water on which it was firewed, he taught them, that this deity was fo far from bringing them out of the land of Egypt, that, in a fhort time, it would be in the dung-hill.

* Exod. xxxii. 12. 13.,

Tt 2

The

The first perfon arraigned was Aaron, his brother, who made but a feeble defence of his daftardly compliance. Then Moses set up a tabernacle without the camp, and invited fuch as were on the Lord's fide to repair unto it: Every one who was really on the Lord's fide complied with the invitation; the Levites, in particular, followed Mofes; and, at his command, executed vengeance on fuch as ftayed behind in the idolatrous camp, which God had deferted: They confecrated themfelves, particularly by the impartiality of it on their ncareft relations: It was limited unto three thoufand, however; probably becaufe the reft had been brought unto repentance and humiliation*. Thus, God feparated between the, precious and the vile, that his covenanters night, in fome measure, be a pure lump. On the next day, Mofes renewed his interceffion for the remnant that was left † ; requesting fafe conduct into the promifed land. God granted his petition; but promised only a created angel for their leader. Some imagine, he was only a created angel who was afterwards given: But the character which the Mofaic hiftory affords of him, can by no means agree to a created angel. When a created angel

* Exod. xxxiii. 4-6.

We have an epitome of his prayer, chap. xxxii. 30 34. And the particulars more fully delineated, chap. xxxiii. 12-23.

was

was promifed, all the people mourned, as his guidance was no fecurity against destruction, by God's immediate hand: But the ANGEL OF HIS PRESENCE was an abundant prefervation*. His request was granted, and fuitably improved, by this powerful interceffor. He follow

ed it by another faying, "I beseech the fhew me thy glory." Some have cenfured this petition, as prefumptuous; but God, who makes the best of his people's fervices, limited it, and then granted it, in the only fenfe in which it could be granted. Mofes requested a fight of his glory, abstractly confidered, without attending to the difference between his effential and his declarative glory. God anfwered, "Thou canst not fee my face; for no man can fee me and livet." A fight of his declarative glory, however, is granted, which God denominates his GOODNESS : And the various perfections, above confidered, are, each of them, a proof, that he is good in himfelf,

*Said God, My prefence fhall go with thee, Exod. xxxiii. 14. The Lord Chrift may, with great propriety, be called THE PRESENCE OF GOD, and THE ANGEL OF HIS PRESENCE; becaufe fpecial fellowship is only to be enjoyed through Chrift, and his prefence manifefted in him. God is in him in a peculiarly glorious manner; Hence, faid Chrift, "He that hath feen me hath feen the father.-Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me," John xiv. 10, 11.

Exod. xxxiii.

19.

+ Exod. xxxiii. 20. "And he faid, I will make all my cooDNESS pafs before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee.”

and

-Mofes improved

and alfo to his children.this manifeftation of his glory, as an encouragement unto folemn confeffion of fin, and fupplication for mercy: "Mofes made hafte and bowed his head towards the earth, and worfhipped: And he faid, If now I have found grace in thy fight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go amongst us; (for it is a ftiffnecked people): and pardon our iniquity and our fin, and take us for thine inheritance *." And this covenant-renovation is to be confidered as an answer unto that prayer,—as an evidence that their fins were pardoned,—that God had taken them for his inheritance.

FOURTHLY, I fhall now confitler the CONFIRMATIONS of this Covenant.

1. IT was adminiftered to the whole congregation: "He gave them in commandment. all that the Lord had spoken unto him in mount Sinai ." Though the confent of this †.” congregation is not recorded, it is neceffarily implied; otherways they had been guilty of the greateft rebellion, which would certainly have drawn down the immediate vengeance of

heaven.

2. I was confirmed by writing. It was written both by the finger of God and the hand

* Exod. xxxiv. 8, 9. + Exod. xxxiv. 32.

of

:

of Mofes.The tables of the covenant, which Mofes broke, were replaced: "And the Lord faid unto Mofes, Hew thee two tables of ftone, like unto the firft and I will write upon these tables the words which were in the firft tables, which thou brakeft *."-" And he hewed two tables of ftone, like unto the firft: -and he took in his hand the two tables of ftonet." The former tables were all of divine workmanship, both in point of preparation and infcription; but these were prepared by Mofes. The reasons affigned for this difference are various. Some apprehend, the former edition were all of divine workmanship, to intimate, that they contained the Covenant of Works: And this was partly the workmanship of Mofes, a typical mediator, to fhew, that the Law was ftript of its covenant-form, and given, as a rule of life, in the hand of a Mediator ‡. But, to believers, both editions were a rule of life and the firft, as well as the fecond, was written by the finger of the Son of God, as Mediator. Again, fome reckon, that Mofes was enjoined to hew the tables for this edition, as a punishment for his breaking the firft tables §. But, as Mofes is never taxed by God for this

* Exod. xxxiv. 1.

Exod. xxxiv. 4.

Notes on the Marrow of Modern Divinity, p. 74.

;

The greater part of the Jewish Expofitors give this view of the matter, as Abarbinel, Rabbi Solomon, &c. quoted by BuxTORF, Differt. de Decalog. Thef. 18.

part