t But every meffage, or order, had been delivered to the Ifraelites, or to Pharaoh, by Mofes. The Divine Being had,` in all the cafes, fpoken to him in the first inftance, and he had delivered the meffage to them. But now every individual Ifraelite was to hear the voice of God himfelf. Hitherto alfo the particular defigns of Providence respecting this nation had not been diftinctly announced, except in general terms to Abraham; and a promise of freedom from such plagues as those with which the Egyptians had been afflicted, if they would obey the voice of God, had been made to them at Elim. But now the great purpose of their deliverance from Egypt, and of every thing elfe that was to be done in favour of this nation, was to be clearly made known to them, and a regular covenant was to be established between God and them, the effect of which was to continue to the end of time. This purpose of the Divine Being is thus announced to Mofes, Exod. xix. 3. And Mofes went up unto God, and the Lord Lord called unto him out of the Mount, faying, Thus fhalt thou fay to the children of Ifrael, Ye have feen all that I did to the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles wings, and brought you unto myself. Now, therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treafure unto me above all people. For all the earth is mine; and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priefs, and a holy nation. These are the words ye shall Speak unto the children of Ifrael. In confequence of this Mofes affembled the people, and delivered this important meffage; and, as we read, Exod. xix. 8, all the people answered together, and faid, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Mofes returned the word of the people unto the Lord. The tranfaction having proceeded thus far, the folemn ratification of what God had declared was announced in the fol lowing manner. Exod. xix. 9. And the Lord faid unto Mofes, Lo I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I Speak unto thee, and believe thee for ever. They were themselves to hear the voice of God from the awful appearance of a thick cloud, in order that their faith in the divine miffion of their law giver, and confequently in all the promises of God made by him, might be confirmed beyond the danger of any future doubt. And the extraordinary measure has been attended with the defired effect, the whole Jewish nation having, from that time to the prefent, never entertained a doubt on the subject. This extraordinary appearance of God fpeaking to a whole nation from a thick cloud on the top of Mount Sinai, was announced three days before it took place; and their attention was kept up to it by the most folemn preparation that can be imagined; fo that if any deception had been intended, they might have been put their guard. Exod. xix. 10. And the Lord Jaid unto Mofes, Go unto the people, and fanctify them to-day and to-morrow, for the third day the Lord will come down. in the fight of all the people, on Mount Sinai. Directions were then given, that no perfons upon G 3 perfons whatever, except Mofes and Aaron, fhould afcend the Mount'; and left any of the people fhould prefs too near, bounds were fet to prevent them. After this preparation the narrative proceeds as follows. Exod. xix. 17. And Mofes brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the nether part of the Mount, and Mount Sinai was altogether in a moke; because the Lord defcended upon it in fire, and the fmoke thereof afcended as in a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. Here it be obferved, that though smoke might be made upon the mount by perfons previoufly placed there by Mofes, the mountain could not have been made to quake, or shake, may by any human means. Befides, it would have been very easy for the people to have diftinguished a Smoke, made by fire, from the thick cloud which enveloped the whole mountain. It may, indeed, be thought fufpicious, that the people fhould not be permitted to afcend the mount. But, certainly, there was the ftricteft propriety and decorum in not permitting the bulk of the people people to prefs too near the place of the divine presence; and this very circumstance must have rendered the miracle of an audible voice from the top of the mountain more indifputable; fince those who heard it were removed to a greater diftance. And when the voice of the trumpet founded long, and waxed louder and louder, Mofes Spake, and God anfwered him by a voice. Exod. xix. 19. What Mofes spake, or what God answered, we are not told. It was probably a folemn invocation on the' part of Mofes, and the anfwer, whatever it was, was heard by the whole people. These speeches would ferve as a gradual preparation for the great fcene that was to follow, and would thereby put it more. in the power of any fceptical or inquifitive perfons among them to discover the deception, if there had been any in the case. After this God called Mofes to the top of the mount, and gave him a farther charge about the behaviour of the people. He then went down, and took his place among them, and after this, in the hearing of all the people, and in a loud articulate G 4 voice, |