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ed image-the image of the first-born among many brethren! Then the Saviour of the world fhall pronounce, not from the expiring agony of the cross, but from the radiance of a throne above the skies, "It is finished!" Then He who "maketh all things new," fhall with complacency contemplate this fecond glorious creation, and proclaim "all is good, yea, very good!"

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History

History of Moses.

LECTURE II.

EXODUS XXIV. 15-18.

And Mofes went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. And the glory of the Lord abode upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it fix days; and the feventh day he called unto Mofes out of the midst of the cloud. And the fight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount, in the eyes of the children of Ifrael. And Mofes went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Mofes was in the mount forty days and forty nights.

BREAD is not more neceffary to the support of human life, than religion is to the happiness of a rational being. Man, in his better, his immortal part, "lives by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." In more than one inftance the miracle has been exhibited, of sustaining the body without food, and yet no pain nor inconveniency felt; but for the foul to exist, and to exift in comfort, undirected by the precepts, unenlightened by the discoveries, unfupported by the confolations of religion, is a miracle not to be performed. It is the more to be lamented that the attempt is fo often fatally made, of living "without God in the world ;" of purfuing a happinefs that is independent of the great Source of light and joy; of feeking peace, reft and enjoyment in the neglect or violation of his commandments. Happy

it is for men, if after having made the fruitless experiment of "feeking the living among the dead," and after having at length difcovered that fuccefs is vanity, and that disappointment is vexation of spirit, have been perfuaded, before it was too late, to draw their felicity from the pure and never-failing fources of faith and a good confcience; happy they, who, reconciled to God through Chrift Jefus their Lord, enjoy real tranquillity in life, and well-grounded hope in

death.

We tremble as we behold Mofes advancing to the fummit of the burning mountain to meet God. Who can walk into the midst of a flaming furnace and live? But is it poffible to remove from God an instant of time, a hair's breadth of space? No: God is about our path and our bed, is watching our going out and coming in, our lying down and rifing up. God is in this place; and, were our eyes opened, we should even now behold his face clothed with the frowns of just displeasure, or beaming with the fmiles of paternal love.

Was the law given by "the difpofition of angels," arrayed in all their majefty and might? O how benign their aspect, how affectionate their affiduity, how vigilant their care, could we but behold them, while they aid the preaching of the everlasting gospel, while they attend the affemblies of a chriftian church, and minifter to them who are the heirs of falvation! As the awfulness and folemnity of the prophet's condition are not peculiar to him, and to that important occafion, fo neither are the privileges which he enjoyed, nor the communion to which he was admitted, peculiar and perfonal. Chriftian, you have but to retire into your closet and to fhut the door after you, and you are immediately on the top of a higher mountain than Mofes climbed, and are near to God as he was in the moft precious moments of the most intimate communication. Alone, or in company, we have accefs at all times to the throne of grace; and we have what VOL. IV.

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him fafety and confidence in drawing nigh unto God-an Advocate with the Father, a great High Priest, a Mediator betwixt God and us.

The great Jehovah, having delivered in every circumftance of magnificence that could excite attention, procure refpect, and enforce obedience, that law, whofe general nature, tendency and defign, together with its relation to the evangelical difpenfation, were the fubject of a former Lecture, proceeded to regulate their civil polity. But not by an audible voice, in the ears of all the people, as he had done the law of the ten commandments, but in private conference with Mofes, to be by him delivered to the people, he delivered thofe inftitutions of a civil and political nature, which regarded their focial and national capacity. In ftudying thefe, the lovers of fcripture will rejoice to trace the jufteft and most comprehenfive views of human nature, the nobleft and moft liberal ideas of legiflation, the most perfect equity, the profoundest fagacity, and the most unbounded kindnefs and benevolence, But it exceeds our ftrength, and it confifts not with our plan, to go into the detail of these excellent ftatutes. We purfue the history.

The voice from Sinai having, in dreadful glory, proclaimed the conditions of this new covenant, directions are given for the folemn and public ratification of it. This was done that the obligation which was originally, invariably and neceffarily binding upon the parties, might acquire additional force from voluntary confent, and from the intervention of auguft and fignificant ceremonies. 1 truft it will be neither unentertaining nor uninftructive to attend to the defcription of thefe ceremonies as they ftand upon the facred record. They are highly interefting whether we confider them as the venerable remains of a very remote antiquity, being no lefs than three thoufand three hundred and forty-three years prior to the prefent time;* or as the original compact, in the conftitution

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*A. D. 1792.

conftitution of an ancient, important, well-known, and generally interefting national government; or as forming part of the plan of a divine administration, whofe force can never be spent, whofe influence on human virtue and happiness can never expire.

God has "spoken once in his holinefs," in a fenfi ble manner, has made himself feen, heard and felt by a whole people together. But it is neither confift ent with his dignity, nor favourable to man's improvement, that he should always or often make himfelf known in that manner. He has fpoken thus once, that every hearer might have a perfonal reafon for acknowledging and adoring the dread Jehovah, the Fountain of all power, the fupreme Author of every establishment. And he speaks thus but seldom, that all men may learn to revere confcience, his vicegerent upon earth, to ftudy his word, the interpreter of his nature and will; and to refpect and "be fubject to the powers which be ordained of God, not only for wrath but for confcience fake." Directions are ac cordingly given to ratify the covenant, not by the whole people in perfon, but by their representatives. The perfons fummoned to attend on this great occa fion, are; firft, Mofes himself, who was to reprefent the Mediator between the high contracting parties; then Aaron and his two fons, Nadab and Abihu, who represented the Levitical body, or order of priesthood; and finally, feventy of the elders of Ifrael, who were to act in the name of the congregation at large. When we obferve the names of Nadab and Abihu in this refpectable lift, and look forward to their dreadful and untimely end, we are led to a reflection of no fmall importance in ftudying the facred volume; namely, that the deftination of Providence in raifing particular perfons to eminent, honourable and im portant ftations in civil fociety, is fomething extremely different from "the election according to grace.' Á Cyrus and a Nebuchadnezzar may be the fervants of God, to execute his vengeance or his love, without knowing

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