Moses' Wish

And Moses said unto the Lord, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight-; and consider that this nation is thy people. And He said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? Is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. And 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. And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

If we wish to discover the most glorious moments in the life of the great leader of the people of Israel, where, think ye, ought we to seek them? Many would reply, that the brightest period of his history, is where the Angel of the Covenant appeared to him in the burning bush, and called him forth to become the deliverer of his people; or perhaps, where he performed miracle after miracle with his wonderful-rod in the presence of Pharaoh. Others may select that passage in Exodus where the children of Israel passed through the sea on dry ground, the waters being gathered up like a wall on the right hand and on the left; or the destruction of the Amalekites by the efficacy of Moses’ arms of prayer. And truly, in each of those scenes his life shines with transcendent splendour; still we doubt much if Moses would have selected any of those moments as the most glorious he had ever experienced. Where then did he enjoy the Tabor hours of his existence? Is it difficult to answer the question 1 Under the thunder-clouds of the mountain, when it burned with fire. On Sinai and Horeb, when on one side appeared all the terrors of God, Moses stood at the highest point of his glory; for neter had the heaven of the new testament been so clearly manifested before him, as here in the awful presence of the Lord; never had the day of the Son of man appeared to his eyes in such clear brightness, and never had he so joyfully realized the words of Eve, “I have the man Jehovah,” as in that place, which was at the same time the scene of his bitterest sufferings, and where, overpowered by a terror such as he had never before felt, he broke forth into the cry, “I exceedingly fear and quake!”

The contemplations of to-day are intended to show us how beautifully, notwithstanding the fiery terrors of the mountain, the sunny splendour of Zion and of the gospel illumined his heart. Let us now therefore direct our attention — to the state of Moses’ mind — to his prayer — to its gracious acceptance with God — and to the effect of this upon the heart of the petitioner.

I. Moses had left the summit of Mount Sinai, when our history commences; but it does not find him in a cheerful or happy frame of mind. His heart is torn with anguish, and his tumultuous feelings resemble a raging sea. Grief, compassion, fear, anger, and displeasure are heaving his bosom in wild confusion; no clear rainbow can be discerned above; and the star of peace, overcast by dark clouds, has entirely disappeared Most lamentable things had just taken place; the Lord himself had informed the prophet of them while on the mountain: “Go get thee down; for thy people, rrhich thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside <juickly out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them.” Thus the Lord spoke unto Moses out of the darkness of the mountain. What a thunder-bolt was this to the heart of the faithful prophet! He felt as though these words had levelled him with the dust at his feet. Burning wrath seized him at first; — but mercy and compassion soon regained the pre-eminence. For Israel’s sake he threw himself into the gap, and cried out, “Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand 1 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou svvarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.” Thus said Moses; and lo, continues the history, “the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.” As soon as the great lawgiver became certain that Israel was not to be destroyed, he descended from Mount Sinai, with the tables of the law in his hands, in order to convince himself with his own eyes of the terrible sin of his people. But when he approached the camp, and heard from a distance the disgusting shouts and revelry, and the noise of the dancing round the golden calf, it seemed as though he now comprehended all for the first time. His anger waxed hot, and in his zeal he hurled from him the tables of the law, so that they broke into a thousand pieces. Then, full of holy indignation, he rushed into the midst of the insane multitude — took the calf — ground it to powder — and summoning the sons of Levi around him with the cry, “Who is on the Lord’s side? Let him come unto me!” commanded them to gird on their swords, fall without mercy on the madmen, and slay them. Three thousand men fell on that day by the avenging swords of the sons of Levi, a sacrifice to their own guilt, and a bloody monument of the justice and fiery indignation of Jehovah. Then said Moses unto the people, “Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the Lord; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.” He now reascended the mountain, and once more addressing the Lord, uttered here the well-known and ever-memorable words, “Yet now, if thou wilt, forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.” Alas! this ardent prayer was answered with a poor consolation. The Lord said

unto Moses, “Whosoever hath sinned ag-ainst me, him will I blot out of my book. Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee. Behold, mine angel shall go before thee; nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.” Moses had not expected this answer: — the punishment had only been deferred, and not remitted; and an angel had been promised to guide them instead of Jehovah himself. This was again repeated to him shortly after, and in a manner still more explicit. The Lord said unto Moses, (who now stood for the children of Israel,) “I will send an angel before thee ... for I will not go up in the midst of thee, for thou art a stifT-necked people; lest I consume thee in the way.”

These things had just happened to Moses at the moment when our history commences. Can you wonder now that we should find his mind in a state which more resembles a stormy night upon a raging sea than the calm serenity of a mild spring morning? No, he is not yet composed; his soul is still disquieted within him; and although he once more addresses God ia prayer, it seems as if he never before had stood in thep presence of Jehovah in a state of such oppression and anguish. “See!” he cries in the bitterness of his heart, “thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people; and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me!” As he begins to pray, let us remark what a change rapidly comes over him. A dark thunder-cloud threatens us with destruction — when suddenly a mighty storm arises to drive it away; and it seems as though we never behold the heaven above us shine upon our heads more beautifully or more benignantly than at this moment. That which took place in the soul of Moses was exactly similar. A miraculous star rose up during the night which oppressed his heart; a star whose splendour chased the darkness away. A. thousand recollections sprang up out of the tempestuous waves of his spirit, in whose soft harmony the discord of his soul died away and was no longer heard. Like David afterwards, who thought during the night upon the music of his harp, he now called to mind by-gone songs of joy. The most beautiful and the most happy moments of his life arrayed themselves in fresh colours before the eyes of his soul. He remembered in what a near relation he stood to his God, and his God to him; and along with this remembrance there arose up within him a light, a freedom, and a joy, against which no sorrow and no grief could have power.

Jehovah had formerly said to him, “I know thee by name!” And as the olive branch had been carried by he dove to Noah, so these words at a happy hour were oorne to Moses on the wings of memory. Well did he inow all that they comprehended — a salutation of love aut of the mouth of God — the affection of a father’s

28 muses’ wish.

heart. It was as much as to say, “Thou art one chosen out of a thousand, protected by my power and cherished by my grace.” Yet it said much more than this, for God’s words always contain worlds of signification. They resemble the deep and inscrutable heaven of night, which -the farther it extends, is the more richly strewed with stars; and the deeper the gaze penetrates, the longer is the eye fixed in astonishment. On another occasion, Jehovah had said to Moses, “Thou hast also found grace in my sight!” And was not this expression like a heavenly archive to the prophet, filled with the most blessed documents? In it there lay the handwriting of God, corroborating his right of citizenship in heaven — an assurance of eternal life, which no gold could purchase — a record of the pardon of his sins, before which all accusers must become dumb — a bond of peace and a passport on the road to his Father’s house, against which no hindrance could avail. But who is able to express all that lay contained in it! The two sentences, “I know thee by name,” and “Thou hast also found grace in my sight,” were as if God had bequeathed to him the whole tenderness of his heart. They arose in the midst of the darkness of his soul, like two angels of peace with balm-branches in their hands; upon which all sorrow and grief disappeared, and the dark oppression which had weighed down his bosom gave place to the most childlike confidence and the most joyful hope.

How happy should we be, my brethren, if at any time of our life’s pilgrimage such sentences of God should be addressed to us! It might happen that those assurances of grace with which we are greeted from the lips of God himself should disappear for a time, enveloped in the clouds of doubt and unbelief; but at the right hour they would shine forth in our hearts with benignant lustre, like the bright constellations of heaven; and ere we were aware, restored to all their former beauty, be to us every thing of which in our peculiar circumstances we had need: — torches shining during the night — the sound of heavenly harps in the vale of tears — rocks under our feet supporting us in the deep sea — and secure and beautifully garlanded barks of deliverance coming through the stormy breakers to the aid of our shipwrecked souls. To have those divine words, spoken by the lips of Him who is unchangeable, preserved in the casket of our hearts, is indeed a treasure! Guard it carefully, thou who hast it! and though thy house may be in flames, let it burn; only save this precious document!

II. Moses prays. How joyfully do his words now sound; and what blissful confidence in the friendship and love of God do they express! Listen to the words of his prayer. “See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people; and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me; yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight; and consider that this nation is thy people!” Excellent prayer, and most worthy of imitation! Thus man must hold God to his word, and rest firmly and iiiiweariedly on his promises of mercy. Hereby he only gives him the honour which belongs to him as a God of truth; and such a child-like and holy confidence will never meet with refusal. But what is it that Moses most especially desires in this request? He says, “Thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me.” Has not God let him know it 1 Has he not three successive times said unto him, that he would send his angel to guide him in his journey over the desert? Certainly he had done so; but the idea of this angel seems to have passed through the prophet’s mind without finding a resting-place. “What angel?” thought Moses. An angel was not what he had expected: another guide was in his heart and wishes; and this other was Christ — Christ the Son of the living God himself!

We are now at the third period of the kingdom of God; in the days of the Law, — when we behold the promised Mediator reflected as in a mirror in the faith and desire of a sinner, and comprehended in the most vivid manner by the human mind. The star of Jacob now shines so brightly in the heaven of revelation, that even the eye dimmed with tears and weeping for salvation can clearly discern it. The Bible as yet was small, and in a narrow compass; but not the less numerous and frequent were the lights which it scattered to illuminate the darkness in which the sinner’s life was enveloped. Already it contained the promise* that the woman’s seed should bruise the serpent’s head; — the all-expressive words of Eve at the birth of Cain, “I have gotten a man from the Lord!” or as we render it, “I have the man Jehovah!” — Lamech’s pro phelic words at the birth of his son, “This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed;” — and the mighty revelations and promises of the covenant which God made to Noah, so full of comfort and consolation; — all was already contained in the little Bible. Amidst the clouds might be seen the rainbow, like a golden circlet, binding together all Jehovah’s assurances of grace, and miraculously sealing to believers the promise of the great Saviour. And what a glorious addition had been made to this little Bible since the days of the patriarchal world, when Father Abraham trod this earthly scene! — a man whose course was marked by new prophetic lights, and whose path shone from the brilliancy of new revelations and promises, as though illuminated by a thousand torches. Like almost all that has been added to the Bible since, they were symbols and pictures of the promised Saviour of the world; and the whole life of the patriarch resembles a wonderful tapestry, through which in a thousand different ways is interwoven the image of Christ, and which is bordered and enclosed by the stars of hope. Call to mind the sacrifice on Mount Moriah — the wonderful visit in the plains of Mamre — the divine promises connected with Isaac — the vision of the heavenly ladder — Jacob’s mysterious wrestling with the man who proved to be God in the highest, and the incomparable prophecies which this patriarch uttered on his death-bed. Lo, all this was now comprehended in the Bible; but how greatly was it extended and increased by the promises which Moses himself received from the Lord! He was empowered to say, “The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken.” By the command of God he raised the holy tabernacle, which by its divine service and symbols pictured to the people in the brightest colours the future covenant. Can we then be surprised if even in those days Christ was known? Then might the words of Paul have been uttered with truth, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost.”

If ye inquire in what form the promised Saviour lived in the faith of Moses and his believing contemporaries, I reply, In that natural form in which the revelations of that period pourtrayed him to the eyes of sinners. To our first parents Christ was manifested as a Hero, who was to annihilate the power of Satan by bruising the serpent’s head. Lamech, the lonely pilgrim, amidst an unholy generation, and in a corrupt and melancholy age, beheld him as a Consoler: “This same shall com-, fort us,” he said, “concerning our work and toil.” He was represented to Noah, who sailed over the death-bringing waves of the flood, as the Mediator of a new covenant of peace between God and the accursed earth. In the promises of the Messiah which were given during the later patriarchal times, but particularly at the burning of Sodom and Gomorrah, he appears, in contrast to the curse and flames of the Almighty’s anger as the Messenger of grace and blessing. Now, during the Mosaic period, after the Law which causeth the knowledge of sin had been given, the people regarded the Messiah as a Reconciler — as the Lamb of God bearing the sins of many, and at the same time “putting away sin” in his character of High Priest; while at a later period, after the reign of David, he was pictured in his royal glory.

The Lord Jesus resembles a precious stone which has various points of radiancy, and from which many different lights of consolation and joy proceed. According to the necessity of the circumstances in which we are placed, sometimes one side and sometimes another appears pre-eminently lovely; and there is no situation and no emergency in which we do not find Jesus efficacious in one of his aspects. For example, to the bruised heart we would represent Christ as the Friend of sinners; to the weak and timid soul we would show him as a Hero ready to overcome all their enemies; to the sick and afflicted he is the unwearied Physician; to the maimed and crippled, the tender Nurse; and to those trembling ones, who know not how they are to stand at the judgment-seat of God, we should exhibit him as the Man who is our Righteousness. Thus, if I may so express it, the Heavenly Father turns Christ as a precious stone before the eyes of the people of Israel, according to their necessities; and in the mirror of his revelations makes his colours be reflected, and his lights beam forth, sometimes from one side, sometimes from another. This can be discerned through every period of sacred history; for there is always one side of the image of the Messiah turned towards us, more clearly marked than the others, or bearing a more characteristic stamp; and it is always that which is most suitable to the necessity of the time.

It was a most glorious heaven of prophecy which, star after star, shone forth over Moses and his times. If you desire to know why the prophet wished so ardently that Jehovah should not merely give him an angel for a guide, but one far higher, even the Son of his love; it seems to me that, with tolerable certainty, I can explain it. Moses had already several times beheld this Son; not merely in the mirror of prophecy and allegorical representation, but in an actual and bodily appearance: only once, however, did he behold him in a form and beauty which could for ever refresh his thirsty soul. What a moment was that, when on Mount Horeb, after he had purified the people and every thing in the camp by the blood of sacrifice, he ascended the hill of God with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders! Then appeared to them the God of Israel as the Son of Man, beautiful and glorious; a heaven of mercy beaming from his countenance, and his whole appearance full of grace and truth. Under his feet were neither fiery vapours nor thunder-clouds, but a pavement of glittering sapphire, — no terrific lightnings, but all bright and joyful, “like the body of heaven in his clearness.” What happiness now flowed through the hearts of Moses and his companions; and what emotions of delight did those enraptured ones experience! Here they beheld the face of God, with every thing away that could inspire terror! Here beamed forth nothing but mercy! Here smiled only benevolence and love! Well might Moses now think in his heart, “Under thy feet the heaven of our lives is blue and clear!” For never before had his soul felt so free and joyous, and so far raised above all oppression and fear. The approach to His splendour injured them not, but only spread around them a paradise of the gentlest peace and the deepest Sabbathstillness. And after they had beheld this benignant Jehovah, this God of benevolence and love, they fasted not, nor sat trembling in sackcloth and ashes; but they ate and drank, and were joyful, as on a solemn feast-day.

These blessed moments were, without doubt, with the exception of those which we are to contemplate to-day, the most new-testament-like in the whole life of Moses. Never more was the image of this divine Friend and Saviour to be effaced from his memory; and if I mistake not, it was this glorious One, this Calmer of the storm, and Messenger of peace, who now hovered to-day before his soul, and whom he desired in his inmost heart should become his leader and his guide. His whole prayer refers to him; and although he does not expressly state it, it is his guidance he prays for, and that of no other. “If I have found grace in thy sight,” he says, “show me now thy way.’ Tell me how and by whom thou wilt guide us; not by an angel, O Lord! but give us another leader, “that I may know thee,” and experience that thou art my God, and “that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight;” (or in other words ’ that the grace which thou hast promised me may actually be realized,’) “and consider that this nation is thy people.”

III. Moses made a candid and a bold request; for the remembrance of the glorious image of the Mediator whom he had beheld on Mount Horeb, inspired him; and the former promise now recurred to him in all its freshness, “I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight;” encouraging him to form the highest hopes. No longer does he say, “I exceedingly fear and quake;” but, exalted far above the thunders of Mount Sinai, he hangs with child-like confidence around the neck of Eternal Majesty; and appears here in such a new-testament and gospel light, that we might suppose he had already sat at the feet of Paul, and that the epistles to the Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews, had already become part of his being. Jehovah understands his servant, and marks well all that is passing through his mind. Will he cast from him this very ardent petitioner, and will he put to shame this child-like confidence? Never, my brethren ‘Moses’ prayer is accepted, and he only hears in the answer of God the echo of his boldest wish.

“My presence shall go with thee,” says the Lord, “and I will give thee rest!” What more could Moses desire 1 k’ My presence!” — Deeply expressive words! What then is this presence? That of an angel messenger 1 No. Certainly an angel also was to accompany the people; but only as a ministering spirit, and as the attendant of his general; for another had been appointed to lead the host. Is then the “presence” tlOt of the Eternal Father himself? Still we are wrong, my brethren; for the words “I will not go up with you” may be inferred from the context. The “presence” is that of Him who is the brightness of his Father’s glory, and the express image of his person — who in later times said of himself, “He that hath, seen me, hath seen the Father;” and of whom the apostle testifies (2 Cor.) that in his face is the knowledge of the glory of God. It is Christ, the Eternal Word, the First-born of every creature; in whom, as the invisible soul is expressed in the countenance of of man, the Eternal Godhead, the inexplicable and distant, becomes near, manifest, and visible; and being seen by human eyes, can be comprehended by the little, heart of the worm of the dust.

“My presence?” Wonderful and mysterious expression! — unfathomable to the comprehension as the deep sea; yet sweet to faith as a spring from heaven! The love of our heavenly Father beams out upon us as often as we look into the eyes of Jesus. When Jesus steps towards us with friendly greetings, it is as much as to say, “Lo, here is your God!” And the smile of grace and mercy round his lips, is but the bright reflection of that love with which the Majesty on high encircles us! The Son of Mary is indeed the “presence” of the Father — the living image of the Invisible — and the Manifests! in his own person of that which was concealed in the holy of holies. Blessed thought, that it is enough for us if Jesus be our friend, for his favour includes that of the entire Godhead!

The Lord said that his presence should lead the

children of Israel to rest; and the prophet found the

key to this expression in his own experience; for the

manifestation on Mount Horeb had made clear to him and his friends, in what sense the Son of God should bring rest. It was only necessary that He, the all-glorious One, should appear, in order that a Sabbath might dawn, such as their hearts had never before experienced, and that a peace might breathe around them, of which they had previously no conception. No more did they feel within them a consciousness of sin, nor any emotion of timidity or shame. The soul became expanded and clear as the firmament — the heart uplifted by child-like confidence — the feet as if winged to the service of God — the air which surrounded them seemed imbued with the love of Jehovah, and each step which they took was a step over the fields of a new paradise.

IV. Moses’ joy at the Divine acceptance of his prayer is unbounded. Listen to his words: how bold and confiding they become! “If thy presence go not with me,” he says, “carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight 1 Is it not in that thou goest .with us 1 So shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.”

What boldness there is in the latter sentence! “I and thy people to be separated from all the people that are upon the face of the earth!” But does it not sound vain and presumptuous? Does it not seem at first sight to overstep the bounds of modesty, and to offend the dignity of the house of God? Yet if we felt the same zeal for the honour of Jehovah as glowed in the soul of Moses, we should no longer be surprised by his bold words, for we ourselves should use the same lofty speech. It would make us melancholy to observe in outward life, in action, and character, so little difference visible between us and the children of this world; and we should never cease to cry, “Lord, perform a miracle for thy people; let power from on high flow around us; place us as fiery beacons in the cold and dismal night; and grant that thy church may be beautiful as the moon, or as the morning-dawn; scattering blessings like the sun, yet terrible as the lances of an host; that every one may know whose people we are, and that Thou mayest be glorified and praised by the whole world!” Certainly the prayer was heard; and even on this side the grave, a halo of heavenly brightness casts a mild radiance over the church, dissipating the shadows which envelope it while on earth.

Hear now how the Lord answered the bold request of his servant Moses. Far from putting to shame this courageous petitioner, or damping by reproof the ardour of his soul, it seems as though he added fuel to the flame already in his heart, and poured in new oil to make it burn lnore brightly. “I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken,” says the Lord: and when Moses on hearing this becomes enraptured with joy, he continues, repeating word for word the old assurances of his love: “For thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.” Moses no longer knows what is happening to him; he feels as though he were transported mto the third heaven; he now stands upon a height of new-testament freedom, light, and joy, such as his spirit had never before experienced; and whilst he is in the full enjoyment of the blissfulness of Jehovah, a wish darts into his mind, such as perhaps human heart had never previously formed. He says, “I beseech thee, show me thy glory!” Most astonishing request! Moses! Moses! To what a fearful elevation have thy wishes ascended! •One may well inquire, “What is this which he asks V It is an unheard-of thing! His desires fly on giantwings. It is as though he said, “Leave thine eternal habitation, thou unsearchable God! Descend in all thy splendour, thy glory, and thy power! Cast aside the veil which envelopes thee! I desire to see thee, O God! — to look upon thee as thou art in the purity of thy existence, and in the brightness of thy beauty and majesty! I will not be terrified, nor cry out with the people, ‘Let not God speak with us, lest we die!’ Nor yet shall I trembling say, ‘Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips!’ For I know thee, how gracious thou art! I know Him who covers me with his right hand, intercedes with Thee for me, and makes me acceptable in thy sight, Therefore, O Lord, appear! appear! Bow thy heavens and come down; for I thirst after thy presence!”

This is what Moses thought in his heart; and certainly his joy in the presence of Jehovah bore him upwards to a dizzy height. His was a desire which one might expect to have been formed in the soul of a John or a Paul, under the heaven of the new testament; but never to have originaied amidst the thunders and fiery flames of Sinai. What a wonderful thing the gospel is, when even a transient glance into the depth of its riches is sufficient to expand the narrow heart of man so as to form such a gigantic wish; and to raise the desires of a worm of the dust to the high point, where the light and enjoyment of the grace of God is no longer sufficient to satisfy him, and he strives to lose himself in the contemplation of the Divinity and all his stupendous majesty!

We are well aware that the bold wish of the prophet could not be entirely granted, “for there shall no man see me and live, saith the Lord;” and these words would have been exemplified on Moses, had Jehovah complied with his request; for the joyful petitioner had imagined himself stronger than he actually was. No! the light of the gospel did not yet shine so brightly before his eyes, that he could bear to gaze upon the unveiled majesty of God; he had not yet looked so deeply into the mysteries of reconciliation, that if God were to appear to him he could abstain from crying out in his terror, “Woe is me! I am undone!” For, notwithstanding all he had already seen, he had not yet beheld the Incarnate God, the God in the manger and on the cross — the Lamb laden with our iniquity, who takes our place at the bar of Divine Justice — who bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors: He had only been disclosed to him in dark images and faint shadows, but never seen by him in a bodily form, not manifested as that Righteousness which shall be imputed to them that believe. For this reason the Eternal did not unveil himself now in the presence of Moses: had he done so, notwithstanding the peace and joy with which the soul of the prophet was pervaded, he would infallibly have died in the full blaze of the Divine glory.

We, however, to whom has been vouchsafed the unutterable privilege of being born in the noon-day light of the new covenant, stand in a very different position from that of the man on Mount Horeb. We, placed by the manger and by the cross, in the midst of the perfected work of redemption, may with much more confidence utter the bold request, “Shew me thy glory!” If the all-glorious One were actually to shew himself to us as he is, with shouts of joy we should witness his majesty pass by, and cry “Abba, Father!” If the whole splendour of the Godhead were disclosed in our presence, we should feel secure in the wounds of Christ, and sing with the most heart-felt peace and tranquillity the song of the angels, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts! the whole earth is full of his glory!” Did the lightnings of that Holy One constantly flash around us, in whose eyes even heaven itself is not pure, still we should not be alarmed; for, O miracle of miracles! that holiness has become ours in Christ Jesus; and, unveiled, that Righteousness may manifest itself unto us, before which the earth trembles. We need not tremble at the fiery law on the right hand, nor yet at the curses which accompany it. With firm glance we can regard those terrors; and, secure in the obedience of our great Pledge and Redeemer, we can say with rejoicing, “He is near that justifieth me: who will contend with me?”

How happy are we in the full sunshine and radiance of the new covenant! how unutterably blessed in our rights as children! We have no longer aught to fear; for that which was formerly most terrible unto us, is now transformed into grace and mercy. Every wish of our hearts we see crowned in Christ Jesus, far above our highest desires and expectations. One only remains ungratified — but, at a future time, to meet with the fullest and most rapturous satisfaction — and this is, to behold his glory! “There shall no man see me,” saith the Lord, “and live.” We understand this sentence of Jehovah, and therefore wait patiently until the hour shall come. On the wings of blissful expectation we advance to meet it; singing meanwhile with heartfelt melody, “/ rejoice without fear, because I know and believe that God the Almighty regards me with favour. The ground on which I rest is Christ and his blood, the only and eternal source of every blessing. Nothing can condemn me, no judgment terrify me, no misfortune trouble me; because the Saviour that loveth me shelters me in the shadow of his wings /”