but a man; whilst my people have not obeyed me, who am their God. Therefore Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for ever." These words were uttered more than six hundred years before the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Nineteen hundred years after, that is to say, five hundred years ago, a Spanish traveller, Benjamin de Tudela, stated that he had seen some Rechabites. He was not believed; but more recently a well-known Jewish missionary, Dr. Wolf, whose son long studied in this school at Geneva, was sold as a slave in these countries. In passing through Mesopotamia he met a fine-looking horseman, from whom he asked help. Entering into conversation with him, he presented him with a Bible. He then asked what race he belonged to. The horseman, opening the Bible at the thirty-fifth chapter of Jeremiah, said to him, "We are Rechabites; we are six thousand in number; Hobab Jethro is our father. We live in tents, and we do not drink wine." Behold an instance of the faithfulness and power of God! Travellers who have lately journeyed through Arabia also state that they have discovered there the three races of the children of Abraham. The first call themselves the sons of Sarah-these are the Israelites; the second, the sons of Agar-these are the Arabs; and lastly a third race, who claim to be descended from Keturah.

As to the name of the Mountain of God, it was probably given to Mount Horeb, because God gave his law there to the Israelites by the ministry of Moses. Horeb is one of the summits of Mount Sinai.

The second period of forty years had now passed away, and God was about to call Moses from his ob

scurity to perform great things. In like manner as the Lord had saved him in the ark of bulrushes to raise him to a prince, so the Lord was now about to take him from amongst the camels and the cattle to be the leader of many millions of men, to be the avenger of Israel and the terror of Pharaoh.

He had married during his time of poverty, for he preferred a simple daughter of the desert (who probably was a true believer) to all the great ladies of Egypt. And although Moses was poor, yet, because of his piety, Reuel was willing to take him as his son-in-law.

Moses did not "exercise himself in great matters, nor in things too high for him." He was not eager for change, but remained in his place and said, like the wise man, "He that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast. Better is little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure and trouble therewith."2 Like David, he might have said, "The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance."3 This is what made him so happy and so much beloved. Moses became also "very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth," whilst by nature he seems to have been fiery and impetuous, as he showed himself in his first efforts to deliver his brethren. In this he was like St. Paul, who, after having been as furious as a lion, became gentle even as a nurse cherisheth her children.”5

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Then came the time chosen by God to call Moses to his great work. It was necessary that events should be ripe for it.

1 Ps. cxxxi. I.

2 Prov. xv. 15, 16.

4 Num. xii. 3.

3 Ps. xvi. 5.

5 I Thess. ii. 7.

VI.

The Burning Bush.

(EXODUS iii. 4—12.)

S Moses led the flock of his father-in-law among the mountains of Horeb and Sinai, he suddenly saw a flame of fire. There was nothing near to kindle it. It did not burn or consume anything. The flame was very bright and rose towards heaven, yet the bush amidst which it was burning was not consumed.

"What is it?" exclaimed Moses. "I will now turn aside, and see this great sight." Filled with a holy awe, he approached, when a voice called "Moses! Moses!" On seeing the mysterious fire he had said, "I will now turn aside, and see this great sight." Even now he did not run away in fear. Why? Because he had in God the confidence of a son towards his father; so when he heard the voice speaking to him out of the midst of the burning bush, and calling him by his name, he answered "Here am I." Ah! my children, this is what we should always be prepared to do. A day will come when God will also call to us. May we then be able to reply with confidence, "Here am I, Lord. Christ is my Life, and death is a gain."

But whose voice was it? We are told that it was that of the Angel of the Lord. It was the voice of "The Angel," the "Angel of God's presence," "the Angel of the Covenant," as our Lord Jesus Christ is

elsewhere called. In verse 4 he is called the Lord Jehovah, as Stephen also calls him when relating this history before the council of the Jews. In verse 6 he who appeared to Moses said to him, "I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God." As "no man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him," it is evident that it is the Son of God who is called the "Angel of God's presence" in the Old Testament. We can easily imagine the emotion of Moses. It was two or three hundred years since the Lord had appeared in a vision to any one; at least, there is no account of it since the time of Jacob.

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Moses was, doubtless, far from expecting such a grace, such a wonder; but nevertheless he answered, "Here am I." And the Lord said to him, "Draw not nigh hither; put off thy shoes from off thy feet for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." You know that in the East, instead of uncovering the head for the purpose of showing respect, people uncover their feet. This order meant, then, "Revere Him who is speaking to thee; and do it, not in thy heart only, but show this reverence outwardly."

Moses, filled with a holy awe, not only took off his shoes from off his feet, but covered his face. God called to him "Moses! Moses!" and at the same time said to him, "Draw not nigh hither."

There are lessons for us in this story. It teaches us to approach with reverence the Almighty God who calls us. Yes, God calls you, and you must go to him;

1 Acts vii. 32.

but take heed you must approach him in prayer with reverence and seriousness; you ought to come before him as though you were to take off the shoes from off your feet, and to cover your faces; that is to say, remembering that you approach the Highest and the Most Holy.

Oh! how this incident shows us the anger and displeasure of the Lord when he sees the carelessness, trifling, and often even the irreverence with which men, women, and children too, dare to come before him. The angels themselves cover their faces before God, we are told; and in one of the visions of Isaiah they are described as having six wings. With two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they "did fly." Ah! if you could but see the smallest ray of the glory of the Lord, you would fall down terror-stricken.

When the apostle John, who at the last supper leaned on Jesus' bosom, saw Jesus in his glory in Patmos, he " fell at his feet as dead." When the unconverted inhabitants of the earth shall see him at the last day, they shall say to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us, and hide us." Thoughtless people may be profane, careless, and scoffing; but if they were seriously to think that they must one day appear before the God who will judge both the quick and the dead, they would tremble at their own madness.

We ought, then, to enter the house of God reverently, since we come into it to hear the word of the Lord. We ought to pray by the way, and remember that we are sinful mortals, young, weak, and unclean in heart. We ought to have a grave and attentive demeanour, not 2 Rev. i. 17. 3 Rev. vi. 16.

1 Isa. vi. 2.