diator, whose good offices are freely offered to all, but, alas, rejected by many with scorn; a Judge, before whose judgment seat all must stand, even they who have perversely set at nought his counsel, and would none of his reproof? Surely the administration of justice upon earth, by rulers who are an ordinance of God, for a terror to evil doers, and for the praise of them that do well, is a perpetual memorial to mankind, of a settled purpose on the part of God, to "judge the world in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained." Acts 17. 31. When therefore we hear of a cause decided, let us bethink ourselves of the controversy which God has yet to settle with his people. When the criminal is committed to the prison house, or led forth to public execution, let us be reminded of that eventful day, when the transgressors of God's laws, and they that rob or slay his people, shall be sentenced to "the second death." Rev. 20. 14.

It is to be observed that in the resort of the Israelites to Moses they came to enquire of God. For this people had the singular advantage, of having their differences decided on principles of justice, revealed to Moses by the Judge of all the earth. Some such revelation had already taken place. See ch. 15. 26. And as the burden of administering justice amongst so many was evidently too much for one man to bear, it was seasonably ordered by God in his providence, that the advice of Jethro should now be pressed on the mind of Moses; whereby he was urged, if God should sanction the plan, to appoint rulers under him, duly qualified and authorised to judge the people. "So Moses hearkened to the advice of his father in law, and did all that he had said;" found that God approved of the proposal, and straightway put it into execution. Oh happy people, that had a law so excellent, administered by judges so upright, with an appeal to an infallible authority! Oh still more happy community of the universal Christian church, that has laws for every possible case that can arise, written on the hearts of its members; that has rulers for every congregation that can be formed, appointed in due subordination under Christ, and that has always an appeal to the oracles of God, the word of Him who cannot lie! Oh who can be in fault except ourselves, if with all this provision for directing us aright, we go not to our "place in peace ?

Almighty Father, who hast declared that Thou wilt judge the world in righteousness, by thy Son our Lord, give us grace to lay to heart his laws, now whilst yet we have time to understand, and to fulfil them; that by means of love for each other, and love for Thee, those two great commandments of both the Law and the Gospel, we may live in peace, and die in hope, and rise to everlasting joy; through Jesus Christ, our Saviour.

God declareth that He will manifest Himself to the people. 1 In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.

2 For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount. 3 And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;

4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.

5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: 6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

7 And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him.

And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD. 9 And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the Lord.

10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,

11 And be ready against the third day for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.

12 And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death:

13 There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount. LECTURE 140.

How many forget the wonderful works of God.

"In the third month," reckoning from their new beginning of months at the passover, "the same day," which probably means, on the first day of the third month, the children of Israel came into "the wilderness of Sinai." And as they came forth from Egypt on the fifteenth day of the first month, and reckoned thirty days to each month, they must now have spent forty five days in their journeyings. And supposing that within a day after their arrival "Moses went up unto God," and received orders for the preparations of the three following days, it would then be on the

fiftieth day from the passover that the revelation on mount Sinai took place. Hence the feast which was kept in aftertimes, to celebrate this event, was called Pentecost, or the fiftieth day. And it was at this very feast that the Holy Ghost was given to the apostles, to enable them to communicate to all mankind, the new covenant of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The exact agreement of times and seasons, in the former and the latter dispensation, ought to fill our minds with a lively conviction that both come from one and the same God; and He, the Maker and Governor of the universe.

He was now about to make Himself manifest, to a people whom He had chosen out of all the race of mankind, to be the means of shewing forth his glory to the rest. And first a voice is heard by Moses, calling "unto him out of the mountain;" and telling him to remind the Israelites of what the Lord had already done for them, and to assure them that if they would abide by the covenant He had to propose, they should be "a peculiar treasure" unto Him, above all people, "a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation." This assurance is next reported by Moses to the elders, and by them to the people. The people answer, "All that the Lord hath spoken we will do." Moses then reports this answer to the Lord. And the Lord promises to manifest Himself in a new and most striking manner, namely, by coming down in the sight of all the people on mount Sinai, and by speaking to Moses in a voice which all the people should be able to hear.

We may conceive what an expectation must have been raised in the minds of all by such an announcement as this; the anxiety with which they would prepare, and draw near, and look, and listen; the reverence with which they would shrink from all attempt to cross the appointed boundary; how carefully they would perform the ceremonies prescribed, how firmly they would resolve to keep the covenant of God, how joyfully they would accept the privileges He offered to bestow. We may conceive that this would be the case with all. But, alas, we shall soon find, that this was far from the case. However excellently these means were adapted to impress a people in such a state of childhood as the Israelites, with sentiments of godly fear and reverence, there were many of them with whom God was not well pleased. There were many who within a few short days of all this mighty manifestation of Jehovah, turned their thoughts to the forbidden worship of an image. And is there not the like forgetfulness of God, on the part of very many amongst ourselves; who not only enjoy the testimony of this wonderful revelation on mount Sinai, but have the benefit of that other Pentecost, the gift of the Holy Spirit, to write God's law upon our hearts; of that other Passover, the sacrifice of Christ Jesus, to take away our sins? Oh, how much sorer punishment must they be worthy of! Oh, how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation!

The Lord cometh down on mount Sinai; the trumpet sounding.

14 And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes.

15 And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives.

16 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.

17 And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.

18 And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.

19 And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him

by a voice.

20 And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.

21 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.

22 And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them.

23 And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it.

24 And the LORD said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest he break forth upon them.

25 So Moses went down unto the people, and spake unto them. LECTURE 141.

Love mingled with the terrors of the Lord.

The people are sanctified, prepared by a significant action for the promised manifestation of Jehovah. How well may we hereupon remember, that without holiness "no man shall see the Lord." Heb. 12. 14. They have "washed their clothes." And when we consider that the clothes of each consisted chiefly of one large woollen garment, which served also for their covering at night, see ch. 22. 27, we shall better understand how this washing of their clothes cleansed the whole camp at once. And we shall see in it no faint resemblance of what must be done by all the saints and servants of Christ, who are sanctified and cleansed "with the washing of water by the word," Eph. 5. 26, who wash their robes and make them white "in the blood of the Lamb." Rev. 7. 14.

And now when all was prepared, the people sanctified, and the bounds about the mount marked out, "it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings,

and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled." This was the call of God. This was a sound never heard before or since by ears of mortal men; and such as instantly convinced every one who heard it, that it came from another world. At this sound they were to go up to the appointed boundary. And lo, when Moses led them forth "out of the camp to meet with God," "mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire." This was all they saw, "no similitude," as Moses afterwards reminds them, Deut. 4. 12, but only this great smoke as from a burning fiery furnace, as if the whole mount were on fire, whilst at the same time they felt that it "quaked greatly." How terrible is an earthquake, how fearful a sight is a burning mountain, even when such things are seen and felt, in what we call the course of nature! How infinitely more awful would they become, if we were to be told beforehand by a prophet of the Lord, that at a set time the flames would burst forth, the smoke rise up, and the earth tremble beneath our feet; on purpose to convince us of the presence of God!

"And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice." This voice was heard by every one. And to this Moses afterwards referred, "only ye heard a voice." Deut. 4. 12. But hear, before it utters the commandments of the Lord, it first speaks, in kind concern, lest the people "break through unto the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish." It bids Moses charge the priests also, the heads of families who were used to offer sacrifice, to sanctify themselves, not presuming upon their office to touch the mount or the border of it, "lest the Lord break forth upon them." And when Moses replied, that the appointed bounds would prove a sufficient check to the people, the Lord repeated his directions, that though he and Aaron might come up, he must first go down and charge the people not to "break through to come up unto the Lord." Thus the terrors of mount Sinai were accompanied with a manifestation of love. And thus also that full revelation of love, which we as Christians enjoy, is not unmingled with the terrors of the Lord. For though we are "not come unto the mount," a hill that could be seen and touched, "and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words;" though we have no such appalling sights and sounds now to work upon our outward senses; yet we are brought nigh by faith to the innumerable company of saints and angels, and "to God the Judge of all, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant." Let us therefore see that we refuse not Him, who by these means speaks to us. "For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven." Heb. 12. 18-25.