Behold the skin of the face of Moses shone, and they were afraid to come nigh him....Exod. xxxiv. 30. HERE see the glorious effect of being on the mount with God, of having free access to him, and holy converse with him. When we draw nigh to God and he draws nigh to us, our souls catch of the splendor and glory of his grace: this revives our countenance and makes our face to shine; here is somewhat worthy our attention, for the holy inspirer calls upon us, BEHOLD: Lord give us to behold this to our edification and comfort. 1st. "When Moses came down from the mount, his face shone, but he knew it not :" O, it is well for us, when we are so wholly taken up with the majesty and glory of our Lord, and see such splendor of grace and love shine on his countenance, as not to be looking at ourselves and admiring our own gifts and graces: it is to imitate fops and fribbles in nature, to look in a glass to admire ourselves; "to fall in love with one's own beauty is to play the harlot."....Ezek. xvi. 15. 2d. Though Moses knew not that the skin of his face shone, yet others saw it and were afraid to come near him: here behold the glory and majesty of the holy law of God; like the face of Moses, it darts its piercing rays of light and terror into the consciences of poor sinners: it works wrath, it fills the soul with the knowledge of sin, the fear of hell, and the dread of damnation: there is a glory in the law, though it ministers nothing but condemnation. 3d. The face of Moses shone so that he was forced to put a vail on it while he was talking to the people: did such a little of the glory of the law shine in the face of Moses, but with borrowed splendor that they could not behold his face? Then how terrifying, how dreadful for sinners to stand before the majesty of divine justice, and to be arraigned by divine truth, as transgressors of the holy law of God? Who can bear the thought without terror? Who can bear the sight without death and destruction from the presence of the Lord? O, think of the law in all its dread and terror: see sin in all its exceeding sinfullness; and consider, 4th. The ministration of righteousness which exceeds in glory through the love and grace of our dear Mediator: we are called to behold him, but not with a vail upon his face: "for we all with open face beholding as in a glass, the glory of the Lord."....2 Cor. iii. 18. 5th. Did the Lord cause the face of Moses thus to shine? Eternal praises to him, "he hath shined in our hearts, to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."....2 Cor. iv. 6. In him we see the law fulfiled, its curse sustained, our souls redeemed from all its terror and bondage, and brought into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. "Ye are, not under the law but under grace." ....Rom. vi. 14. When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say we are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do....Luke xvii. 10. THIS is a fatal stab to human merit; this a deadly blow to sinless perfection: O, flee the notion of any merit in thee or thy works, as from the face of the devil; it is of the pride of satan : avoid the thought of being perfect in thyself as thou wouldest the most damnable lie: it ariseth from self-deceit and is established through ignorance of God's holy law. Our dear Lord here instructs us to be active, yet humble; to be obedient, yet self-abased: to do all things, yet own our unprofitableness after all: beware you do not learn to decry that word DUTY; it is very common for many so to do, as implying nothing but what is legal: thy Lord here uses it; be not wiser than thy master: true thou art freed from all slavish duty and legal bondage, in order to be justified and saved thereby. But run not hence into lawless liberty; thou art bound to obey by the love of God thy Father: commanded to serve thy Saviour Jesus, and this, with the affections of a dutiful son, and with the love of a sincere friend. "We serve the Lord Christ, knowing that of the Lord, we shall receive (as a free gift of grace not earned by duty and works) the reward of the inheritance."....Col. iii. 24. The rule of the duty of love, are the commands of the law of love: the end of obeying them is, not to make us righteous: not to exalt us in our own eyes: not to lay a foundation for, and build ourselves up in self-righteous confidence: No; says our Lord, after you have done all, renounce all; humble yourselves under all; say we are unprofitable servants in all. Well, but is not this very discouraging both to doing and hoping? Not to DOING. The end of that is to adorn the gospel of grace, to glorify the God of grace, to shew a good example to the world and to evidence the faith, love and hope of your soul; that you are alive to God, and that these graces are alive in you. Not to HOPING. Do you dread that sentence cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness ?....Mat. xxv. 30. That is one who is disobedient, and to every good work reprobate: who is a stranger to pure faith, holy love and sincere obedience. All such are without hope in Jesus. but unprofitable as ye are, see, and confess yourselves to be, and though you have no confidence in yourselves, or your own doing: yet you are commanded, to rejoice in Christ Jesus, "and again rejoice, "....Phil. iv. 4. "For he of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption.".... Cor. i. 30. "And we are made perfectly accepted in him."....Ephes. i. 6. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.... Gal. v. 25. THESE two things the enemy of souls, works powerfully against 1st. To keep sinners from coming to Christ for salvation : 2d. When they are come, to prevent their enjoying the comfortable knowledge that Christ is their Saviour: and our own legal hearts and wicked natures, join the enemy of our peace and salvation in both; but love lives and reigns above; our Saviour sees how it is with us, and sends the power of his Spirit to help, relieve, and comfort us; the dear Spirit, when dead in sin quickens us: then he guides us in our walk. What need we then of exhortations? Much, very much; for, consider, the walk is ours: to order our steps aright, is by the grace of the holy Spirit. 3d. Our comfortable enjoyment of our interest in Christ, is experienced in a holy walk, or walking in the Spirit: the battle is the Lord's. Yet David was to engage and conquer Goliah; "the Lord gave him the victory.". 1 Sam. xvii. 47. Therefore, 4th. Exhortations point out our weakness, our need of the Spirit's help, and they excite us to pray for it. What is it to walk in the Spirit? 1st. It is to mind the things of the Spirit; those spiritual truths revealed in the gospel, concerning our hope of eternal life, by the sin-atoning death, and law-fulfilling life of the Son of God; it is to set our affections upon Christ, seek all our happiness in him, and expect daily comfort from him; to make his precious blood and everlasting righteousness our constant plea, expecting the reviving sense of God the Father's favor and love to us, only in him. 2d. It is to go forward, step by step, day after day, looking for, and depending on the spirit's assistance, to keep our souls close to Jesus, and to maintain fellowship with him; and to shew that our hearts are simple and sincere, we shall be diligent in the means of grace, studious to exercise our graces on Christ, and be uniform in the discharge of every duty; what blessed walk is this! This is the walk of comfort, peace and holiness; do you not find it so? Persevere in it: so will you walk above the accusing terrors of the law, the groveling life of sense, the defiling life of lusts, the vain life of worldly pleasures, and the distressing life of satan's power: wouldst thou enjoy spiritual comforts? These can only be found in a spiritual walk; dost thou complain for want of them? Examine thy walk; say not this is legal: what! is it legal, to follow the lamb wheresoever he goeth? Beware, lest carnal notions prevail, and by living after the flesh you condemn, what is truly evangelical and spiritual: "they who are after the Spirit, do mind the things of the Spirit."....Rom. viii. 5. VOL. II. M I will sow her to me in the earth, and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say them which were not my people, thou art my people, and they shall say, thou art my God....Hosea ii. 23. DECLARATIONS of grace depend not on the will of the flesh for their accomplishment: sovereign power,, brings sovereign purposes to effect; human will can neither forward nor frustrate them : so the Lord raises up and forms a people for his own glory on earth, and the redeemer's crown in heaven: see the process of it. 1st. I WILL SOW HER; this alludes to the word JEZREEL in the last verse which signifies the seed of God; God's people are his own precious seed; he sows them in the earth. 2d. UNTO ME as they are sown by him, they spring up unto him: though they lie long under the clods of nature's darkness and corruption, and for a while spring up only to the world, the flesh and the devil, yet there is a set time to favor them; a fixed day of power to come upon them: men do not sow their precious seed, and care no more about it; neither doth the Lord. For, 3d. I WILL HAVE MERCY UPON HER, WHO HAD His eye of care preserves, till his day of mercy comes; It is as impossible for an elect redeemed soul to perish without mercy, as for the truth of God to fail: "it is impossible for God to lie."....Heb. vi. 18. The truth of God is the joy of faith: Paul, though exceeding mad against Christ obtained mercy from him; the thief on the cross obtained mercy at the last hour. Your soul, mine, and every soul that is called, converted and justified by the faith of Christ, obtains this from mere mercy, just in the same way; because justice is satisfied by Christ; mercy flows from God through him, to us. 4th. I WILL SAY TO THEM NOT OBTAINED MERCY. God's voice WHICH WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, THOU ART MY PEOPLE. of love comes to us, his grace challenges us, his power apprehends us, before we apprehend him; we are children of wrath by nature; we are at enmity against God, and fly from God: but the good shepherd seeks us; he claims us as his own sheep; as the gifts of his Father; as the purchase of his blood: he manifests himself to us, and gives us faith in his name. Then, 5th. THEY SHALL SAY THOU ART MY GOD, my God! O, how much is contained in this! Now there is peace in the conscience, love in the heart, and joy in the soul; the sinner can never be happy, till he thus appropriates the Lord to himself: then the soul is inspired with a holy loving fear, and excited to a cheerful walk; a hope full of immortality is in the heart: this is ever in the eye, "all is of God who hath reconciled us unto himself by Jesus Christ."....2 Cor. v. 18. Cease ye from man whose breath is in his nostrils, for wherein is he to be accounted of?....Isa. ii. 22. THIS precious text our dear Lord preached to my heart day after day, upwards of twenty years ago, when it first pleased him to make me happy in his love: though not then, yet I have since seen abundant cause for it. That soul is in good health that can say, I am sick of sin, sick of men, and sick of myself: the Lord is teaching us this lesson day after day: it is a hard one to flesh and blood; for we are naturally prone to look to, trust in and depend upon an arm of flesh: but this is to depart in heart from the Lord: a curse is denounced upon this....Jer. xvii. 5. Consider man's breath. is in his nostrils: the best of men are subjects of sin and liable to the stroke of death. The breath that promises you great things today, ere to-morrow's dawn may be vanished into air, and all your hopes blasted. The arm of flesh which to-day is strong and stretched forth in your service, to-morrow may be stiff in death, all your expectations buried in the grave of despair, and you left in disappointment and vexation: whereof is man to be accounted? In his best estate he is altogether vanity. "Cease ye from man," yea, from professors too: you are in danger of being hurt by them also: I have and therefore speak from experience. Here is our danger: we are apt to think too highly of ministers and professors: event Paul, cautions against this, "lest any man should think of ME above that which he seeth ME to be."....2 Cor. xii. 6. You entertain a very high opinion of such-an-one; perhaps you may soon see something in him you little expected: you are stumbled, you get into reasoning; he falls away from the hope of the gospel, (how many awful instances have I known, both of eminent ministers and great professors!) you are staggered, you know not what to think up comes Mr. Devil with, ah! you see it is all a delusion: give all up; follow the gospel no longer. But our Lord would have our hearts simply looking to him, therefore he bids us "cease from man." He is the only precious MAN, we are never to cease from: in him there is none occasion of stumbling; he is a PERFECT man; fix your eye steadily upon him; seek all your perfection in him; look for all your comforts from him; cease from yourself; avoid all self-confidence; flee all self-complacency: cease from self-righteous, vainglorious, self-deceived liars, who say they are perfect and have no sin in them. Ever look at, ever glory in that dear MAN in whom we are PERFECT, "presented to the Father, holy, unblameable and unreprovable in his sight."....Col. i. 22. We're prone alas! to trust in man, Convince us of this foolish plan, |