He and that power which moved the inanimate creation on that grand occafion, in the moft fublime meafures: "Then the earth fhook and trembled; the foundations of the hills moved, and were fhaken."-" There went up a finoke out of his noftrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured and coals were kindled by it. bowed the heavens alfo and came down darkness was under his feet. And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind. He made darknefs his fecret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the fkies. At the brightnefs that was before him his thick clouds paffed; hail ftones and coals of fire. The Lord alfo thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hailftones and coals of fire." Again, the fame royal infpired pen delineates this auguft fcene in the following terms: "O God, when thou wenteft forth before thy people, when thou didft march through the wilderness; Selah: The earth fhook, the heavens alfo dropped at the prefence of God: even Sinai itfelf was moved at the prefence of God, the God of If "ad exercendum Judicium; ad liberandos pios, ad ex"cidendos hoftes, vel potentia Dei quocunque modo fefe "exhibens; ex angufto illo horribilique Sine apparatu "fcena in inftruitur. His nihil frequentius, nihil gran"dius," LoWTH (the prefent Bishop of London) de Sacra poefi Heb. edit. alt. 1762. p. 110. * Pfal. xviii. 7-13 rael." rael." Once more, Once more," When Ifrael went out of Egypt."" The mountains fkipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs. What ailed you, O ye mountains, that ye kipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs? Tremble, thou earth, at the prefence of the Lord, at the prefence of the God of Jacobt." To thefe we may fubjoin Habakkuk's fketch of this appearace: "His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praife.""His brightnefs was as the light ;"" the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlafting." -- "The mountains faw thee, and they trembled ‡.” Paul draws a profe description of this fcene far fuperior, in fimplicity and grandeur, unto the loftieft ftrains of heathen poefy: "The mount that burned with fire, the blacknefs of darkness, and tempeft, and the found of a trumpet, and the voice of words :"- "And fo terrible was the fight, that Mofes faid, I exceedingly fear and quake §." Thefe things are a lively comment on the Mofaic hiftory: "There were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud."-" And Mofes brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they flood at the nether part of the mount. And mount Sinai was al * Pfal. lxviii. 7. 8. † Pfal. cxiv. 1, 4, 6, 7. Heb. xii. 18. 19. 21. together together on a finoke, becaufe the Lord defcended upon it in fire and the fmoke thereof afcended as the finoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet founded long, and waxed louder and louder, Mofes fpake, and God anfwered." How grand the preparation! How * Exod. xix. 16-19. As infpired, fo likeways uninfpired poets have been obliged to this fcene for imagery. Witness Milton and Dr Young: "Forth rufh'd with whirlwind found The chariot of Paternal Deity, Flashing thick flames, wheel within wheel undrawn, By four cherubic fhapes; four faces each Had wondrous; as with ftars their bodies all, Of beryl, and careering fires between ; Over their heads a cryftal firmament, Whereon a fapphire throne, inlaid with pure Amber, and colours of the fhow'ry arch, He, in celeftial panoply all arm'd Of radiant Urim, work divinely wrought, Of smoke, and bick'ring flame, and fparkles dire. Illustrious far and wide.". PARAD. LOST B. VI. 1. 750. How aftonishing the phenomena! The heavens bow before their maker! The forky lightnings play around the mountain's towering top! The flashes of fire purfue each other with inconceiveable rapidity! The thunder claps are more and more ingeminated! The clangor of the trumpet, the terrible emblem of the archangel's final blaft, waxeth louder and louder! The tremendous note wounds nature's trembling ear! Heaven groans beneath the dreadful weight! Earth trembles to its very centre! Stubborn Sinai quakes to its lowest base! The blackness of darkness, and mountains of finoke add unto the horror of the day! Well might Mofes exclaim, "I exceedingly fear and quake." Shall the inanimate creation tremble at the giving of the Law, and fhall not finners tremble at the breaking of it? Yes, verily; either in filial fear, while here; or before a judgementfeat, hereafter. In fine, the horror of the former exhibits that of the latter: As the Son of God manifefted his GLORY at the giving of the law; fo he will appear in his own GLORY, "Loud peals of Thunder give the Sign, and all LAST DAY, Book III. and and his Father's when he comes to enquire how men have kept it *. THE other Party is Mos Es, and all Ifrael reprefented by him. Here I may observe, 1. MOSES ftood in the capacity of a reprefentative, or mediator. He was conftituted Ifrael's * "Here was the lightning darted in their eyes, the thunders roaring in their ears, the trumpet of God drowning the thunder-claps, the voice of God out-fpeaking the trumpet of the angel; the cloud enwrapping, the fmoke afcending, the fire flaming, the mount trembling, Mofes climbing and quaking, palenefs and death in the face of Ifrael, uproar in the elements, and all the glory of heaven turned into terror. In the deftruction of the first world, there was clouds without fire: In the de-ftruction of Sodom, there was fire raining without clouds; but here was fire, finoke, clouds, thunder, earthquakes, and what foever might work more aftonishment, than ever was in any vengeance inflicted.And if the Law were thus given, how fhall it be required? If fuch were the proclamation of God's ftatutes, what fhall the feffions be? I fee, and tremble at the refemblance. The trumpet of the angel called unto the one: The voice of an arch-angel, the trumpet of God, fhall fummon us to the other. To the one, Mofes (that climbed up that hill, and alone faw it) fays, God came with ten thoufand of his faints; in the other, thousand thousands shall minifter to him, and ten thoufand thoufands fhall fland before him. In the one, mount Sinai only was in a flame; all the world fhall be fo in the other: In the one, there was fire, fmoke, thunder, and lightning; in the other, a fiery ftream fhall ifie from him, wherewith the heavens fhall be diffolved, and the elements fhall melt away with a noife. O God, how powerful art thou to inflict Hh 2 |