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them most dangerous and deplorable when God has departed from them. The earnest desire and prayer of our hearts should be, "Leave us not neither forsake us, O God of our salvation." O God, make clean our hearts within us, and take not thy holy Spirit from us.'

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We see also from the history which has passed in review before us, the power and efficacy of fervent intercession. How earnest were the pleadings of Moses for the people! We should learn thus to pray for others. The minister should intercede for his people; and well may we also say to you in return, "Brethren, pray for us." Children should intercede for their parents and parents for their children rulers and magistrates for the nations or districts committed to their care, and subjects for those who are placed in authority over them. Christians should pray largely for the increase and prosperity of the church of God, and for their unconverted and sinning fellow-creatures, especially such of them as they are in any way peculiarly connected with. Let us learn more

frequently, affectionately, and earnestly, to remember others in our prayers to God, and the Lord will hear, and be entreated by us.

And lastly, while we admire the love which Moses had for his people, through which he not only prayed for them, but proposed to suffer for them, let us remember him who actually did suffer for us, and endured the wrath of God in our stead. Yea, let us remember him in the most affectionate and most devoted manner; and feel the force of the Apostle's conclusion," he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him who died for them and rose again." In his case the Father said not as he said to Moses, "whosoever hath sinned, him will I blot out of the book which I have written." No, but he said, "Awake, O sword, against the shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow :" he made his soul an offering for sin;" he "laid on him the iniquities of us all;" he "made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness

f God in him." Yes, the offended jusice of God did then accept of a substitute, -y whose death was made an atonement, which fully secures pardon and reconciliation or all who shall come unto God through im. Let us all apply earnestly through his mercy and grace, that we may have redempion through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. Let us go to that blessed Saviour in aith and prayer: so shall the Lord God be present with us by his Spirit while we live, and we shall hereafter dwell in his presence and see his unclouded face for evermore.

SERMON XXIV.

PROCLAMATION OF THE NAME OF GOD.

EXODUS XXxiv. 5—7.

And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty.

MOSES was a man much honoured of God. He was the appointed deliverer of the children of Israel from the Egyptian bondage. He was constituted their leader and law-giver. He was admitted into the nearest communion with God on the top of Mount Sinai. And again, as we saw in the last sermon, "The

Lord talked with Moses :" "and the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend." Now the soul that has already had such gracious intercourse with the Lord, will always desire and hope for more. And thus we find that Moses, encouraged by the condescension of God towards him, desired still further manifestations of his presence and favour. When in answer to his request God had promised that his presence should go with him, then Moses proceeded and said, and said, "I beseech thee, shew me thy glory." I think that by this request Moses went so far as to desire to enjoy some visible display of the essential glory of God, some appearance of Deity. It seems that he wished for something greater than any thing which he had yet been privileged to behold: he wished to see the face of God as it shines in its own resplendency in heaven. This could not be granted; and indeed he knew not what he asked. But the Lord graciously condescended to yield to his request so far as was safe for him. He said to him, "I will make all my goodness pass before

VOL. II.

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