54 An Expojition upon the z, Secondly_, If the !ftaelitts Were to fanttifie and prepare t~emfelves to appear before God at Mount Si11ai, how much more ought we to fanCtlfie otlr felves that we may be meet to appear before GO<\ in Heaven l )'hat Glory which God manifcfted When he delivered th~:; Law, is not corriparable to the infinite Glory which healways reveals to th~ Saints i'n Heaven: 3nd yet, if the People of the 'Jews were not' allowed to fee God, though veiled with a Cloud, and thick parknefs, without being firft accurately pr~pared for filCh a glorious Difcovery·, how much more ought we to prepare our felves, to Wafh our filthy Garments, and to cleanfe our Souls from all Defilements both of Flclh and Spirit, that we may be worthy to ftand before God, and to fee him there where he darts forth the full rays of his Brightnefs and caufeth his 'Glory for ever to appear without any check or reftraint, without any cloud or veil interpoling to hide it. That's the firft Circumftance obfervable in the delivery of the Law. 11. Secondly, The Mount on which God appeared, was to be fenc~d and rail'd In, with a ftria Pro.hi~ition that none fuould prefume to pafs the Bounds there fet them, nor approach to touch the Holy Mount, under the Penalty of Death. So we have it, Exod. I 9· 12.. \:Vhich intimates unto us two things: 1 • Firfl, The due Diftance that we ought to keep from God, and teachcth ~s to obferve all t~at Reveren7e and RefpeCt which belongs un_to Hi":~, as being infinitely our Snpenour. Certarnly, every place where God mamfefts h1mfelf, at feaft whilft he doth fo, is venerable and awful: and therefore, when God revealed himfelf to <jacOb in a Dream, and gave him the Reprefentation of a Ladder reachi·ng from Earth to Heaven, A.ngels upon every round of it, and God on the top; we find with what Gt ll. lS. awe he reflects upon it in his waking Thoughts, Surely the Lord U in thU pl.~ct; and I J6, 17~ htew it not. .And ht WM afraid, and [aid, How dreadful U thi& place! thi& U none other but the houfe ofGod, and thU iJ the g11te of Heaven. 2. Secondly, This fetting Bounds and Limits to the Mount, fignified, as in a Type, the ftrictnefs and exactnefs of the Law of God. His Law is our Boundary, which he bath on purpofe fet to keep us from rufhing in upon his Neck, and upon the thick Bo!Tes of his Buckler: And that Soul that !hall prefume fo to do, that !hall break thefe Bounds, and commit a Trefpafs 11pon the Almighty, fuall fnrely die the Death, even that eternal Death which he bath threatned againft all Violaters of his Law. That is a fccond remarkable Circumftance in the delivery of the Law. Ill. Thirdly, We have a Difcription of the terrible Manner in which God appeared to pronounce his L:lw: Thunders, and Lightnings, and Earthquakes, and Fire, and Darknefs, were the Prologue and lntrodutl:ion to it; and were fo dreadful as caufed not only the People to remove, and ftand afur off, as not able to endure fuch terrible Maje!l:y, ~s we find it, but even affi-ighted Mofi.s himfelf,. w~o was to be fnternuncim Dei, the Melfenger and Herald of God: Th1s we find lllttmated, Exod. 19. !xul. 10 " 19. When the Voice of the Trumpet founded long and waxed louder and louder, Mofes fpake. ' 8 ' What it was that he fa id, is not there mentioned; .but in all probability, he then &b. 12 • fpake thofe words whic;h the Apoftlc bath recorded, So terrible w.u the fight, that Mofes faid, 1 excudingly fear and quake. . . • Now this dreadful Appearance of God m the deltvenilg the Law, ferved for two Ends: 1 • Firft, To affeCt them with a :everent Efteem of thofe Com~an~s which he fhould impofe upon them: 'For certamly, u!llefs they v:ere poffefs d wtfh moft grofs and beaftial Stupidi~y, they muft need~ think thofe ~hmgs to be of vaft and grc.at Co_ncernment, whtch were attended With {bch a tram of remarkable and amazmg Ctrcumftances; and it is natural for Men to be awed by Pomp and Solemnity ; the Ma~ jefty of the Commander adding a kindof 4uthority to the Command. . . 2 • Secondly, To put both...them and us m IT!md) _that tf God were fo tcrnble only m delivering the Law, how much more ternble wtll he .then be, when he fhall ~ come to Judge us for tranfgrefling the Law !. Indeed the whole Apparatus of th!s Day feem• to be Typical of the )aft ; but as lt IS the condmon of all Types, 1t !hall be far out-done and exceeded by its Anti~type. Here were Voices, and Fire, and Smoak, and the noifc of a Trumpet ; and thefe ftruck Terror into the hearts of the People, who came only to receive the Law : ,But 0! think what Conftcrnation will feize upon~
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