52 FORGIVENESS Or SIN. God; and that he might hear his voice was part of his blessedness. But now, saith he, "I heard thy voice, and was afraid, and hid myself." He knew that God was coming on the inquest of sin, and he was not able to bear the thoughts of meeting him; could he have gone into the bowels of the earth, from whence he was taken, and have been there hid from God, he would have done it. Things are now altered with him : in that God whom he loved before, as a good, holy, powerful, righteous Creator, Preserver, Benefactor, and Rewarder, he now sees only wrath, indignation, vengeance, and terror. This draws from him those dreadful words, " I heard thy voice, and was afraid, and hid myself." The giving of the law evinces what effects the con- sideration of God's proceeding with sinners according to the tenor of it must produce. " All the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking." Exodus, 20 : 18, 19; Heb. 12 : 18. In this manner came forth from the Lord that fiery law. Deut. 33 : 2. So that all who were concerned in it did exceedingly quake and trem- ble. And yet all this respects but the severity of the law in general, without the application of it to any soul in particular. There is a solemnity that carries an awe with it, in the preparation of an assize to be kept and held by poor worms like ourselves; but the dread of it is peculiar to the malefactors for whose trial and exe- cution the preparation is made. When a soul comes to think that all this dreadful preparation, this appearance of terrible majesty, these streams of the fiery law, are pointed towards him, it will make him cry out, " Lord, who can stand ?" And this law is still in force towards sinners, even as it wason the day wherein it was givenon Mount Sinai. Though Moses grew old, yet his strength never failed; nor has the law given by him Iost any thing of strength, power, or authority towards sinners.
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