of his personk;" insomuch, that "whoso hatli seen him, hath seen the Father1." In truth, this was the mystery, which Moses probably did not understand at the time ; the mystery, I mean, of his being put into the clift of the rock. For, " that rock was Christ"1:" and it is in Christ only that God's perfections can find scope for exercise towards sinful man, and be all displayed in united splendour. But in Christ, " mercy and truth meet together, and righteousness and peace kiss each other"." Come then, Beloved, come to the Gospel, even to " the glorious Gospel of the blessed God ! " come there, and " behold in it, as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, that you may be changed by it, even as Moses was, into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord0! " You are privileged beyond all the prophets, not excepting even the Baptist himself: for St. Paul says, that " what no eye had seen, nor ear heard, neither had it entered into the heart of man to conceive, (no, not even the eye, or ear, or heart of Moses himself,) God had revealed unto the Christian Church by his Spirit p." And by that same Spirit, working in and by the word, will God reveal it unto you also, even all " the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ q."]
2. The power of faith —
[Faith is justly called " the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen1." It penetrates into the highest heavens, and "beholds Him that is invisible8." It " sees God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God1," able to succour, and ready to reward, his faithful people. Yes ; " though now we see not our adorable Saviour with our bodily eyes, yet, believing in. him, we rejoice with joy unspeak- able, and full of glory"." "We need not envy Moses : for, great as his privilege was, it was not to be compared with ours. His eyes were gratified with a glorious sight, no doubt ; and his mind was instructed with audible sounds : but he saw not the truths realized ; nor did he fully comprehend the things revealed to himx. But we have seen our God incarnate ; and have " beheld his glory, the glory as of the Only-begotten of the Father y." We have seen in his atonement all the perfec- tions of God harmonizing and glorified : and we understand clearly, how God can be "just, and yet the justifier of sinful men2." We know him to be " a just God, and yet a Saviour3:" and live in the sweet assurance, that he is not only merciful,
k Heb. i. 3. ' John xiv. 9. ra 1 Cor. x. 4.
n Ps.lxxxv. 10. ° 2 Cor. iii. 18. P 1 Cor. ii. 9, 10.
i 2 Cor. iv. 6. r Heb. xi. 1. • Heb. xi. 27.
1 Acts vii. 55. " 1 Pet. i. 8. * 1 Pet. i. 10 — 12.
y John i. 14. z Rom. iii. 26. a Isai. xlv. 21.