" comfort," of " all grace ;" and in relation to that very thing will he " be a God unto youf." Seek him, then, in Christ Jesus; and glory in him as "your God and portion for ever."]
2. Terror to those who have any other god —
[Who is that God that shall save you in the hour of your extremity ? or, Where will ye flee for succour in the day 'of judgment ? Indeed, indeed, there is no refuge for you, but in Christ ; nor " any other name given under heaven but his, whereby you can be saved g."]
f Heb. viii. 10. s Acts iv. 12.
a minister's dying charge to his people.
Deut. xxxii. 46, 47. Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this Law. For it is not a vain thing for you ; because it is your life.
THIS song was composed in order " to be a wit- ness for God against the children of Israel" to the remotest agesa. It contains a summary of God's dealings with them, and of the provocations whereby they constrained him at last to visit them with his heavy displeasure. At the same time, it gives an intimation of his mercies, which he has yet in reserve for them, when they and the Gentiles shall be incor- porated into one Church, and become one fold under one Shepherdb. Having recited this song in the ears of all the Elders of Israel, he entreats them to trea- sure it up in their hearts, and to impress it on the minds of the rising generation, that so it may answer the end for which it was composed.
From the counsel here given to all Israel, I will take occasion to shew,
I. The regard which we should manifest towards the Gospel of Christ — The testimony of Moses, though comprised in this song, did, in fact, comprehend " all the words of God's Law." In like manner, that which I have tes- tified amongst you, whilst, in fact, it comprehends
a Deut. xxxi. 19. b ver. 43.
238.1 a minister's dying charge to his people. 519
the entire Gospel, may be comprised in these few words : " This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life ; and this life is in his Son : he that hath the Son, hath life ; and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life c." St. Paul, in still fewer words, sums it up in this significant expression, " Christ cru- cified11."
Now the regard which this demands, is,
1. That you receive it cordially yourselves —
[It is not sufficient that you hear it, or approve of it, or form your sentiments in accordance with it: you must "set your hearts unto it:" you must feel towards it as you would towards a boat that was pressing towards you, whilst clinging to a plank in the midst of the ocean. You may form some conception of the eagerness with which you would welcome its arrival, and embrace the salvation which it offered you: and those very emotions should you realize, when a Saviour is set before you to deliver you from the guilt you have con- tracted, and the condemnation you have merited at the hands
of your offended God In this way must you set your
hearts "unto all the words" which God has testified by my mouth : you must embrace the doctrines, as declaring what you are to believe ; and with equal avidity are you to lay hold upon the precepts which God requires you to obey. Neither the one, nor the other, are to be viewed as hard sayings, which you would gladly modify to your own corrupt taste ; but both of them are to be viewed as moulds, into which your whole soul is to be poured ; so that in every thing you may be conformed to the mind and will of God ]