Tcrs. 10-12.-77,e distinctive gi·eatness of Moses, 'l'hcse closing verses Jo not touch upon the character of Moses, but upon his unique position as a prophet. "'!'here arose not a prophet since in lsrat>l like unto Moses," etc. (ver. 10). '!'his does not cxact.ly ascribe inferiority, but rat.her dissimilarity to all who had followed, up to !he <l:ite . of this editorial po~t~cript. "Nothing can have two beginnings;" and rn tlus bes the one and suffiment reason why Moses could not be followed in the after ::igrs by a.ny one who took a like position with his own. Purposely avoiding any outline of tbc character of Moses, we propose to enumerate a few of those features in which the work of Moses was altogether unique, aud ever must so remain. J. MosES 11·As THE FIRST TO DISCLOSE THE GLORIOUS NATURE OF GoD AND HIS GRACIOUS RELATIOXSHIPS TO OUR RACE, AS TIIE CORNER-STONE OF A GREAT COMMON• WEALTH. ll. HE WAS THE FIRST TO PROCLAIM, DY ms SACRIFICIAL INSTITUTES AND TEACHINGS, THE O!'-E PRINCIPLE THAT "WITHOUT SHEDDING OF BLOOD IS NO REMISSION." Sacrifice was adopted in other nations .as a hllDlan expedient for appeasing Divine wrath ; Moses declares it to be a Divine appointment for the acknowledgmcnt of human sin and of the Divine holinci,s. Ill. HE WAS 'l'HE FIRST TO PROCLAIM THE ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLES AND TBE TRUE DASIS OF THE 1'0BLEST BlJMA.N ETHICS: "BE YE HOLY: FOB I AM HOLY." !\'. HE WAS THE FIRST TO REQUIRE OF A PEOPLE LOVE TO GOD AS THE SPRING OF ALL ODEDIE:S-CE, AKD TO ASSIGN AS TIIE BEASON FOB TREIB LOVE TIIE CARE OF GOD TO THEM. (Ch. v. 6 ; vi. 5.) V. HE WAS THE FIRST, YEA, THE ONLY O:NE IN ALL HISTORY, TO DEMAND OF A TYRANT THE LIDEI'.ATION OF AN OPPRESSED PEOPLE, Al>'D TO FORM THEM INTO A NEW COMMON- WEALTH, WITH THE AVOWED AIM AND PURPOSE OF PLA?.'TING IN THE WORLD A NEW BELI<aous FAITH AKD LIFE. (Ch vii. 1-11; ix. 1-6.) 11. HE WAS THE FIUST WHO MADE PDOVISION FOB TBE EDUCATION OF A WHOLE PEOPLE IX THE THINGS OF GOD; WITH VIRTUE AND PIETY FOR ITS LESSONS, AND THE HOME FOR ITS TRA[KING-SCHOOL. (Ch. xxxi. 12, 13; vi. 1-9; x. 12-22; xi. 18-21.) Y!I. HE WAS THE FlllST WHO AIMED AT EDUCATING A PEOPLE TO SELF-GOVEllNMENT. '!'her were to choose their own officers, judges, and magistrates, according to principles of riahteousness. 0 And (as we have shown in Zoe.) even the government of Jehovah was not forced upon them. 'l'hcir co11sent was asked again and again ; and their solemn, loud " Amen" was required, confirming the sentence of God as if it . wero their own. Thus from the first the people were made "workers together with God." Others might follow on in all these respects, but no one else ever coul,l be like Moses in starting all this new national life, thought, and virtue, in organized form. Aud vet bow much more than one like Moses do we need for a world's regeneration a and Church's education! "If there had been a Law given which should have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the Law." But "wha_t the Law could not do," Gud !ins done through our Lord Jesus Christ. Moses caD give rules. Onl->: the Lord the Spirit can gi"e life. A Greater than Moses has come, and has creuteu by his power a uew commonwealth, whose rohiT•uJUI. is in the heavens.. In this" new Jerusalem, which cometh down from God out of heaven," lo I "all things are made new."
Ver. 10.-" Faee to face;" or, the secret of power. "Whom the Lord knew face to face." Such is the remarkable expression used with regard to Moses, '!'his certainly ituJJlies that there W&li in his ca.&e unwonted closeneH of feilowship with God. '!'here OH, XXXI\', 1-12.] 'l'llt nwK OJ.i' DEUTEMNOMY. 571
nrc expressions not dissimilar in Num. xii. 7, 8, but yet we must make allowance for the prevalence of tho viviciness of Eastern ima~ery, and not press the literalness of the words too clos<•ly. In far.t, we are guarder! against that hy the words in Exod. xxxiii. 20. 'Jo what ox tent Moses saw any manifested form, it is not likely we shall ever in this elate of being, be ahlo to tell. It is the duty of thoughtful men to penetrate beneath tho nrchaisrne nm! Orientalisms of the ancient text, aml to seize tho permanent truth which underlies them. 'fhe thought which we here detect as that which is under thu surface is this-that Moses hnd very close communion with God. Every spirit which yearns after God may hold communion with God. And inas- much as "every man's lifo is a plan of God," God may make that fellowship serve any purposes ho has for the man to fulfil. By such communion there may be: (1) an inner life of devotion and an outer. life of godliness to be nurtured and sustained; or there may be (2) o. spur and a pressure applied to high and holy service in one specific direction,- thi8 is tbe case where men aro borne along to the fulfilment of a special mission; or there may be (3) some new truth or clearer light which God wills to impart to and through the soul so communing with him. Now, there is a specific term for each of these three effects of communion with God. When it simply subserves the life of holiness which all may lead, we call it religion; when it is made tributary to a special form of service, we call it inspira- tion; when it is made the means of causing new truth to appear, we call it revelation. The latter has been realized by_ those few-extremely few-of the human race by whom God has unfolded new truth. The medial one has been experienced. by the more numerous souls who have been borne along as by a special outside force to the fulfil- ment of a great missiou. The first-named is the common privilege of all God-fearing souls. Moses was one of.the very few who enjoyed the privilege of "seeing the Unseen One" for all three purposes; and the four following sentences will sum up his life:- I. By the power of RELIGION he lived the life of the saint. II. By that of INSPIRATION he discharged the functions of leader, administrator, and recorder. lll. By that of REVELATION he had the visions of the seer. IV. COMMUNION WITH Goo was the secret of all: "face to face." To those who understand communion with God, either of the three will be regarded ns in the highest degree reasonable, intelligible, and credible. Those who do not know what it is to pour out the soul unto God, may indeed accept all three in a formal manner, but they caa go no further. And if such formal believers should chance to be subject to the fierce storms of modern criticism, there is no telling but they may come to deny them all; yea, they may come to think that religion, inspiration, and revelation nre swept clean away; and all because they understand nothing of man's highest pri- vilege-Communion with God!