§3. The second evidence which he gives of the dreadful promulgation of the law, and consequently of the miserable state of them that are under its power, is on what befell Moses on this occasion; the effect of this terror extendeth itself to the meanest of beasts, and to the best of men; Moses was a person holy, and abounding in grace above all others of his time; the meekest man on the earth; he was accustomed to divine revelations, and had once before beheld a representation of the Divine presence Exod. iii; he was the internuntius, the mediatory messenger, between God and the people at that time; yet would none of these privileges exempt him from an amazing sense of the terror of the Lord in giving the law; and if on all these advantages he could not bear it, much less can any other man do so; the Mediator himself of the old covenant was not able to sustain the dread and terror of the law; how desperate then are their hopes who would yet be saved by Moses!

This expression was, "I exceedingly fear and quake,” or tremble; that he said so, we are assured by the Holy Ghost in this place; they were undoubtedly spoken then and there (though not recorded in the sacred story,) hence it is said, that he spake, but not one word is added of what he did speak; Exod. xix, 19, "And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake and God answered him by a voice;" then no doubt he spoke these words; for it was immediately upon his sight of the dreadful appearance, to which season the apostle assigns them.

It is said, moreover, that God answered him with a voice; but what he said to him is not recorded. Doubtless, God spoke what gave him relief, which

delivered him out of his distress, and reduced him to a frame of mind meet for the ministration committed to him, which in his surprisal and consternation he was not; and therefore immediately afterwards, when the people fell into their great horror and distress, he was able to relieve and comfort them, no doubt, with that kind of relief which he himself had received from God, Exod. xx, 20. It appears then that,

§4. Obs. All persons concerned were brought to an utter distress by the renovation and giving of the law, from whence no relief is to be obtained but by him alone who is the end of the law for righteousness to all that believe.

VERSES 22--24.

But you are come unto Mount Sion, and unto the city of the liv ing God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

31. The state of the church under the gospel. A rule of interpretation. $2. (1) Believers are come to mount Sion. $3, 4. The city of the living God. $5. The company of angels. C. Inferences. $7. The general assembly and church, $8. Of the first-born, written in heaven, $9. To God the Judge of all. 10. To the spirits of just men made perfect. 11 To Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant $12. The blood of sprinkling. $13. That speaketh better things than Abel's. §14. How we come to these things. $15 17. (II.)

Observations.

$1. THIS is the second part of the comparison. In the former he gave an account of the state of the people and the church under the law, from the giving of it, and the nature of its commands. In this he so declares the state to which they were called by the gospel, as to manifest it to be incomparably more excellent in itself, and beneficial to them.

We have here a blessed, a glorious description of the Catholic church, as the nature and communion of

it is revealed under the gospel; which is distributed into two parts-militant and triumphant. There is in the religion of the papists another part of the church, niether in earth nor in heaven, but under the earth, as they say, in purgatory. But with this, they who come to Christ by the gospel have nothing to do. They come indeed to the "spirits of just men made perfect;" but so are none of those, by their own confession, who are in purgatory. Wherefore believers have nothing to do with them.

That which we must respect as our rule in the exposition of the whole is, that the apostle intends a description of that state whereunto believers are called by the gospel. For it is that alone which he opposeth to the state of the church under the Old Testament. And to suppose that it is the heavenly future state which he intends, is utterly to destroy the force of his argument and exhortation. For they are built solely on the pre-eminence of the gospel state, above that under the law, and not of heaven itself, which none could question.

§2. (I.) And first we are said to "come to mount Sion." The sum of the whole is, that by the gospel we are called to a participation of all the glory which was ascribed or promised to the church under those names, in opposition to what the people received by the law at mount Sinai.

Sion was a mount in Jerusalem, which had two heads, one whereof was called Moriah, whereon the temple was built, whereby it became the seat of all the solemn worship of God; and on the other was the place and habitation of the kings of the house of David; both of them typical of Christ, the one in his priestly, the other in his kingly office.

And the opposition between these two mountains was eminent. For God came down for a season only

He appeared in

on mount Sinai; but in Sion he is said to dwell, and to make it his habitation for ever. terror on mount Sinai, as we liave seen; but Sion was in Jerusalem, which is a "vision of peace." He gave the law on mount Sinai; the gospel went forth from Sion, Isa. ii, 2, 3. He utterly forsook Sinai, and left it under bondage; but Sion is free for ever, Gal. iv. The people were burthened with the law at mount Sinai, with which burden they were led to Sion, where they waited for deliverance from it, in the observations of those institutions of divine worship which were typical and significant thereof.

Sion therefore is the place of God's special gracious residence, the throne of Christ in his reign, the subject of all graces, the object of all promises, as the scripture abundantly testifies. This is the first privilege of believers under the gospel. They come to mount Sion; that is, they are interested in all the promises of God made to Sion, recorded in the scripture; in all the love and care of God expressed towards it; in all the spiritual glories assigned to it. The things spoken of it were never accomplished in the earthly Sion; but typically, spiritually, and in their reality they belong to believers under the New Testament. All the promises, therefore, which were made of old to Sion, do belong to the present church of believers. These in every condition they may plead with God; they have the grace, and shall have the comfort contained in them. There is the security and assurance of their safety, preservation, and eternal salvation. Hereon depends their final deliverance from all their oppressions.

Be their outward condition never so mean and destitute; be they afflicted, persecuted, and despised, yet all the glorious things that are spoken of Sion are theirs, and accomplished in them in the sight of God, however excellent and innumerable.

Let this be compared with the people's coming to mount Sinai, as before declared, and the glory of it will be conspicuous. And believers are to be admonished, to walk worthy of the privilege, Psalm xv; to be thankful for it; to rejoice in it; and to make it an effectual motive to obedience and perseverance.

§3. They are said to come "unto the city of the liv ing God, the heavenly Jerusalem." Both these are the same. So Jerusalem is called the city of God; Psal. xlvi, 4; xlviii, 1, 8; lxxxvii, 3. But in every

place with respect to Sion.

1. They came to a city. They received the law in a wilderness, where they had neither rest nor refuge. But in a city there is order, defence, and safety; it is the name of a quiet habitation.

2. This was the city of God. The state of the church under the New Testament hath the safety, and beautiful order of a city, the city of God; the only city which he takes peculiarly to be his own in this world. It is his on account of propriety; he framed it, he built it, it is his own; no creature can lay claim to it, or any part of it. And those who usurp a dominion over it, shall answer to him for their usurpation. It is his on account of inhabitation; for he dwelleth in it, and in it alone by his gracious presence. It is under God's rule, as its only sovereign. Therein he disposeth all his children to a spiritual society. So Paul tells the Ephesians, that by grace they were delivered from being strangers and foreigners, and made fellow citizens with the saints, and the household of God, Ephes. ii, 19.

3. The apostle adds a property of God of great consideration in this matter. It is "the city of the living God;" that is, of the true and only God. Of him who is omnipotent, able to keep and preserve his own