September 29

Exodus xxxiv. — 1. And the Lord said unto Moses, How thee two tables of stone like unto the first; and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables which thou brakest.

2. And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto Mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount.

4. And he hewed two tables of stone, like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.

5. And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.

6. And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

7. Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

8. And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.

9. And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord! let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us (for it is a stiff-necked people), and par-

If there was something awful in the zeal of Moses for God in breaking the tables of stone, yet more sublime was the condescension of God in renewing them. But while Jehovah thus manifested his mercy and patience, and declared these to be as enduring as his eternal self-existence, he at the same time proclaimed that great law of retribution which we trace not only in his moral kingdom, but in the kingdom of nature. Whenever and however we sin, we fall under that law;

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Almighty God, who in times past didst speak unto the fathers by the prophets, we bless thee that in these latter days thou hast spoken unto us by thy Son; that the glory which the patriarchs beheld afar off, and the promise which the prophets waited for, have been revealed in Christ; and, above all, that we have in him the forgiveness of sins and the life everlasting. Grant us grace, we beseech thee, ever to walk in thy light, and to keep thy testimonies. May thy gospel this day minister to our peace and comfort, our faith and hope, our instruction in righteousness, our sanctification through obedience of the truth! May it quicken souls that are dead in trespasses and sins, and comfort and edify thy saints! May children hear the voice of Jesus their Saviour, and come unto

don our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.

28. And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights: he did neither eat bread nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

29. And it came to pass, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount), that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.

30. And, when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.

31. And Moses called unto them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him; and Moses talked with them.

32. And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh; and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him in Mount Sinai.

33. And, till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face.

34. But, when Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he took the veil off until he came out. And he came out and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded.

35. And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone; and Moses put the veil upon his face again until he went in to speak with him.

and our only hope is, through hearty repentance, in getting back to God as our merciful and forgiving Father.

The effect of the divine glory was to make the face of Moses resplendent, — at the first, unconsciously to himself. Nearness of communion with God will exalt and glorify the character; and there is nothing to hinder our receiving the full effulgence of such communion, since for us the veil is done away in Christ.

Prayer.

[Nos. 107, 110, 148.

him! While in thy house, may we have the spirit of prayer and praise, and give earnest heed to the things that we shall hear! O thou God of peace, who didst bring again the Lord Jesus from the dead! grant us peace, we pray thee, through pardon in his blood and the hope of his resurrection. May none of us neglect this great salvation!

We give thee thanks, O Lord our preserver! for rest and refreshment in the night: grant us, this day, rest from the toils and cares of life, — rest in thee. Fulfil unto this household, and to all believing households, the mercies of thy covenant, through Jesus Christ our Lord; to whom, with thee, O Father! and the Eternal Spirit, be glory everlasting. Amen.