Exposition of the Moral Law, Book 1 · Exercitation 2
EXERCITAT. II. The manner how the Lord gave the Law.
Exod. 19.16. And it came to paſſe, one the third day in the morning that there were thundrings and lightnings and a thicke Cloud upon the mount, &c.
FIrſt conſider, where the Lord gave this Law? upon Mount Sinai, and in the Tabernacle. Secondly, how he gave it? with thundering and lightning.why Sinai was called the mountaine of God.
The Lord gave his Law upon Mount Sinai: it is called the mountaine of God; not for the height of it, as tall Cedars are called the Cedars of God: but it is ſo called becauſe oftentimes the Lord appeared there and gave his Law there: and from this the Heathen called their Gods, the Gods of the Mountaines 1 King. 20.13. And therefore they ſacrificed in the high places.
The Apoſtle,A compariſon betwixt Sinai and Sion. Gal. 4.25. maketh a compariſon betweene Sinai and Sion; that is, betwixt the Law and the Goſpell, and he compareth Sinai and the Law to Hagar the bondwoman, who brought forth bond Children; and Sinai to Sara the free woman, who brought forth free Children, and he maketh Sinai, Hagar and her Children foreign, ſo he maketh Sion, Sara and her Children foreign: which agree together or are in the ſame ranke: then he maketh Sion, and Sara foreign, ſo hee maketh Hagar and Sara; and the bondwomans Children and the free. Let us ſtudie then to flye from Sinai, that burneth with fire and is a Mountaine of blackneſſe and darkeneſſe and Tempeſt, where there is nothing but feare and terror, and which bringeth forth Children of bondage: and let us come unto Sion and to the City of the living God, the heavenly Ieruſalem, which bringeth forth free Children, Heb. 12.18.22.
Sinai and Sion like Ebal and Gerazim.Sinai is like Mount Ebal, where the Tribes ſtood who curſed: and Sion is like mout Gerazim, where the Tribes ſtood to bleſſe. If we would be bleſſed, let us draw neere to Sion and Gerazim, and ſhunne Sinai and Ebal.
The Law was given in Sinai and in the Tabernacle: ſome part of this Law concerned onelyonly the Iewes,The morall Law was given upon Mount Sinai, but the ceremoniall Law in the Tabernacle. and ſome part of it concerned all the world. That which concerned all the world was given upon the top of the Mount. The ceremoniall Law which was given to the Iewes, was given to Moſes in the Tabernacle, Levit. 1. and when the Tabernacle was deſtroyed then the ceremonies were aboliſhed: but the morall Law which was given upon mount Sinai indureth for ever, and ſhall remaine as long as the Mountaines ſhall ſtand.
The ſecond thing to be conſidered, is the manner how the Lord gave his Law.
The Lord gave his Law with thunder and lightning, there is a great ſimilitude betweene naturall Thunder and ſpirituall Thunder;The thunder is called Gods voice. naturall Thunder is called the voice of God, and ſo is ſpirituall Thunder: but the difference is this, the naturall Thunder is the voice of God, but it is not a diſtinct voice, it ſheweth us that there is a God, but not diſtinctly that there is a God: and as there is a difference, betwixt the ſpeech which a man maketh with his fingers, Pro. 6.13. when he maketh ſignes with his fingers he is ſaid to ſpeake with them; and betwixt that which he ſpeaketh with his tongue: ſo there is a greater difference betwixt this naturall voice of God, his Thunder, and his ſpirituall voice in the Word; the one is vox in Aere, the other is vox in Sanctuario, Pſal. 29.9. But in the Temple every one ſpeaketh of his glorie,
Secondly,The naturall thunder reſembleth the ſpirituall thunder, the word. this naturall Thunder reſembleth the ſpirituall thunder in ſubtilitie, for this naturall Thunder will breake the bones and not the fleſh, and it will pierce verie ſubtilly: yet the ſpirituall Thunder farre ſurpaſſeth it; it will devide betwixt the marrow and the bones, Heb. 3.12. and it diſcerneth the very cogitations of the heart.
Laſtly, this naturall Thunder maketh Hindes to calve; it renteth the rockes, and it breaketh the hardeſt things which withſtand it, but not the ſofteſt:foreign ſo doth this ſpiritual Thunder, the Word of the Lord reſiſteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble Iam. 4.6. Pſal. 81.7. I anſwered thee in the ſecret place of thunder. Beſether ragnas, Symmachus, foreign in loco abſconditò majeſtatis: and the reaſon of the ſpeech was this,foreign vox. when hee was to reveale his will unto his people, hee revealed himſelfe and ſpake in the thunder,foreign filia voces, and the Grecizing Iewes call thunder foreign a voyce. as Exod. 19.16. and therefore kol is called a voyce, and when Bath is joyned with it, it is taken for a kind of Propheſie among the Hebrews: and with the thunder, hee uſually fortold them of ſomethings to come. Ioh. 42.29. when the Father ſaid to his Sonne I have glorified it, and will glorifie it againe. Some of thoſe that ſtood by ſayd it thundred, others ſaid it was an Angel that ſpake to him; Gods revelations made to the people were uſually with thunder.the reaſon was becauſe theſe Revelations were uſually in thunder, as if ye ſhould ſay, ſome ſay it was Kol, others ſay it was bath kol; and they ſay an Angel ſpeaketh to him, ſpeaking after the manner of the Chaldeans, who aſcribe the workes of God, to his Miniſters the Angels or contra. The Chaldes aſcribe the workes of God to his Angels.See Eccleſ. 5.6. ſay not before the Angell the, Seventy hath it, ſay not before God ſo the Chaldies call mortem repentinam, angelum mortis. And wee may obſerve further, that Iohn, in al the Revelations made to him, ioyneth thunder with the Revelation. as cap. 4.5. and out of the Throne proceeded Lightening and Thundrings, and voices. So cap. 6.1. I heard as it were the noiſe of thunder, one of the foure beaſts ſaying come and ſee. So cap. 10.3. and when he had cryed, ſeaven thunders uttered their voices: thus we ſee how the two thunders goe together: and therefore the Hebrews call them Tomim, foreigngemelli. The Chriſtian Iewes,gemelli. who obſerve, that propheſie and thunder went uſually together: when they heare it thunder ſo often, they aske of them who remaine Iewes ſtill. What is the cauſe that they heare no voyce, nor Angell ſpeaking unto them of their Meſſias to come? and theſe miſcreants when it thundreth doe light candles, hoping to heare that comfortable voice of their Meſſias; whom they expected ſo long.
The people when they heard the thunder, and the Lord ſpeaking, to them out of the cloud, were exceedingly affrayd, Exod. 20.19. and they ſaid unto Moſes, ſpeake thou with us, and we will heare. The Lord behoved to qualifie this voyce to them, and Moſes himſelfe feared and quaked, Heb. 12.21
Moyſes and the people were affrayd at the giving of the Law.When the Lord appeared to Elias, there came a ſtrong wind and rent the Mountaines, and the Rocks, and the Lord was not there: and after the wind, an Earthquake; and the Lord was not there: and after the Earthquake, a Fire; and the Lord was not there: and after the Fire, a ſtill ſmall voyce, and the Lord was there. 1 King. 19.17.18, the Lord hath qualified theſe thunderings of the Law; and of Kol, a thundering voyce, he hath made, bath Kol, vox in ſilentio, a ſmall voyce; and now Bonarges, the ſonnes of thunder, doe qualifie their threatnings, and temper them; that they become the ſonnes of conſolation; and as after thundring there commeth Raine: ſo after their threatnings, with pitty and teares of compaſſion; they end in comfort.