Page:A Treatise of the Covenant of Grace (John Ball).djvu/110

 98 have the Mediatour Moses to have more to doe with the delivery of the second writing then at the first, which was the prologue to the lenifying of the Law, wherewith man had to doe. 2. Moses must bring the Tables up, and God would write the words before written, which shewed that God could not, nor would not alter the Law, which was a perfect draught of the first Law imprinted in Adam. 3. Consider that here was no preparation, nor any terror of wonders, but a soft breath of God in this passage, noting this, that God had sufficiently thundred wrath in the former delivery, and now seekes to cover it that the people might heare and obey. 4. Moses must provide an Arke to cover the Tables, which was not only for the safe keeping of the Tables, but to cover the wrath and curse, that the people should not see it, which was the first vaile. 5. We doe not reade that ever the Lord would have either the people or Priest to reade these words out of stone, but as they were mollifyed by Moses his transcription, in his bookes especially; wherein Prince and people were to reade the duties of the Covenant and the promises. No more tables, there they are, but deale not with them, there is wrath at the first opening: which was the reason why God smote the men of Bethshemesh with such a slaughter, because they durst looke into, and reade upon these tables of the Arke of the Lord, 1 Sam. 6. 19. 6. We reade that God, Exod. 34. 5. when Moses was standing before the Lord with his prepared tables, the Lord descended, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord, and said, The Lord God mercifull and gratious, long suffering and aboundant in mercy and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sinne. Thus the Lord would take away the edge of the curse, though he would write it for ends unmentioned. Then the Lord upon the Mount rehearsed the Covenant of grace with Israel, and causeth Moses the Mediatour to write it, Exod. 34. 27. And now he had in his hand both the Covenant of works and of grace, the one hid in the Arke, the other open in his hand: the same Commandements, but the one with wrath, the other lenified by God. 7. When Moses came downe this appearance of God had changed the skin of his face, that he was glad to put a vaile upon him, for otherwise the people could not, nay durst not behold him, but ranne from him, as at first from God, when he delivered the Law upon Mount Sinai, which God would have for the very same end,