to preserve the lasting interests of a whole nation, and promote his own glory through the earth; could he, I say, hesitate what to do? Supposing, when God proposed to destroy Israel and make of him a great nation, he had said, I pray thee do as thou hast proposed, make of me a great nation, and blot out Israel from the book of life; would such a request have appeared amiable, or virtuous, or agreeable to the pious character of Moses? Or would it have appeared agreeable to the dictates of any other man's reason and conscience? But was there not something extremely noble, virtuous and honorable in the reply Moses made to God's proposal? "Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin: and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of the book thou hast written."

3. The petition of Moses was agreeable to the very law of love. God requires all men to love him with all the heart; and their neighbors as themselves. That is, he requires all men to love him supremely and to love all their fellow creatures in proportion to their worth and importance in the scale of being. This law required Moses to feel and speak as he did, in the situation God had placed him and in the view of the proposal he had made to him. God conditionally proposed to destroy his nation and spare him. In this view of his own and of his people's situation, the law of love required him, conditionally, to desire, that God would spare his people and destroy him; because the glory of God and the good of his people were unspeak ably more valuable, than all his own personal good. Had he, therefore, preferred his own personal good to the glory of God and the good of his people, he would not have loved God supremely, nor his people accord

ing to their worth and importance, which would have been a violation of the law of love. For in that case he would have loved himself more than the glory of God and the good of his people to all eternity. The inference is irresistible, that he ought to have desired God to glorify himself, and to promote the everlasting good of his people, though at the expense of all his own interest forever.

4. The request of Moses was perfectly agreeable to the spirit, which Christ uniformly expressed through the whole course of his life on earth. He always gave up a less good of his own, for a greater good of others. He endured all the labors, pains, and reproaches of life, obeying his Father's will, and doing good to men. At length he came to the trying hour, when he must either give up his own life, or the life of the world and the glory of God. At that time he made a conditional request to his Father and repeated it three times, saying "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt."--If one or the other must be given up, either his Father's glory and the salvation of sinners, or his own life, he desired to give up his own life; and did actually give it up. Now the prayer of Moses expressed the same spirit, that the prayer of Christ expressed. If Christ's prayer was proper conditionally, then the prayer of Moses was conditionally proper. They neither of them desired to suffer, simply considered; but both were willing to suffer for the glory of God and the salvation of sinners. There is, therefore, precisely the same reason to suppose, that the prayer of Moses was proper, as to suppose the prayer of Christ was proper. God placed them both in a trying situation, in which they were oblig

to preserve the lasting
promote his own glory
say, hesitate what to d
posed to destroy Isra
he had said, I pray th
of me a great nation,
of life; would such
or virtuous, or agre
ses? Or would
dictates of any o
But was there n
ous and honora'

proposal?

and if not, bl

hast written

3. The

law of lov the heart is, he love al worth law

sit

Ρ

were willing to lay down taisir ?

Paul says,

61

Greet Priscila Ama

t

in Christ: who have izj neeks unto whom pot or I all the churches of the genties a Prayer of Moses appears to be proper. bers character and conduct of Christ, to the characz conduct of the primitive christians, and to the glory of God and the good of the universe, to all! of pure, disinterested love, which always prefes

sonal considerations.

There is every kind of evide

be woulds

God and f
inference

God to g
good of

own inde

4. Ttu

to the ser the whale

T

ne request of Moses in the text was aud highly pleasing to God.

yer

IMPROVEMENT.

of Moses in the text was proper to God; then true love to God and speaking, disinterested love. Moses ve, which was not only without interest, to interest. He not only loved God mself, and his nation more than himself; A both God and his nation in opposition to le desired the glory of God and the good a might be promoted, not only in contrarief his own good, but in contrariety to all his

This was, strictly speaking, disinterestIt was not merely supreme love, or unive, or impartial love, but truly disintere. Many will allow, that true love is imuniversal, and supreme, while they strenuousthat it is properly disinterested. Some criticise e Greek preposition dis, and say it properly sigtwice, or double, rather than contrariety. This roundless assertion. No English writers use it in Sense, but always use it to signify contrariety; as ese words disease, disorder, displeasure, disunion, ord, disobedience; and in a multitude of other rds compounded of the preposition dis. No other jective can fully express the peculiar nature of pure, rtuous, holy love to God, or man; and distinguish essentially from selfishness. If a selfish man should

elieve, that God loved him and intended to employ all nis perfections and all his creatures and works to promote his private separate happiness in time and eterni

ed to pray either selfishly, or benevolently; and they both prayed benevolently and properly. They both expressed the purest love to God and man; and their example is worthy of universal imitation. For the apostle John says, "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." I may add,

:

5. That the prayer of Moses was proper, because it was agreeable to the prayers and practice of other good men. Paul said, "My heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved." Yea, he did solemnly declare, "I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh." Moses did not express a greater willingness to be blotted out of the book of life, than Paul did, when he said he was willing to be accursed from Christ, to answer the same purpose, which Moses desired might be answered by his being blotted out of the book of life. Moses Moses prayed as properly as Paul did; and they both prayed agreeably to the spirit of the primitive christians, who were willing to lay down their lives for the brethren. Paul says, "Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my helpers in Christ who have for my life laid down their own necks unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the gentiles." In a word, the prayer of Moses appears to be proper, because it was agreeable to the character and law of God, to the character and conduct of Christ, to the character and conduct of the primitive christians, and to the nature of pure, disinterested love, which always prefers the glory of God and the good of the universe, to all personal considerations. There is every kind of evidence

: