Commentary on Harmony of the Law Volume 2 Complete John Calvin
HARMONY OF THE LAW · VOLUME 2 will be the assignment of the reason why God pardons sins, viz., because He is unwilling to cut off men, which would be the case if He insisted on the utmost rigor of the Law. Some 383 thus explain it, That God pardons sins, because no one is innocent in His sight; as if it were said, that all are destitute of the glory of righteousness, and thence their only refuge is in the mercy of God. This is true indeed, but not so nmch an exposition as a plausible conceit.
8. And Moses made haste, and bowed his head This haste shews that Moses was astounded when he first beheld the brightness; for thus does God, when He reveals Himself, immediately ravish the godly into such admiration of Him, that there is no time for delay. 384 This prayer follows, that God would journey with His people, and bear with their frowardness; for, since God had said that He could not possibly dwell with so stiff-necked and intractable a people, Moses proposes the remedy, viz., after he has confessed that the people are of a hardened and stubborn spirit, he still expresses a hope of their safety, if God will be pitiful in sparing them. What follows is worthy of observation, "that thou mayest possess us;" 385 for the copula has the force of the causal particle, as if he had said, That God could not enjoy the inheritance He had chosen, unless by pardoning their sins. And surely so it is; for such is man's frailty, that they would straightway fall from grace were they not reconciled to God. Nor was this spoken only of this ancient people, but refers also to us; for, in order that God should possess us too, it is needful that our sins should be constantly pardoned, as this embassy, according to Paul, daily resounds in the Church. (2 Corinthians 5:20.) Consequently, not only does the origin of our salvation flow from gratuitous adoption, but its continual progress even to the end can only be accomplished by God's freely reconciling us to Himself.
10. And he said, Behold, I make a covenant It is not specified with whom God would make the covenant. Some interpreters, 386 therefore, supply the name of Moses, and this they seem to do on probable grounds, especially since it is added at the end of the verse "the work 387 that I will "The translation of V. is, "Nullusque apud to per se innocens est."
"Qu'ils n'ont point loisir de deliberer de ce qu'ils ont a faire, mais sont du premier coup abatus;" that they have no time to deliberate as to what they should do, but are abashed at once. — Fr.
"And take us for thine inheritance." — A. V. "Inherit, or possess thou us." — Heb.
Thus the LXX.; Καὶεἶπε Κύριος πρὸς Μωυσὢν, ἰδοὺἐγὼτίθημίσοι διαθήκην "The thing." — A.V.