put upon it, we see at once the propriety of the order given to Moses,
founded on this act of grace. God's having "repented of the evil which
he thought to do unto them." If this is the meaning of the words, the
answer to Moses' prayer amounts to this--"I have heard and hearkened
to your prayer, and pardoned the sin of this people, proceed
_therefore_ in your march, and lead them to the place of which I have
spoken unto thee." The _therefore go now_, doth not surprize us. We
see the order rise out of the divine purpose; but on any of the other
constructions of the text, thwarts and contradicts it; or cannot
surely be assigned as the reason of it. SEVERAL other considerations
illustrate the subject, and confirm our construction of it.

When Moses returned to intercede for Israel, he certainly asked of God
to pardon their sin. _Oh! this people have sinned a great sin, and
have made them gods of gold--Yet now, if than wilt forgive their sin_
--That he was heard and obtained his request appears not only from the
history contained in our context, but from Moses' rehearsal of it just
before his death. He recounted the dealings of God with Israel, when
taking his leave of them on the plains of Moab--In that valedictory
discourse he reminded them of their sin on this occasion--of God's
anger against them--his threatening to destroy them, and how he
pleaded with God in their behalf, and the success which attended his
intercessions for them--"I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure
wherewith the Lord was wroth with you, to destroy you, but _the Lord
hearkened unto me at that time also_." *

* Deuteronomy ix. 19.

Sentence of death in the wilderness was afterwards denounced against
those sinners, and executed upon them, but not to punish this sin; but