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the text. "And Moses said unto the people; Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he shall shew you to-day; for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace."

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In these words we perceive a spirit of decided piety. This man of God thought not of human help: it was a case beyond its reach. He thought of the LORD as the only Deliverer, and the salvation of the Lord as the only effectual relief. Let us learn, under peculiar difficulties, to do the same! Not to neglect the use of proper means, or to undervalue the aid which creatures may afford, but never to look to them, when we should be looking to a higher Power; never to expect from them, what can be received only from above! The Church was in trouble; no language could be more proper, or evidence a better spirit, than that which she adopted in those circumstances: "In the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy Name, and to the remembrance of thee." The example of Jehoshaphat, in his perplexity, is instructive in the same view; "O our God, we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do; but our eyes are upon thee." The eyes and the heart of Moses, in this critical emergency, were towards the Lord his God. His hope was in Him; his expectation from Him.

We have also an instance of amiable meekness.Most men would have remonstrated with this people, and in exposing the folly of their impatience, and censuring the sin of their ingratitude, would themselves have betrayed undue warmth and irritation of temper. Not so this leader of Israel. He is cha

racterised the meekest man, and his deportment on this trying occasion is sufficient to justify the honourable distinction. The ill treatment which Moses received was from the persons whose benefit only he consulted, and to whose deliverance and happiness he had devoted his life; yet you hear not one angry word against them. God bore with their provocations, and well might his servant. Amidst all the turbulence and noise of a dissatisfied people, he was perfectly cool and collected. He was "reviled;" but, like One greater than himself, "he reviled not again." He suffered;" in the feelings of his mind he must have suffered much; but " he threatened not." He stood, a lovely example of patience in trying circumstances-of meekness amidst bitter provocations. Let us imitate Moses, for he had much of the spirit of Jesus.

Particularly, here is the exercise of steady faith.Moses said nothing to excite resistance against the enemy, and to rouse the courage of the Israelites. He suggested no plan of human policy, by which they might try to extricate themselves from threatened ruin. His trust was in the Lord. Like Abraham, he " was strong in faith, giving glory to God." He was persuaded, that in one way or other, Jehovah would appear, his hand would be evident in their behalf. "The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace." In the firm belief of this, his words were weighty: they were words of consolation, and of reviving encouragement: "Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not; stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord." In the day of their trouble, and the very hour of their rebellion, deliverance was at hand, and this from the direct interposition of the God of Salvation! "For my thoughts are not your

thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." The counsel, or rather the command, of Moses to the people was most kind and salutary. They were terribly afraid; but"fear ye not;" they were all in commotion and confusion; but-" stand still;" they knew not what to do, or whither to look; but-" see the salvation of the Lord." When by his providence we are brought into difficulties, he is never at a loss to extricate us; and in times of greatest trial, it is our wisdom to be calm and collected-to hope, and quietly to wait. The more we have of this temper of mind, this disposition of heart, the brighter is our evidence that God is working deliverance for us; and the better are we prepared to discern and to consider his hand. "Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord."-This leads us to observe,.

"And

III. THE INTERPOSITION OF JEHOVAH. It was most seasonable and beneficial. the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me?" There is no express mention in the former verses of Moses crying unto the Lord; but the fact of his doing so is certain. Both before and immediately after his speaking to the people, he set himself to seek the Most High, from whom alone their help could come. While the cry of the Israelites was clamorous and impatient; this of their leader was humble, earnest, and devout. Behold him, stirring up his soul, pouring out his heart, wrestling fervently with his God in that moment of peculiar emergency! And what was the answer? "Wherefore criest thou unto me?" Was the Lord displeased

with his servant for this? Certainly not. He means not to blame, but to instruct.. It is not the language of reproof, but an intimation that his prayer was heard and also that there was something more to be done. Prayer is highly proper and important, but is not all that is requisite. "Wherefore criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.”

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But was this possible? Were they to rush headlong into the sea; and add to the sin of murmuring, that of self-murder? No; the voice of reason, no less than of religion, is, "Do thyself no harm." While the Israelites were to go forward," Moses was to aid their duty, and at the same time to demonstrate the miraculous interposition of the Almighty. lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it; and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the

sea."

"But

Whence had the rod of Moses this power? Doubtless from that God who commissioned his servant to act as his Prophet, and with whom nothing is impossible." Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward." They might have started the most plausible objections, and unbelief would have made these objections insuperable; but faith readily surmounted them, and indeed set them altogether aside. They did precisely as they were directed. "The children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea-shore."

Thus we have briefly noticed the situation of the Israelites; the conduct of Moses; and the interposition of Jehovah. We now attempt an improvement of the subject, in more direct application to ourselves. It is plain that such an admonition as this in the text, must not be indiscriminately urged. It belongs to Christians, to men converted to God, and sincerely the followers of Jesus Christ. To as many as are of this character, we affectionately say-Go forward. More particularly,

1. You are engaged in a high spiritual pursuit.

As the children of Israel had escaped from Egypt, and had shaken off the cruel bondage of their oppressor; so you have turned from the present evil. world, have renounced the slavery of sin, the thraldom of Satan, and have in view the kingdom of Heaven. This being the case, think not lightly of the concern in which you are embarked: it requires firm decision, and involves the most serious results.

The Israelites set out from Egypt, to the land of Canaan; and you have left the region of destruction, for the city of God: you have entered on a journey to the new Jerusalem above.-Yours, therefore, is an enterprise of the greatest magnitude: but fear not; that God who has inclined your heart to attempt it, and indeed effected your release, will encourage you in your course, and enable

on your way.

you to hold

Your object now is, the acquisition of scriptural knowledge; not the knowledge of froth and folly ;the cherishing and improving of religious impres sions; not to stifle and strive against them.-Your object is, to vanquish sin; to rise in victory over it, in all its various forms, and baneful workings;-to

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