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by the interference of God, on purpose to convince man that it is God who is at work. Moses was apprehensive that the children of Israel, even when they heard the name and the message of God, would still question whether he really was God's messenger; and would say, "The Lord hath not appeared unto thee." In answer to this difficulty, God bade him throw down a rod, or stick, that was in his hand; "and it became a serpent." And when he "fled from before it," God commanded him again, "Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail." And when through faith he overcame his fear, and did as he was commanded, "it became a rod in his hands." The object of all which is thus declared, "That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee." A miracle of another kind was also wrought; God giving the command, Moses putting his hand into his bosom, and God working the miraculous effects, first leprosy, and then health restored. And further God gave instructions for another kind of miracle, which was to be wrought with the water of the river of Egypt, in case the Israelites would not hearken to the voice of the two first signs. Thus Moses was amply assured, that God had furnished him with means to convince his brethren. And he had no longer any ground on which to hesitate in undertaking the appointed work.

But see how weak is faith, even in the faithful. See how sinful it is to plead distrust in our own selves, when it amounts to distrust of God! Moses now begins to plead, that he has not the eloquence which would be needful for the persuasion of the Israelites. As if God who made the mouth, could not also make it eloquent! And even when God promises to teach him what to say, he still but faintly consents to go; speaking as if he almost wished that some one else might serve instead, "O my Lord, send I pray thee by the hand of him whom thou wilt send." No wonder that the anger of the Lord was kindled. For not to close thankfully with that which God proposes is little better than actually to refuse it. No wonder that Aaron is now to share with Moses this honourable office; since "he will be glad in his heart" to see his brother, and to be told what he is to say. And have we not been afraid, as we listened to this history, that God would in his anger reject Moses altogether, instead of allowing him to take his rod in his hand for working miracles, and to be "instead of God" to Aaron, to tell him what God would have him say? And ought we not to be surprised at God's like forbearance to ourselves, seeing how little we care to use the gift that is in us, towards delivering from the bondage of iniquity the many nations to whom his covenant extends? Ought we not to be overcome with thankfulness, and also to be stirred up to exertion; when we find that the honourable office of his messengers is not yet altogether taken from our hands?

Moses and Aaron meet in the wilderness; persuade the Israelites.

18 And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.

19 And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.

20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

21 And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.

22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:

23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.

24 And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. 25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.

26 So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.

27 And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.

28 And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him.

29 And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel : 30 And Aaron spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. 31 And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.

LECTURE 110.

The advantage of acting in concert as brethren.

Moses speaks to Jethro of returning unto his brethren in Egypt; and yet after this he needs to be reminded by the Lord, "Go, return into Egypt;" and he is also encouraged by the assurance, "all the men are dead which sought thy life." And when he went "he took his wife and his sons," rather as if he expected to sojourn there some time, than as if he hoped soon to return, and worship God in Horeb. See ch. 3. 12. And it appears from what happened at one of the resting places in his journey, that he had not been careful to circumcise his son; as if he had

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posed himself cut off from the covenant of Israel; and had not now, since the revelation of the Lord, bethought himself of complying with this ordinance. All these circumstances help to furnish us with an answer to the gainsayer, as proving, that the mission which Moses undertook, was far from being of his own. devising. For they shew us how reluctantly he entered into the plan, even when God had plainly laid it down.

It was indeed no easy undertaking either to carry the point proposed with Pharaoh, or to obtain credit and authority with his brethren. And to add to his difficulty, he is forewarned, that when he should work the miracles which God enabled him to do, yet God would harden Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the people go. God as the righteous Judge of all the earth, would punish Pharaoh for his cruelty to the Israelites, by making him blind to the mighty works of Moses, and obstinate in refusing his demands; until for refusing to release God's adopted children, he should have his own firstborn slain. This was indeed a great discouragement to Moses. But it ought to have made him so much the more anxious to fulfil God's commands to the letter. Neither the vexatious opposition of his wife, nor his own distrustful thoughts, ought to have led him to delay a matter of such moment, as the circumcision of his son. When we hear that for this instance of neglect the Lord "sought to kill him," and when we consider that baptism is with us what circumcision was with him, we shall not dare to put off the time of baptism, or to make light of the value of the ordinance, either with a view to suit the convenience of our relatives, or to humour the weakness of our own feeble faith.

But if Moses had a difficult undertaking, and much to dishearten him, he had also a most singular and appropriate encouragement, in this miraculous meeting with his brother in the wilderness. God set the time, and fixed the place. Each went as he was led by an unseen hand; one from Midian, and one from Goshen. And lo, two brothers, who for so many years before had never set eyes upon each other, met in the wilderness, and embraced upon "the mount of God!" They met, they communed, they went, they prospered. They went together, they spake with one mind, they acted with one purpose. "And the people believed." Oh, if we would but thus speak, and act, in our great work of making known the Gospel to mankind, how pleasantly would brother meet with brother in the wilderness! And when those whom we send forth to preach, salute each other as brethren in the ends of the earth, oh how much more readily will those to whom we send them, bow their heads to the true God, and worship Him!

Lord, let all men know that we are thy disciples, by this, that we love one another! See John 13. 35. Lord, make us one amongst each other, that the world may believe that Thou hast sent us! See John 17. 21.

Moses and Aaron apply to Pharaoh, and are refused.

saying,

1 And afterward Moses and the people, and their officers, Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.

2 And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.

3 And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword. 4 And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.

5 And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.

6 And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of

7 Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.

9 Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.

10 And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw.

11 Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished.

12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.

LECTURE 111.

That the only true diligence is to serve the Lord.

Consider

It was no very great thing for Pharaoh to have granted, if he had complied with the request of Moses and Aaron. ing how much benefit he had derived from the labours of the Israelites, he might well have allowed them these few days for a religious service. Perhaps the reason why no more was asked of him was this, that this was the utmost which he might by any possibility have been induced to grant. For God, as we are assured by St. Paul, "endured with much long suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction." Rom. 9. 22. And Pharaoh therefore, though now ripe for the infliction of God's judgments, was not tempted above that he was able to bear. was alike fatal to a small request and to a great one. Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? the Lord, neither will I let Israel go." They that

But his answer

"Who is the I know not know not

God, will neither obey Him in a greater matter nor in a less. They that know Him rightly, and love Him much, will deem nothing too great to yield to his pleasure, nothing too trifling to do at his command.

But the king of Egypt was not content with refusing this moderate request. He reproached the messengers of Jehovah, with letting the people, that is to say, hindering them, "from their works." And the very same day he gave orders to "the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves." This in effect was adding greatly to their burdens. For in the bricks which they had to make, there was much straw kneaded up with the clay, to hold it together whilst it was dried by the rays of the sun. And when Pharaoh refused to supply it as before, they were forced to wander "throughout all the land of Egypt, to gather stubble instead of straw." How cruel must have been the heart of Pharaoh, when he could thus demand the same "tale" or reckoning of bricks, without furnishing the requisite materials, from a people who were beforehand so grievously oppressed! See ch. 2. 23. And what a warning is here given for all who are in any station. of authority, to be considerate in the work which they require to be done!

It was adding insult to injustice, for Pharaoh to say that it was idleness, which made the Israelites wish to sacrifice to the Lord. As if the work which they were employed about for him, was all that they ought to think of doing! As if any time not spent in his service, was to be counted no better than lost! The gross foolishness of his reproachful words will be no less obvious than their cruelty, if it be true, as is probable, that his own important business, for which he used the labour of the Israelites, was building pyramids such as now remain in Egypt; the largest masses of building in the world, with the least possible beauty or usefulness. What indeed their use could ever have been is not agreed upon amongst those who are best acquainted with the subject. But to us they serve to yield a salutary lesson, as to the vanity of worldly work, compared with the work of worship offered to the Lord. We can have no business of our own so urgent, as to pay Him the honour due unto his name. To build a pyramid, this is idleness. To offer sacrifice to the Lord, this is true diligence. Whatever therefore we have to do, let us do it as unto Him; to his honour, and according to his will. And then our work will stand, and we as workmen need not be ashamed, when the earth itself, as well as all "the works that are therein, shall be burned up." 2 Pet. 3. 10. Never may we reckon it waste time, to be engaged in the service of God! Never may we do any work we have in hand, without intent to serve the Lord!

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