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have no reason to think that Moses laid any scheme at all. It is indeed probable, that reason might suggest to Moses, that it could be in no wise proper to lead his people directly through Philistia to Canaan. His people, though very numerous, were a mixed multitude, not used to, and altogether undisciplined for war; and the Philistines were a strong and valiant people, and could not well be thought willing to suffer six hundred thousand persons to enter their country. Discretion and prudence therefore might suggest to him, that it would be more proper to lead them about by the Wilderness of Arabia, and to retire with them to Midian, where he was sure he should be well received by Jethro the ruler there; and there to form them, for what undertakings it might please God to design them. All this may be consistent with the Hebrew expression of God's leading them; who is often said to do several things, by permitting them to be done by the conduct of the persons employed to do them. But though all this might reasonably be supposed; yet, as I said, the journeying of the Israelites from Succoth to the Red Sea, was évidently conducted by GoD's immediate direction. 1. For if Moses designed to carry the people to Jethro's country, he had a much nearer way from Etham, through the Wilderness of Sinai, than to lead the people into the mountainous and rocky country, on the Egyptian borders of the Red Sea, out of which he could not expect to find any passage into Midian, without coming back to Etham again. 2. As far as I am able to judge, this had been a

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much safer, as well as a much nearer way. Pharaoh heard that the people had taken this rout, he immediately concluded that he could easily destroy them; for he said, they were entangled in the land, shut up in the rocky and impassable parts of a wild and uncultivated country." I cannot possibly see, why Moses should lead them so much out of their way, and into such a disadvantageous country; but upon the view of the miraculous deliverance which GOD designed them at the Red Sea. 3. But it is evident that from Succoth to the Red Sea the Israelites travelled under the especial guidance of heaven; for the pillar of the cloud, and of fire, which went before them, directed them where to go. Moses had no room left to chuse the way; for the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them in the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light: to go by day and night. took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people." Moses had only to observe the guidance of this glorious and miraculous direction; and to follow as that led him from Succoth to Etham, to Pihahiroth between Migdol and Baalzephon, and to the sea.

He

After the Israelites were gone out of Egypt, Pha raoh repented of his having given them leave to depart, especially upon its being remonstrated to him that the people were fled; that they were not

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gone a few days journey merely to serve the LORD their God, but that they designed never to return to him any more. The loss of so many slaves was a very sensible diminution of his grandeur, as well as wealth, and the manner in which they were extorted from him, inglorious both to him and his kingdom; and the hearing that Moses had led them into a part of the country, where he thought it would be easy to distress them, made him resolve to follow them, and try if possible to redress his losses, or revenge himself upon them. He therefore immediately summoned together his forces, and with a numerous army pursued the Israelites, and overtook them at their encamping near the Red Sea. At the approach of Pharaoh, the Israelites were afraid; they gave over their lives for lost, and were ready to mutiny against Moses for bringing them out of Egypt. But Moses exhorted the people to fear nothing, assuring them, that they should not be exposed to the difficulty of a battle, but that they should see the salvation of GOD; that GOD would give them a miraculous deliverance, and destroy all the Egyptians who pursued them. It was night when Moses thus spake to them, and soon after he had done speaking, the wonderful

Josephus says, that Pharaoh's army, with which he pursued the Israelites, consisted of six hundred chariots, 50,000 horse, and 200,000 foot soldiers. Antiq. lib. 2. Exod. xiv:

c. 15.

! Ver. 11.

• Ver. 13.

appearance of the pillar of fire, and of the cloud, which went before them to direct their journey, removed and placed itself between them and the Egyp tians, with its shining or bright side towards the Israelites, and with its dark or cloudy side towards the Egyptians; so that the Israelites had light to be moving forward towards the sea, and the Egyptians not being able so well to see their way, could not follow so fast as to get up with them. When the Israelites were come to the sea, they made a stop for some hours. Moses held up his hand over the sea, and GOD was pleased by a mighty wind to divide the waters, and to make a space of dry ground from one side of the sea to the other, for the Israelites to pass over. Hereupon Moses and Aaron led the way," and

t Exod. xiv. 19, 20.

"Some of the Hebrew writers represent, that when Moses had divided the sea, the Jews were afraid to attempt to go over it, but that the head of the tribe of Judah led the way; and that as a reward for the courage of this tribe in this attempt, they were appointed to march foremost in all the future journeyings of the Israelites; but the Psalmist seems to hint that Moses and Aaron went before the Israelites into the sea; Psalm 1xxvii., and this fiction about the tribe of Judah has no better foundation than the numerous other fancies of these writers, one of which relating to this passage over the Red Sea is wonderfully extravagant. They say, that God in dividing the waters, made twelve different paths, that each tribe might have a path to itself; but conceits of this sort want no refutation.

the Israelites followed them into the midst of the sea; and the waters stood on heaps on each side of them, and were as a wall to them on their right hand, and on their left, all the way they passed. The Egyptians came on after them, and it being night, and they not having the light of the pillar, which guided the Israelites, finding themselves upon dry ground, all the way they pursued, might, perhaps, not at all suspect that they were off the shore; for I imagine, that if they had seen the miraculous heaps of waters on each side the Israelites, they would not so eagerly have ventured still to press after a people saved by so great a miracle. When the Israelites were got safe on the land over the sea, towards morning, the LORD looked from the pillar of fire and of the cloud upon the Egyptians, and troubled their host, and took off their chariot wheels, that they drace them heavily. The Egyptians began to find their passage not so easy; the waters began to come upon them, and their chariot wheels to sink and stiek fast in the muddy bottom of the sea, so that they could get no further, and Moses at the command of GoD stretched forth his hand over the sea. The Egyptians began now at day-break to see where they were, and to fear their ruin, they turned back as fast as they could, and endeavoured to get to shore; but the waters came upon them in their full strength, and overwhelmed them. Thus Pharaoh and his whole army were lost in the Red Sea.

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* Exod. xiv. 25.

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