Joseph; and blessed be God, so others have done, to the great advantage of the living,

2. Joseph, after his trial of all that this world could afford, and when he was dying, chose the promise for his lot and portion.

3. No interposition of difficulties ought to weaken our faith, as to the accomplishment of the promises of God.

VERSE 23.

By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.

51. The parents of Moses, their faith. §2. The cruelty of Pharaoh prevented. $3. Moses hid by his parents. $4. A peculiar motive to it. $5, 6. Faith the principle of their actings. §7. Observations.

§1. In searching the sacred records of eminent exIN amples of the power and efficacy of faith, the apostle proceeds to Moses; and indeed, if we consider his person and circumstances, the work he was called to, the trials, difficulties, and temptations he had to engage with, the concernment of the glory of God and of the whole church in him, the illustrious representation of the redemption and deliverance of the church by Christ in what he did, with his success and victory over all opposition, we must acknowledge that there cannot be a more excellent exemplification of the power of faith, than that was which was given in him; for this cause, the apostle takes one step backwards, to declare the faith of his parents in preserving him when an infant.

§2. After that Pharaoh failed in his design of destroying the male children of the Hebrews by the midwives, he gave the execution of it in charge to all the officers among them, who no doubt were sufficiently

diligent and officious in the work committed to them. About the very entrance of this new effectual way of destroying the male children, when their rage was most fierce, no way abated by compassion, not wearied by long continuance, nor weakened by want of success, Moses, who was destined to be the deliverer of the whole people from their misery, is born and preserved. How blind are poor sinful mortals in all their contrivances against the church of God! When they think all is secure, and that they shall not fail of their end, that their counsels are laid so deep as not to be blown up, their power so uncontrollable, and the way wherein they are engaged so effectual, that God himself can hardly deliver his servants out of their hands; he that sits on high laughs them to scorn, and with an almighty facility lays in provision utterly to destroy them, and to deliver his church.

§3. "Moses was hid three months (UTO TWV TaleρWY avls) of his parents." The word (Talepes) fathers, is here used in the common gender for (yoves) parents; in the story there is mentioned only of his mother, Exod. ii, 2; and that was, because the execution of the counsel or advice was committed to her; wherein she used also the helps of her daughters, ver. 4; but it is plain his father was no less engaged in this work and duty than his mother; (εxрußи invoν) he was hid by them three months; herein they exercised their faith, in that they concealed, as much as they were able, that a male child was born in the family; they kept him not in the usual place for children, but hid him in some secret part of the house. Here he abode "three months;" about the end of which time probably the report began to grow, that there was a male child born there, which would have occasioned an immediate strict search, from which

they could not have preserved him. No doubt but during this season their diligence was accompanied with fervent cries to God, and the exercise of trust in him. The occasion was great on all hands, and they were not wanting to their duty. The outward act of hiding the child was but an indication of the internal working of faith.

$4. Because they saw he was a proper child;" (810) because, or when, or whereas they saw. It doth not include the whole cause of what they did, as if this were the only reason why they did it, but it res pects that impression on their minds which the sight of the child gave them, exciting them to that duty which they had other grounds and reasons for. It is granted, the sight of the child greatly excited their natural affections, by which their minds were made the more ready to engage in the hazard which faith called them to, for his preservation. They saw that he was (aolo To Taidiov) a proper child. The Hebrew word () Tob, is applied to every thing that is on any account approveable and excellent in its kind. The word signifies comely, beautiful, goodly, (ayados, nahos.) Holy Stephen expressed the force of the Hebrew word by (acleios Tw OEW) fair to God, or in the sight of God, Acts vii, 20; which we render exceeding fair. No doubt but some unusual sweetness and beauty of countenance is intended. And not only so, but I am persuaded, from that expression of Stephen, that there was (Bov Ti) an appearance of somewhat divine and supernatural, which drew the thoughts of the parents to a deep consideration of the child. They quickly thought it was not for nothing that God had given such a peculiarly promisin gcountenance to the infant. This not only drew their affections, engaged them, but moved their minds and judgments to endeavor all lawful ways for

his preservation. Note; it is well, when any thing of eminency in our children doth so engage our affections to them, as to make them useful and subservient to diligence in the disposing of them to the glory of God. Otherwise, a fondness in parents arising from the natural endowments o f children, is usually hurtful and oftentimes ruinous to both.

$5. The principle of their actings for his preservation in hiding him, as also in the means afterwards used, was their faith.

1. I take it for granted, that they had no special particular revelation concerning the life and work of this child. No such thing is mentioned, nor was it needful for the acting of faith in this matter; and the manner of their deportment in the whole manifests that they had no such thing.

2. They had a firm faith concerning the deliverance of the people out of bondage in the appointed season. This they had an express promise for, and were peculiarly engaged to the belief of it by the divine testimony of Joseph, and his charge to carry his bones with them; and with respect to this deliverance they are said, "Not to fear the king's command," which was the effect of their faith.

§6. It was (dialaya) an ordinance, a statute, an edict which had the force of a standing law, established by the king, with the council of the kingdom, Exod. i, 9-11; and this law lay directly against the accomplishment of the promise; for it aimed at the extirpation of the whole race. This the parents of Moses feared not; they knew the promise of God for their preservation, multiplication, and deliverance should take place, notwithstanding all the laws of men, and the highest rage in their execution. God having promised to Abraham, that he would multiply his seed, and

expressly to Jacob, that he would do it in Egypt, Gen. xlvi, 3; it utterly made void this law from the first enacting. They had also a persuasion that God would provide a person who should by the means of their obedience, and who should conduct them from their bondage. This Moses himself apprehended when he he slew the Egyptian, and began to judge that he himself might be the person, Acts vii, 24, 25. And although afterwards he said, "Omy Lord, send I pray thee by the hand of him whom thou wilt send," Exod. iv, 13; he was sure he would send one, but prayed that he might not be the man. Now the parents of Moses, having this persuasion deeply fixed in them, and being raised by their distresses to desires and expectations of a deliverer, beholding also the unusual divine beauty of their child-might well be raised to some just hopes, that God had designed him to that great work. Though they had no special revelation of it, they had such an intimation of some great end God had designed him for, as that they could not but say, "Who knows but God may have prepared this child for that end?" and sometimes, as to the event of things, faith riseth no higher, than to such an interrogation; as Joel ii, 13, "they feared not the king's edict." There is no mention of any thing in the royal mandate but that "every male child should be cast into the river," Exod. i, 22; but it is generally and rationally apprehended, that they were forbid to hide their children on pain of death. This they were not so afraid of as to neglect their duty. Neither was their change of method from want of faith, but rather an effect and fruit of it. For when one lawful way of preservation from persecution, oppression, and cruelty will not secure us any longer, it is our duty to betake ourselves to some other which is more likely to do so.