therefore, Moses might, surely, without committing sin, put an Egyptian to death, if he had no other way of preserving the life of one of his brethren. From the example of Moses we should learn to despise all wordly riches and honours, when they cannot be enjoyed without giving up our title to the Divine promises; we are also instructed to consult the ease and interests of others in preference to our own selfish gratification. " * The man who discovers. by the whole course of his actions, that he lives for himself alone, is always beheld with contempt; while he who cheerfully foregoes his own private advantage, to procure more important benefits for others, is an object of general esteem and admiration. Where the benevolent principle is predominant, it will dictate a thousand acts of kindness, which would never have fallen in the way of the selfish man; it will point out innumerable opportunities of obliging and serving others in the common incidents of life, and will make the sincere Christian as industrious in seeking, and as ready to embrace such opportunities, as the vainest person can be to display his services before the world in the more splendid scenes of public action." SECTION LVIII. GOD APPEARETH TO MOSES-SENDETH HIM AND HIS BROTHER AARON TO PHARAOH. From Exodus, Chap. ii. iii. iv. And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried; and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. * Dr. Enfield's Sermon on the Character of Moses. And And God heard their groaning, and Goo remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and GOD had respect unto them. Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father inlaw, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the back-side of the desert, and came to the mountain of : even to Horeb. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; GOD: ed, and behold, the bush burned with fire, was not consumed. and he look and the bush And Moses said, I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, Gop called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither; put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the GOD of thy father, the GOD of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the GoD of Jacob. And Moses hid his face: for he was afraid to look upon GOD. And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their task-masters: for I know their sorrows. And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land, unto a good land, and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Now Now therefore behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me; and I have also seen the op. pression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt, And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt ? And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve. GOD upon this mountain. And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The GoD of your father hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name; what shall I say unto them?.. And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. 4 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD GOD of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the Gop of Jacob, hath sent me unto you; this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD GOD of your fathers, the GoD of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt. And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt, unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD GOD OF the Hebrews hath met with us; and now let us go (we beseech thee) three days journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our Gop. And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders, which I will do in the midst thereof; and after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that when ye go, ye shall not go empty.... But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians. And Moses answered and said, But behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, the LORD hath not appeared unto thee. And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? and he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground: and he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent: and Moses fled from before it. And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail: and he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand. That they may believe that the LORD GOD of their fathers, the Gop of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the GOD of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. And And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom; and he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again; and he put his hand into his bosom again, and plucked it out of his bosom; and behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river, shall become blood upon the dry land. And Moses said unto the LORD, O my LORD, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind: have not I the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. And he said, O my LORD, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: |