prince of darkness. The children of Israel, having served a heathen prince more than 200 years, until they had increased to two millions of souls, God determined to bring them out of bondage, in fulfilment of his promise to Abraham, with a high hand, and a strong arm, amid many signs and wonders, and to magnify himself before all people.

The instrument by which he resolved to effect this deliverance was Moses, the son of a Hebrew woman, who, to avoid destruction by the Egyptians, was hid by his mother in an ark in the bulrushes, by the river's brink; where he was discovered by Pharaoh's daughter as she came to bathe, and adopted by her as her own son. In the court of Pharaoh, he was trained up in all the learning of the Egyptians; and if we may credit Josephus, was made a general in their armies, fought many battles, and was considered heir to the crown. But "by faith he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward." He had a holy confidence in the promises of God, and he turned his eye and heart from the crown of Egypt, to the deliverance of his brethren from their cruel bondage. Failing in some premature efforts to accomplish this, he fled to Midian, to Jethro, a priest, whose daughter he married, and with whom he lived forty years. Here he might have remained till death, had not Almighty God spoken to him out of the burning bush, and assured him of his design to deliver the Israelites by his hand. Obedient to the heavenly command, he left Jethro; and taking with him Aaron his brother, he appeared before Pharaoh, and demanded the release of the children of Israel. That haughty monarch repulsed him with scorn. Then ensued such a series of judgments, as no nation before or since ever knew. Their river was turned into blood. Frogs, and lice, and flies filled all their habitations. Murrain was on all their cattle. Boils covered man and beast. Rain and hail mingled with fire, descended upon their land. Devouring locusts rested on all their coasts. A supernatural darkness that might be felt, overspread the earth. And last and heaviest of all, the first born, "from the first born of Pharaoh, that sat upon the throne, to the first born of the maid that was behind the mill," became in one night, cold and silent corpses.

The Egyptians were accustomed to divination. They had their diviners, enchanters, witches, charmers, wizards and necromancers. These were called in to confront Moses; and, as they pretended by their magical arts to perform the same wonders, the heart of Pharaoh was more and more hardened against the Lord. But God moved on to the accomplishment of his purposes. The church was his,

and it he would redeem from the iron furnace.

On an ever memorable night, the Passover was instituted. It was then to be celebrated by the Israelites, as a token, or means of their deliverance, and afterwards, as a memorial of the power and love of God in their redemption, and a prefiguration of Christ our Passover. Scarce had they eaten the paschal lamb, when there was a cry made throughout all the land of Egypt; for it was the moment of the execution of the last and heaviest of God's judgments. And the Egyptians pressed them to depart, for they said, "we be all dead men." And they arose and went, for the Lord was their helper. But no sooner was their departure known to Pharoah, than he pursued them with all his hosts, and overtook them as they were encamped on the banks of the Red Sea. It was a dreadful moment. The sea before and the Egyptians behind, no chance of escape appeared; and they said unto Moses, "Because there were no graves in the land of Egypt, hast thou brought us here to die in the wilderness?" But Moses said, "Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord." And he stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea divided, and the children of Israel passed through on dry ground; the Lord going before them in a pillar of fire and of cloud. The presumptuous Egyptians pressed after; but the Lord caused the waters to enclose and cover them; and there they slept the sleep of death.

The exit of the children of Israel from Egypt, took place in the 2513th year of the world, 1491 years before the birth of Christ, 430 years from Abraham's coming into Canaan, and 215 from Jacob's descent into Egypt. Their number was about two millions. It was an event typical of the redemption of the Church from the bondage of sin and death, and must have deeply and solemnly impressed the surrounding nations, with the majesty, power, holiness, and wrath of God, and the value he placed on his chosen people.

The apostle Paul remarks, that all the Israelites were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They

were literally so, from the drops of water which were sprinkled upon them from the overshadowing cloud and from the sea, which stood in heaps beside them. This was a baptism unto Moses, as a typical mediator, by which they were bound to submit to that covenant which he, as the minister of God, was to reveal to them; but it was especially a type of the later initiating seal of the covenant of grace-yea, a type of the washing of regeneration and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus, of which baptism is only the sign.

On the completion of this wonderful deliverance, Moses composed a song, which he and the children of Israel sung unto the Lord; to which responses were made by Miriam the prophetess, accompanied by timbrels and dances. No doubt among that vast multitude there were many sincerely pious people, who from the heart, extolled God for his wonderful works. There was the true Church. But all were not Israel, who were of Israel. Indeed the greater part of that generation which came out of Egypt were unsanctified men, and exceedingly perverse. God delivered them from bondage for "his name's sake, and that he might make his power known." And if they united in the song of Moses, it was in the triumphs of victory. They sang his praise, but his loving kindness was soon obliterated from their minds. Forty years they wandered in the wilderness, but they were years of constant murmurings and rebellions. Before they crossed the Red Sea, they spake contemptuously to Moses. And within three days after they had sung the praises of the Lord, they murmured at the waters of Marah, because they were bitter. Then in a short period, they murmured for bread, looking back with bitter regret to the day when they sat by the flesh pots, and did eat bread to the full." God gave them bread from heaven, but "their soul loathed that light bread." Next they murmured for flesh. They were jealous of the honor conferred on Moses and Aaron. They made them a molten calf in imitation of the Egyptian god Apis, and were afterwards joined to Baalpeor; did eat the sacrifices of the dead, and committed abomination with the daughters of Moab. Their whole life was a continued scene of rebellion. "Forty years long," said God, "was I grieved with this generation." And though he did not destroy them utterly, he sometimes caused them to feel the power of his indignation. At one time three and twenty thousand were destroyed in a day.

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At another, the Lord sent among them fiery flying serpents which bit them, so that many of the people died. At another, three rebellious families were swallowed up in the earth for their sins, and 14,700 persons were suddenly cut off by a plague for murmuring against it. Such was their perverseness, that God sware in his wrath that none save Caleb and Joshua, of that generation, should enter the promised land.

Yet for their father's sake, God was kind and compassionate towards them. Oft he forgave them at the intercession of Moses, when provoked to destroy them. He went before them in a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night, and protected them by the angel of his presence. He gave them day by day, manna from heaven, and quails for flesh. He caused water to flow out in abundance from the rock. He raised in the wilderness a brazen serpent upon a pole, when the people were bitten by the fiery flying serpents, that whosoever looked upon it should be healed. He gave them power over their enemies, and wrought for them the most wonderful victories.

"All these things happened unto them for ensamples, and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come." Their whole journey toward the promised land was typical of the journey of the true Israel toward the heavenly Canaan. They were indeed the true Israel. The true Church was among them; though the great mass of the people were wicked and rebellious. Were they brought through the depths of the sea? So all the children of God are born of water and the Spirit. Were they baptized by sprinkling, from the cloud and the sea, unto Moses? So are we baptized into Jesus Christ, "buried with him by baptism into death-that we may walk in newness of life." Were they to live by faith, as to their daily support, in the wilderness? So are we. Were they fed by manna and did they drink of water from the rock? So are we fed by "that bread which cometh down from heaven" in the dispensation of the word, and our souls are refreshed from the fountain of life. They "did all eat the same spiritual meat and all drink the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ." Were they guilty of much murmuring and rebellion? Did they disbelieve the promises? and was their soul discouraged because of the way? It was but a type of the imperfection, stupidity, disbelief and back

sliding of saints. Did the anger of the Lord burn against them, and did his judgments destroy them? We may behold in this a lively representation of his grief and indignation at the misconduct of saints, and of his judgments upon them; though these judgments under the new dispensation are marked with far less severity. Did he, at intercession of Moses, oft forgive their sins, and extend to them his pardoning and saving mercy? So at the intercession of Christ, he pardons the iniquities of his people, and will acquit them in the judgment. Did Moses lift up the serpent in the wilderness, that whoso looked on it should be healed? So was the Son of man lifted up, that "whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but might have everlasting life." And did God, finally, bring his ancient Israel into the land of promise, through the waters of Jordan, by his servant Joshua? So does he conduct his saints, through death, by Jesus, the great captain of their salvation, to a better country, which is the desire of their souls, even a heavenly. 66 The ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with songs and with everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."

CHAPTER III.

Giving of the Law. Moral and Ceremonial. Symbol of the Divine Presence. Tabernacle. Urim and Thumin. Priesthood. Re-institution of the Sabbath. Completion of the Pentateuch. Outpouring of the Spirit. Character of Moses. Two remarkable Prophecies of Christ.

DURING the wanderings of the Church in the wilderness, four remarkable events occurred which claim particular notice. THE GIVING OF THE LAW. THE RE-INSTITUTION OF THE SABBATH. THE COMPLETION OF THE PENTATEUCH, AND AN EXTENSIVE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

For 2500 years, the Church had enjoyed much precious intercourse with heaven. Christ, the angel of the covenant, had appeared to Adam, to Noah, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and established with them the covenant of grace, but she had no written law. On the tenth of the third month after leaving Egypt, the Israelites pitched their camp at the foot of Mount Sinai. There they remained a year. On the morning of the third day of their encampment, the