water: the skies sent out a sound: thine arrows also went abroad. The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook." "Let us flee," was the cry that resounded, in every direction, through the broken and dismayed ranks of those upon whom the God of the Israelites was thus pouring down the expressions of his vengeance. "Let us flee from the face of Israel; for Jehovah fighteth for them against the Egyptians." But all attempts at flight were vain. The measure of their iniquity was full. The tyrant and his people had hardened themselves in rebellion against the Almighty, till he could bear with them no longer. His sentence of destruction had gone out against them; and the time of its execution had come. "Stretch out thine hand over the sea," was the divine injunction to Moses, "that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.' The command was obeyed. The sea, on either side, rolled back again with resistless force. The struggles of the Egyptians were of no avail. Wave after wave passed over them. Prostrated by the fury of the surges, they pierced the air with the shrieks of hopeless anguish, and, in an instant, were overwhelmed, and buried beneath the waters. The morning light was dawning. The cloudy pillar retreated to its place in front of the Israelites. The sea was spread out in full view before them. No vestige of Pharaoh and his mighty host was to be seen, excepting their corpses, vast numbers of which were driven to land by the agitation of the waters, and lay in promiscuous heaps on the shore. The sight filled the Israelites with grateful and adoring wonder. They could not but recognize the signal interposition of God for their deliverance; and we are told that they "feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses." The precise place where this memorable miracle was wrought, it is, perhaps, impossible, at the present day, to determine. Various opinions have existed with regard to it. The most probable, (and which the preceding pages have shown to be the one adopted by the author,) is, that the passage of the Israelites through the Red Sea, and the destruction of Pharaoh and his army, took place at the spot where the modern city of Suez stands, or in its vicinity. Did time permit, it would be interesting to go into the examination of this subject, and see the ingenious, and to the mind of the writer, satisfactory reasons in favor of such a supposition. He can only recommend, that, among the other objects of their Biblical research, his youthful readers would not overlook this. It is full of topics that will abundantly repay the labor of their inquiries. It will afford them convincing evidence, in addition to the great mass of it already in existence, of the powerful and satisfactory confirmation of the truth of the Scripture narrative, from the lights of history and of geography, both ancient and modern; the observations of travellers; the customs and manners of Eastern nations; and the laws of the natural world. But we are more concerned with the religious instruction to be derived from the exhibition of the power and character of God, in what befel his chosen people and their enemies at the Red Sea, than with any other part of this wonderful subject. While deliverance was afforded the Israelites in the hour of their greatest extremity, overwhelming and utter destruction overtook the Egyptians, when they least expected it. Why did it overtake them? Because they were the enemies of God. In addition to all their other sins, (among which the oppression and cruelty with which they treated the Israelites were conspicuous,) Pharaoh and his people persisted in refusing to comply with the express injunction of Jehovah. It was their continued opposition to his will which drew down his vengeance upon them. And it will draw down his vengeance upon all who are like the Egyptians in this respect. None will escape. The truth and justice of God cannot remit their condemnation. The day of his wrath must come with more terrible and awful majesty than was displayed in the horrors of that hour which witnessed the overthrow of Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea! My young friend, are you living in opposition to the will of God? One part of his will is, that you should repent, and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. He calls on you as loudly, and as imperatively, to do this, as he did on Pharaoh to let the children of Israel go. Have you complied with the demand? Answer, in the light of conscience answer; and oh! forget not the fearful consequences of being found, at last, opposing the will of God! CHAPTER XXIV. The song of Moses. Miriam. The Israelites suffer from the want of water. A devout transport of joy filled the breast of Moses, at the signal deliverance which the arm of the Almighty had afforded him and his countrymen. Under the influence of a divine inspiration, he composed a religious song, to be sung by the Israelites as an anthem of praise and thanksgiving to God for his great goodness. It is the oldest poem which the records of antiquity furnish us, and is alike remarkable for its touching pathos and moral grandeur of conception. A beautiful simplicity pervades it; and yet no one can read it, who enters into its true spirit, without having the emotion of awe-inspiring sublimity take possession of his soul. Think of more than two millions of people assembled to unite in this grateful and solemn act of worship, and of the circumstances of the occasion. But just recovered from the amazement with which their triumph was mingled, at such a miraculous escape from the Egyptians, and arranged by their leaders for the purpose, thousands of voices pour forth the strains of this national hymn in one general burst of joy. While the air resounds with the music, and every bosom beats high with exultation; what must be the feelings of Moses; his ardent gratitude to God, and unshaken confidence in his protection; his recollections of the eventful past, and anticipations of the opening future; as the scene lies spread before him, and he unites with his countrymen in this, his own impassioned song: I will sing unto the Lord, For he hath triumphed gloriously; The horse and the rider hath he thrown Into the depths of the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song, He is become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him; |