Sidor som bilder
PDF
ePub

IX.

male infants of the Hebrews. He first LECT. commanded the midwives to kill them; ~ but failing in this, Pharaoh charged all his people, Saying, every fon that is born ye fhall caft into the river. At this time Mofes was born: and a remarkable time it was: a strange new king kept the people of God in fubjection, and murdered their infants, to prevent their deliverance. But Mofes and Christ, under thefe wonderful circumstances, were both miraculously preserved, to accomplish the redemption for which they were raised up: and they were both preserved in the land of Egypt. Mofes was taken up by Pharaoh's daughter, and escaped from the wrath of a cruel king: and the child Jesus was carried into Egypt by his parents to escape the wrath of

Herod.

[ocr errors]

The nativity of Christ was dignified by the appearance of a ftar, and celebrated by an host of angels; though its earthly appearance was in poverty and obfcurity. And fome unufual circumftances marked the birth of Mofes, though the particulars

[blocks in formation]

IX.

LECT are not related. He was born of a poor, oppreffed people, the child of a flave, and doomed to death by the circumstances of his birth. But his parents were aware of fome diftinction, which fhewed that he was raised up for fome great purpose. St. Paul fays, they faw he was a proper child; St. Stephen, that he was exceeding fair; the original is, fair to God; from all which it is most reasonable to understand, that fome marks of divine favour and distinction were visible about him at his birth. His qualifications and endowments come next under confideration.

He is faid to have been learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians *, and to have been mighty in words and in deeds. This character is given of Chrift as a prophet, nearly in the fame terms. The two dif ciples who walked with him to Emmaus described him as a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people. When Mofes was grown up, he went forth to vindicate the rights of his people, and *Compare Luke ii. 52,

IX.

gave them a fign of his power by flaying LECT. an Egyptian who did them wrong; casting out one of their strong men, to shew that a ftronger than he was come upon him, and that God had vifited his people. So did Chrift give a fign of his power as a redeemer, by rescuing the fouls and bodies of men from the bondage of Satan; cafting out devils by the finger of God, to fhew that the kingdom of God was come upon them.

The Egyptian wisdom, according to the accounts we have of it, delivered all things under figns and figures; fpeaking to the mind rather by visible objects than by words, and conveying inftruction under a hidden form which only the wife could understand. I do not stay to enquire into the reason of this; I only fpeak of the fact, which is well known to scholars. Mofes must therefore have been accustomed early to this mode of delivering science by fymbols and hieroglyphics: and we have seen that his whole law is according to the fame method, not speaking literally of any

[blocks in formation]

IX.

LECT. fpiritual thing, not even of the immortality of the foul (whence fome have ignorantly supposed that it was not a doctrine of his law) but delivering all things under figns, emblems and defcriptive ceremonies; which they who do not study, are miferably in the dark as to the wisdom of the Mofaic difpenfation.

The wifdom of our bleffed Saviour was always conveyed under the fame form; all his inftructions were given in parables, were visible objects fignifying intellectual things; and without a parable spake he not unto them: which form of speech, they who do not ftudy and delight in, as the medium of inftruction which the wisdom of God hath preferred from the beginning of the world, will never fee far either into the Old or New Teftament.

The miffion of Mofes bears witness, in the form of it, to the miflion of Jefus Chrift; and gives us the moft worthy idea that can be conceived both of the dignity and defign of it. Both thefe ministers of

God

IX.

God were fent upon their commiffions LECT. by a voice from heaven. God appeared

to Mofes in a bush that burned with fire, and faid, I have feen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them; and, now come, I will fend thee into Egypt. So when Jefus was appointed to his ministry, there came a voice from the excellent glory, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.

The redemption of the people under Mofes, at the Exodus from Egypt, having already been confidered as a figure of the world's redemption under Jefus Christ, I need not dwell upon it here. I may however obferve, that as the fervitude of the Hebrews was extreme, and their oppreffion intolerable, when Mofes was raised up to redeem them; fo was the power of Satan' at its utmost height, over Jews and Gentiles, at the coming of Chrift. He was permitted to bind and to oppress after a ftrange manner the fons and daughters of Abraham. And if we confider the ftate

« FöregåendeFortsätt »