"God was ma

Here is that great mystery, nifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." Here is the foundation of our redemption placed: Here is our help laid upon one that is mighty," one " able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by him."

To this name, expressive of his essential nature, God also added a declaration of his covenant relation to the people of Israel. "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 God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations." God had before encouraged Moses himself by this declaration, and now he sends him with the same encouragement to the Israelites, that they might know that the God of their fathers had not forsaken them, that he remembered the promises which he had made to them, and was now about

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to fulfil them. And verily this name and memorial have endured through many generations. The Jews still pride themselves in it. Here it stands in the imperishable record of the Scriptures. And if we Christians do rather call upon God as "The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," yet we also know that Jesus Christ himself was of the seed of Abraham, and came "to perform the mercy promised to these fathers, and to remember his holy covenant."

In this manner God sent forth Moses, with an assurance that his countrymen should "hearken to his voice," and that the king of Egypt should be compelled to let them go, notwithstanding all his objections and opposition, of which God forewarned him; nay further that the Egyptians themselves should become so desirous of their removal, as to send them out of their country with abundance of wealth.

But, pursuing this account of the Lord's conference with Moses, we have now to contemplate in the latter a degree of doubt and irresolution. We read in the first verse of

the fourth chapter that "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 to thee." Therefore graciously condescending to his infirmity, God was pleased to give him some further encouragement. Let the methods now adopted for this purpose be the third head of our discourse.

III. The encouragement here consists of miraculous signs, promises of fitness to qualify him for his work, and the gift of a companion and assistant.

1. The miraculous signs were these. God bade him cast his rod upon the ground; he did so and it was changed into a serpent: God bade him put forth his hand and take it by the tail; he caught it, and it became again a rod in his hand. Next, he bade him put his hand into his bosom; he put it in, and took it out leprous as snow: at God's word he put it into his bosom again, and when he drew it out, it was turned again as his other flesh. Moreover God told him that, if they would not hearken unto the

voice of these two signs, he should “take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land; and the water should become blood upon the dry land." These miracles were intended to shew to Moses, and to the people when they were afterwards exhibited to them, that all creatures were what he might be pleased to make them, that the bodies of men were in every respect subject to him, and that the elements of creation could be changed as he pleased, and all made objects of loathing, fear, and destruction, or of desire, pleasure, and benefit, according to his appointments.

2. We are constrained to wonder at the backwardness of Moses. It now became no longer diffidence but distrust. He objected that he was not eloquent, and therefore not a fit person to persuade the Israelites, or to stand and speak before Pharaoh. And here again God shewed him the unreasonableness of his objection, and his want of faith. God had promised to be with him, and in that promise every requisite for the successful discharge of his mission was contained. God

reminded him of his own power to qualify by these expressive questions; "Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I the Lord ?" God also engaged to fit him. for his office even in this respect. He said to him, "Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say." A similar promise was made to the first messengers of the Gospel in the same terms of power and grace. They were told by Jesus that they should be brought before kings and rulers for his name's sake; they were bid not to meditate before what they should answer; "for," he adds, "I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay or resist." It is thus that God furnishes his servants with every faculty which they need to possess for the execution of every commission with which he entrusts them. In all respects their sufficiency is of him. Discernment of the truth, zeal to proclaim it to others, wisdom in stating it, and eloquence in recommending and persuading, are given