with their loins girded, their shoes on their feet, and their staff in their hand,-what is it all but a setting forth of the Christian pilgrim, ready to do God's will, to forsake the world, to lean on the Cross, and to fix his whole affections upon that Land of Promise, which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard of truly as yet, but where, if we are permitted to enter, we shall see the King in His beauty, even the Face of GOD in CHRIST JESUS; and say, with the whole company of angels and archangels, "Holy, holy, holy, LORD GOD of Hosts."

THE PURSUIT OF THE RED SEA.

THUS the children of Israel, GOD's chosen people, were delivered from their long bondage, the words spoken by Joseph being fulfilled: "GOD will surely visit you." And as he further said that they should carry his bones out of Egypt whenever they went forth, Moses

carried them with him.

GOD did not lead the people by the nearest way to Canaan, through the country of the Philistines, because having been so long crushed and pressed down, they might have been afraid

of war, and they must needs have fought their way through; but He led them first to Succoth, and so through the edge of the wilderness, near to the Red Sea. Fearlessly indeed might they go on their way; for "the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light. He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people."

By GoD's command Moses called the people to encamp by the Red Sea, and he told them that the King of Egypt would think that they were entangled, as in a trap, between his power and the sea; and so he would follow after them, meaning utterly to destroy them. But, the LORD added, "I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD."

Accordingly, when Pharaoh and his officers had recovered from the first terror of that terrible night of death, and saw that the Hebrews had fled, they began to be sorry for having let the people go, and said, "Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us ?"

So the King prepared to follow after them. He went in his own royal chariot, and with six

hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, with their captains. And so in their pride and haughtiness, certain of victory, they went forth after the people, and they knew not that the slaves they despised and expected to conquer easily had for their Defender and LORD "Him Who made the stars, and Who turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: Who calleth the waters of the sea, and Who strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong. THE LORD IS HIS NAME.""

They pursued after Israel, and overtook the fugitives in the camp by the sea; and when the people saw Pharaoh and his chariot and horsemen, and all his great army, they were sore afraid, and they cried unto the LORD in their fearfulness of heart. But Moses answered them from GoD, and said, "Fear ye not; stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will show to you to-day; for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.'

The

Then GOD commanded Moses to go forth, and stretch out the Rod of His power over the 1 Amos v. 8, 9.

sea; and promised that the sea should be divided, and the children of Israel should go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

But

as for the Egyptians, GoD said that they who would not learn by His warnings, should now learn that He is indeed the LORD, in His overwhelming judgment.

If the people had yet any fear, it must have been quieted when they saw that the Angel of GOD who had gone before their camp to guide them, now removed, and went behind; and the pillar of cloud which had guided them stood between them and the Egyptians. In His wonderful mercy GOD caused the pillar of cloud to give light through the dark night to the children of Israel: but it was all cloud and darkness to the Egyptians, so that they never came together at all.

Then Moses obeyed God's word, and stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided., The waters were raised up as it were into a wall on either side, and the children of Israel went into the very midst of the sea, upon dry land.

When the Egyptians saw what was come to

pass, they pursued the Israelites, and went in after them to the midst of the sea,-chariots, and horses, and horsemen. But it came to pass that early in the morning the LORD looked through the pillar of fire and cloud upon the host of the Egyptians, and troubled them. He took off their chariot wheels, so that they could not get on fast; and the Egyptians felt that their attempt to conquer Israel was in vain. Then they said to one another, "Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians."

Those words were truer than they wist of. The LORD said unto Moses," Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen."

And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. But the children

Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of