declared thy ftrength among the people. 15. Thou haft with thine arm redeemed thy people, the fons of Jacob and Jofeph.

Ifrael, in times of trouble and diftrefs, was wont to look back to the "wonders" wrought in Egypt, and the redemption of all her tribes from that houfe of bondage. We Chriftians are taught, while we ufe the fame words, to regard parallel, but more important tranfactions; we reflect on the "wonders" wrought for the bodies and fouls of men, by the "strength and the arm of Jehovah," revealed and manifefted to the world in Chrift; and we celebrate the redemption, not of "the fons of Jacob and Jo

feph" only, but of all nations, from the bondage of corruption; a redemption compared with which, the deliverance from Egypt, though glorious in itfelf, hath yet no glory at all, by reafon of the glory that fo far excelleth. Our confidence in God, during the feafons of affliction, fhould therefore rife in proportion.

16. The waters faw thee, O God, the waters faw thee; they were afraid: the depths alfo were troubled.

The waters of the red fea are here beautifully represented as endued with fenfibility, as feeing, feeling, and being confounded, even to the lowest depths, at the prefence and power of their great Creator, when he commanded them to open a way, and to form a wall on each side of it, until his people were paffed over; until his people were paffed over, whom he had redeemed. In this amazing transaction, let us behold, as in a glass, the falvation of believers by baptifm, through the death and refurrection of Jesus Christ,

VOL. II.

B

Chrift, who made the depths of the grave, as he had done thofe of the fea, a way for his ranfomed to pass over; and the church, like another Ifrael, faw her enemies, in effect, dead at her feet.

17. The clouds poured out water, the skies fent out a found; thine arrows alfo went abroad. 18. The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world, the earth trembled and shook.

66

It is faid, Exod. xiv. 24. that at the time when Ifrael was paffing the fea, "the Lord looked upon "the hoft of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire " and the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyp"tians, and took off their chariot wheels, and made "them to go heavily; fo that the Egyptians faid, Let us flee from the face of Ifrael; for the Lord fight"eth for them against the Egyptians." The verfes of our Pfalm now before us, feem to explain more particularly the manner in which the Lord "look"ed upon, and troubled, and fought against the "Egyptians," upon that occafion; namely, by thunders and lightnings, ftorms and tempefts, rain, hail, and earthquake, the ufual tokens and inftruments of Almighty displeasure. Jofephus, in like manner, relates, that the deftruction of the Egyptians was accompanied by ftorms of rain from heaven; by dreadful thunders and lightnings; and, in 1hort, by every poffible circumftance of terror, which could testify and inflict upon man the vengeance of an incenfed God. From scenes, like these, we learn to form an idea of that power, which discomfited the infernal hoft; raised Chrift from the dead; vanquifhed oppofition and perfecution; fubdued the

world

world to the obedience of faith; fupports and protects the church; will overthrow antichrift; raise the dead; caft the wicked, with death and Satan, into the lake of fire; and exalt the righteous, to fing, with angels in heaven, "the fong of Mofes "and of the Lamb." See Rev. xv. 3.

19. Thy way is in the fea, and thy paths in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.

The difpenfations and ways of God, like the paffage through the red fea, are all full of mercy to his people; but they are alfo, like that, often unusual, marvellous, infcrutable; and we can no more trace his footsteps, than we could have done thofe of Ifrael, after the waters had returned to their place again. Let us refolve, therefore, to trust in him at all times; and let us think we hear Moses saying to us, as he did to the Ifraelites, when feemingly reduced to the last extremity; "Fear ye not, stand still, and "fee the falvation of Jehovah." Exod. xiv. 13.

20. Thou leddeft thy people, like a flock, by the hand of Mofes and Aaron.

The loving kindness of God towards Ifrael did not ftop at the red fea, but he conducted his chofen flock, by the guidance of faithful paftors, through all the perils of the wilderness, to the land of promise. We likewife, through thy mercy, O bleffed Lord Jefus, have paffed the red fea at our baptifm; and are now journeying in the wilderness. Give us thofe meek, and lowly, and tractable difpofitions, which become the sheep of thy pafture; fet over us fkilful and vigilant fhepherds; and be thou ever, both with them and with us; until, having furmounted all difficul

ties and dangers, led by thy grace, and fupported by thy providence, we all come, in perfect fafety, to the land of everlasting reft; there to live with thee, one fold under one fhepherd, world without end.

XV DAY. EVENING PRAYER.

PSALM LXXVIII.

ARGUMEN T.

This Pfalm containeth a declaration of God's dealings with his people, and of their behaviour to him, in Egypt, in the wilderness, and after their fettlement in Canaan, to the days of David. It is written for the use and admonition of Chriftians; who may here view, as in a glafs, the mercies they have received, and the returns, which, alas, they have but too often made for them.

1. Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

In this verse, the Pfalmift opens his commiffion, and fpeaks, as one having authority from above to inftruct the world. He demands a large and attentive audience, while, by a series of examples, he fets forth the goodness of God, and the ingratitude of man, for the admonition of fucceeding ages, to the end of time. St. Paul, fpeaking of the very tranfactions related in our Pfalm, faith of them, "Now

"all

"all these things happened unto them for enfamples, Gr. TUT, types; and they are written for

our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world << are come." I Cor. x. 11. We Chriftians, therefore, must confider ourselves as the "people" who are to "give ear to the law," or "doctrine," inculcated by the following epitome of the Ifraelitifh hiftory; WE muft "ipcline our ears to the words of" the prophet's "mouth."

2. I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark fayings of old. 3. Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.

The Pfalm, being in itself a plain narrative of facts, can contain nothing parabolical or ænigmatical in it, unless those facts were, what St. Paul affirms them to have been, "enfamples," types, or representations of other facts, relative to the Christian church. As facts, they were "heard and known," and handed down from father to fon; but with respect to the instructions and admonitions comprehended in them, and to be extracted by an application to parallel times and circumstances, they had the nature of a "parable," requiring wisdom and attention, fo to understand and apply them. It is obfervable, that our Lord is, by St. Matthew, faid to have spoken to the multitude altogether in parables, "that "it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the pro"phet, faying, I will open my mouth in parables, &c." citing the fecond verfe of the Pfalm now before us. Matt. xiii. 35. If it doth not follow, from this citation, that the prophet actually speaks the Pfalm in the perfon of Chrift, yet thus much at least is evi