Third, Pharoah demanding brick to be made without straw, was likewife typical of the demand of the law, which is perfect, finlefs, and perpetual obedience, though it gives no ftrength (like the Egyptians no ftraw) yet its demand are full. thau halt love the LORD thy GOD with all thine heart, like the Egyptians, Exod. v. 13. fulfil your work, your daily task, as when there was fraw; fo fays the law, fulfil your obedience, as when there was ability, for your incapacity does not deftroy my authority as a perfon's being a bankrupt does not destroy his creditor's demand, for fays Pharoah, Exod. v. 18. for there fall be no ftraw given you, yet fhall ye deliver the full tale of brick; fo faith the law, I fhall give you no ftrength, but I invariably look for a full tale of obedience, or thou must expect an eternal curfe, for it is written, curfed is every one that tinueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them; therefore we find that the Ifraelites were beaten for not bringing in a full tale of brick; fo they told Mofes that he had put a fword into Pharaoh's hand to deftroy them. In like manner the awakened finner at firft receives many lashes of condemnation from the law, for his difobedience; many charges and accufations come in from the law against him, until he looks upon the law as a fword in the hand of divine justice to deftroy him; this was the apoftle's cafe, Rom. vii. 10. and the commandment that was ordained unto life, I found to be unto death. con Fourth, The deliverance of the children of Ifrael out of Egypt, was typical, as it was a night much to be remembered, and to be obferved throughout their generations; fo the foul's deliverance from the wrath of GOD, the curfe of a broken law, the Egyptian darkness of its mind, the hardness of its heart, the enmity of its nature, the rebellion of its will, into a ftate of liberty and freedom, of bleffings and divine favour, of light and life, of love and obedience; called out of darkness into GOD's marvellous light; tranflated, fays the apostle, out of the kingdom of fatan into the kingdom of his dear Son, is a work of grace much to be remembered, a time of love never to be forgotten, but conftantly retained in the mind, to excite love, joy, and abundant thankfulness. Friendly. Is not the deliverance of Ifrael, at the red fea, an eminent type of the church's falvation by the blood of JESUS? Truth. Yes, and here we may obferve three things,-First the caufe of Ifrael's diftrefs ;-fecond, the means of their deliverance-and third, by whofe power it was accomplished. First, the diftrefs of the children of Ifrael, which was fourfold,-firft, as the LORD led them contrary to their expectations-second, as they were inclosed between two inacceffible mountains-third, there was a devouring fea before them,and fourth, a threatening, deftroying army behind them. First, The LORD led the Ifraelites (I humbly conceive) contrary to their expectations, they doubtless expected an easy paffage to the land of Canaan, free from all dangers and diftrefs; this was typical of the apprehenfions of a young convert, having tafted by his word and promife, that the LORD is gracious to his foul, he naturally expects to go on from joy to joy, from peace to peace, from one degree of comfort to another, till, on a fudden, the LORD, to try his life and courage, leads him into a providential ftrait, then he cries out, like Ifrael in diftrefs, Neh. ix. 9. thou heardeft their cry by the Red Sea. Second, What increased the distress of the children of Ifrael was their being encamped between two inacceffible mountains, between Migdol and the fea, which was a ftrait, or a narrow paffage; and this is a lively type of the great ftraits, the overwhelming troubles that the hand of providence leads his children into, in order to display its power in their deliverance.They are environed and garrifoned in trouble at times, like the children of Ifrael, the fea before them, the mountains on each fide them, and an army behind them: Such is the ftrait of a child of GOD at times in the paths of providence; he looketh on the right hand, in order to escape the trouble (if poffible) and there is an infurmountable mountain; on the left hand, and the way is as inacceffible; before, and there is defolation; behind, and there is threatening destruction: Alas! fays the believer, there is no way to escape; I am enclosed, I fhall be swallowed up, for for ow upon forrow furrounds me; he looks upon it as a greater diftress than ever he felt in a state of nature, and, like the Ifraelites, wishes he had died before he had come into this forrow. Therefore, dear reader, if this fhould be thy cafe, remember for thy comfort, that as the hand of Providence led the children of Ifrael into this ftrait, not to deftroy them, but to try them, and then to deliver them; and let thy path of diftrefs be whatfoever it will, the hand of God is with thee and will furely deliver thee. Third, Ifrael's diftrefs was augmented by the devouring fea before them, which was a type of CHRIST, and though a faith view of CHRIST is far from being diftreffing, yet the foul's thoughts of CHRIST at firft are like the children of Ifrael's thoughts of the Red Sea, that it would furely devour them; fo the foul thinks, under an apprehenfion of its guilt and tranfgreffion, that the LORD will furely destroy it, therefore it cries out, God be merciful to me a finner. Fourth, What ftill enhanced Ifrael's diftrefs was, a devouring army just upon them, Exod. xiv. 10. And they were fore afraid, and the children of Ifrael cried unto the Lord; which was typical of the army of our fins, pursuing our fouls in our fpiritual flight from the wrath that is to come, to lay hold on the hope fet before us. Then it is that guilt marches with the fentence of condemnation, attended with a vast train of aggravations, and cloud of witneffes, that it had finned with an high hand, and an out-ftretched arm. And they are like an army for multitude, life, ftrength and power; therefore David complains of them, as being more in number than the hairs of his head; that they were a heavy burthen, too heavy for him to bear; therefore it is, that he fo earnestly petitions for the removal of them in Pfal. li. 1. According to the multitde of thy tender mercies blot out my tranfgreffions. Second, The means of Ifrael's deliverance, which was the Red Sea; therefore the Lord said unto Mofes, why crieft thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Ifrael that they go forward. Obferve here, let what difficulty foever appear in the way of Providence, or in the way of grace, we must still go forward, and when all human help fails, expect power divine to appear; Exod. xiv. 16. And the children of Ifrae' fhall go on dry ground through the midst of the fea; thereby the fea became the path of falvation to the Ifraelites, which made it an eminent type of the blood of Jefus, which is the faints path-way to Heaven and happiness; therefore fays the apostle, Rom. v. 9. Being nnu juftified by his blood we fhall be faved from wrath through him: The Ifraelites could never have thought, had not the LORD told them, that the mighty waters were to be divided; that the liquid elements were to be folid walls, on their right hand and on their left; that the boundless deeps were to open a paffage to go through dry fhod; well might Mofes therefore lay, Hand ftill and fee the falvation of the Lord. And indeed, who among the human race could ever have thought that the heart of CHRIST was to be pierced, his b'ood to be the streams of falvation, his perfon, death and facrifice, to be the paffage-way to glory, the new and living way confecrated for us through the veil, that is to fay, his flesh, Heb. x. 20. for who among the angels could ever think that he, against whom we had finned, was to fuffer for us? O boundless! O rich! amazing grace! Here I would obferve,-First, that the red fea delivered Ifrael from the fears and diftrefs of Pharoah's army; fo the precious blood of JESUS delivers the foul, that walks therein by faith, from those boundless fears of wrath and condemnation arifing from guilt, and a consciousness of its tranfgreffions against Gon. Second, the children of Ifrael feeing the waters were divided, it encouraged them to go through. So the foul feeing that Jesus has died to fave finners, that his blood flows to fave them, a way is opened through his death to save them, that he is authorised and stands engaged by word and promise to save them, this encourages the foul to venture into falvation ftreams by faith. Third, the fea did not only deliver Ifrael from their fears, but from the army itself; it overwhelmed them, for they fank as lead in the mighty waters, there remained not fo much as one of them, Exod. xiv. 28. So the blood of JESUS does not only deliver the foul from fears of wrath, but from the caufe of wrath, which is fin itself, as it cleanfeth frem all fin, purifieth the heart, purges the confcience from dead works; for CHRIST appeared, fays the apoftle, to put away fin by the facrifice of himself; and fays the prophet, he hath made an end of fin, for as Pharoah's host funk as lead in the mighty waters, fo all our mountainous fins are funk, buried and loft in eternal oblivion, in the blood of Jefus, Micah vii, 19. thou wilt caft all their iniquities into the depth of the fea; Jer. 1. 20. The iniquity of Ifrael fhall be fought for, and there fhall be none; and the fin of Judah, and it shall not be found. Third, by whofe power this was accomplished, Exod. xiv. 30. Thus the Lord faved Ifrael that day out of the hands of the Egyptians; though it was by means, yet the accomplishment is afcribed unto the LORD; which was typical of the falvation of the elect, directed unto by means, yet accomplished by his own power; as falvation is the confummation of pure grace, Ifrael fhall be faved in the Lord with an everlasting falvation. Fourth, Ifrael fang praise to their great deliverer, Exod. xv. 2. then fang Mofes and the children of Ifrael this fong unto the LORD, the Lord is my ftrength and my fong, and he is become my faluation; he is my God, and I will prepare him an babitation; my father's God and I will exalt him. This was typical of the fong of redeeming love, not only in the church mlitant, but likewile in the church triumphant, where they vine appearance filled the camp with praife and thanksgiving, fo the foul's deliverance from wrath and hell, the appearance of a pardon figned and fealed in the blood of JESUS, fills the mind with all joy and peace in believing, the lips with thankfgiving, and the heart with love and praife; what fhall I render unto the Lord, faith the believer, for his benefits bestowed upon me? In some such feeble ftrains as thefe, the language of the heart in heaven is heard. Behold! my God, with joy I trace The wond'rous depths of fov'reign grace; Grace my admiring foul employs, My foul is fafe, my blifs fecure, The honours of my father's GOD, I'll now adore his facred name, An habitation there fhall be, I'll raise an altar there. My Gop! my GOD! when fhall I flee To fing the fong for ever new, |