" believe in him," and " live upon him," and " dwell in him," as our sure and only deliverer from the wrath to come.]
2. The importance of inquiring into our state
before God —
[The generality go to their rest as securely as the Egyp- tians did, unawed by the threatenings of Almighty God, and unconscious of the danger to which they were exposed. But how many wake in eternity, and find their error when it is too late ! Let me then entreat you to inquire whether you have ever dreaded the stroke of God's avenging arm ? whether you have been made sensible that God has appointed one way, and one way only, for your escape ? whether you have regarded " Christ as your passover that has been sacrificed for you?" whether you have fed upon him, with the bitter herbs of peni- tence and contrition ? Have you dipped the hyssop, as it were, hi his blood, and sprinkled your souls with it ? And do you feel that it would be at the peril of your souls, if you were to venture for one moment from your place of refuge ? Make these inquiries ; and be not satisfied till you are assured, on scriptural grounds, that you are out of the reach of the de- stroying angel. Till then, adopt the prayer of David ; " Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean ; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."]
Exod. xiii. 14 — 16. And it shall be, when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this ? that, thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage. And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the Lord slew all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of man, and the first-born of beast : therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all that openeih the matrix, being males; but all the first- born of my children I redeem. And it shall be for a token upon thine hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes : for by strength of hand the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt.
THE works of God deserve to be had in continual remembrance. His interpositions on behalf of our forefathers ought not to be forgotten by us ; for we ourselves are greatly affected by them. The whole nation of the Jews at this day, and to the remotest period of time, are deeply interested in the mercy shewn to their ancestors when the Egyptian first-