tend with ; and so must every individual that ad- vances towards the heavenly Canaan But
our help is in God : and to Him we must look,
1 . In earnest prayer —
[Prayer is the appointed means of obtaining succour from above : and it shall prevail when urged with fervent impor- tunity — The uplifted hands of Moses prevailed against
Amalek more than Joshua's sword : nor can we doubt but that, in all their journeys, the Israelites owed much of their safety to his continual intercession. Without prayer the whole Christian armour would leave him open to the assaults of his enemies : but, with it, he is altogether invincible ]
2. In humble trust —
[However numerous or powerful our enemies may be, we must remember, that " He who dwelleth on high is mightier." " If He be for us, none can with any effect be against us."
With His help " a worm shall thresh the mountains"
It is manifest that Moses never doubted for a moment the all- sufficiency of Jehovah : nor should we : but, like David in the most perilous circumstances, we should banish all unbelieving fears with this thought, " The Lord is in his holy temple ; the Lord's throne is in heaven" ]
3. In confident expectation —
[Moses did not pray as to an unknown God, but as to a God whom by experience he knew to be " abundant in good- ness and truth." Thus we should have our expectations raised : we should ask in faith, persuaded and assured that " God will
do more for us than we can either ask or think" If
we were " not straitened in ourselves," we should not find our- selves straitened in our God.]
Similar to this should be our conduct, II. In seasons of rest —
There were even in the apostolic age some seasons when " the Churches had rest :" and there are times of comparative rest which the saints experience in every age. But these are pregnant with danger to the soul no less than times of trial. At those seasons we are apt to relax our vigilance, and to be " settled on our lees." It becomes us therefore, then more es- pecially, to seek the presence of our God; to seek it,
1. As our only safeguard —
[Moses never deemed himself secure but under the divine protection. Hence he was as anxious to have God present with