righteousness," but solely from his own free and sovereign grace. When therefore they looked upon these stones, they could not but see how greatly he was to be loved, and honoured, and feared, and served, for all the mercy, the undeserved mercy, which he had shewn unto them. They would be ever ready to exclaim, " Who is like unto thee, O God, glorious in holi- ness, fearful in praises, doing wonders ? "
In like manner we may see in these stones how effectually God will interpose in our behalf, if only we fear and honour him as our God.]
We see what we may expect from him,
In the time of trouble —
[We are brought perhaps by God's providence into great tribulation, so that " all his storms and billows go over us." But we need not therefore suppose that he has forsaken and forgotten us : for his word to us is, " When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee ; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee ; for I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel thy Saviour1." The greater our trials are, the richer will be the manifestations of his love and mercy : his consolations will abound, not only according to, but far above, all our afflictions. This is the very improvement which the Prophet Habakkuk made of the history before us. He expa- tiates upon the event, as if he had himself been an eye-witness of it: " I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; and the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble. Was the Lord displeased against the rivers? was thine anger against the rivers? was thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thine horses, and thy chariots of salvation ? The mountains saw thee, and they trembled ; the overflowing of the water passed by ; the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up his hands on high. Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, even for salvation with thine anointed. Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses, through the heap of great waters." Then he adds, " Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines ; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat ; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls; yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation V]
We see also what we may expect from him,
In the hour of death —
[The passage of the Israelites through Jordan is not im- properly considered as an emblem of the Christian's transition from the dreary wilderness of this world to the Canaan that is above. And when the time is arrived for passing by that
1 Isai. xliii. 2, 3. k Hab. hi. 7, 8, 13, 15, 17, 18.