Ps. cvi. 10 — 12. He saved them from the hand of him thai hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. And the waters covered their enemies : there was not one of them left. Then believed they his words; they sang his praises.
GRATITUDE for mercies received is a duty uni- versally approved. Every one sees the propriety of acknowledging personal obligations ; nor is it less incumbent on us to be thankful for blessings conferred on us in our national capacity. The words before us record the conduct of the Israelites when a signal deliverance had been vouchsafed to them : may we
be as devoutly, and more abidingly impressed, wbile
we consider,
I. The mercy vouchsafed unto them —
They had been in a state of extreme danger and
distress —
[After their departure from Egypt they encamped by the Red Sea ; there they were hemmed in by impassable moun- tains and morasses. Pharaoh, greatly incensed, followed them with all his hosts, nor doubted but that he should speedily destroy them all. They, to all appearance, had no means either of escape or self-defence, and in this situation expected nothing but instant ruin.]
But God vouchsafed them a most astonishing deli- verance—
[He prevented the nearer approach of Pharaoh by inter- posing a thick cloud between the Israelites and the Egyptians. He made a path across the sea, the waters standing as a wall on either side : he led his people through it as on dry land. Giving up Pharoah to judicial blindness and obduracy, he suffered him, at the head of his army, to follow the hosts of Israel ; but, when the Israelites were passed over, he let loose the waves upon their pursuers : thus in an instant were the Egyptian armies overwhelmed, and Israel saw their enemies dead upon the sea-shore. How wonderful was this interposition of the Deity, and how great the obligation conferred by it!]
Nor were they at the time insensible of the kind- ness manifested to them :
II. The effects produced by it —
They had shewed themselves an ungrateful and unbelieving people —
But now, for a season, they were greatly changed:
1. They believed God's word —
[They had had reason enough before to believe the pro- mises made to them : Moses had confirmed his word by many stupendous miracles ; but they no sooner came into difficulty than they renewed their murmurs. Now, however, they were forced to confess the power and faithfulness of God, nor did they suppose that they should ever yield to unbelief again.]
2. They sang his praise —
[The salvation afforded them was inexpressibly great, and the hand of God in it was too visible to be overlooked : how- ever therefore they might pity the individuals who perished, they could not but rejoice in their own safety, nor could they