Much he had to try him, and to shake his fidelity : but lie was immoveable. Nothing could for a moment divert him from his duty, or cause him to relax his efforts in his Master's cause. And in this fidelity he stood alone. Aaron and Miriam both turned aside from the path of duty; yea, both confede- rated even against Moses himself. But Moses was steadfast to the end, unmoved, unwearied, unrestrained.]
But Christ in this respect was exalted infinitely above him —
[Christ also was faithful in all his house. He delivered nothing which he had not previously heard and learned of his Father : but all which had been given him either to do or teach, he did and taught with all imaginable fidelity : yea, and what he was ordained to suffer also for the sins of men, he patiently endured, drinking the bitter cup even to the dregs, and never stopping till he could say, in relation to it all, " 'Tis finished."
Thus far the two may be supposed to have been upon an equality. But there are some points of difference between them, which exalt the office and character of Christ far above that of Moses. Moses was " a servant iti the house of another :" Christ was a Son, or Lord, " over his own house." Moses only instructed his house : but Christ was the very source and builder of the house he governed ; every member of it having been created by his power, and redeemed by his blood, and converted by his grace. The house itself would have had no existence but for him. Now, as the builder of a house, whether in a literal, political, or religious sense, must be far above the work which he has prepared ; so must Christ, who formed his house, be far above every member of it : and as being the only true source of every thing in the Church, he must be truly and properly " God®;" and consequently have infinitely higher glory than Moses, who was only a member of the very house which he himself was appointed to instruct and govern.]
That this superiority of his is not a mere specula- tive point, will appear, if we consider, II. Our interest in it —
" We are his house " —
[The Church is called in Scripture " the house of God^:" and if we have truly believed in Christ, we are that house. We are those for whom all the wonders of redeeming love were planned ; those for whom all that Christ has ever exe- cuted was undertaken ; those for whose sake he has hitherto
e ver. 4. f 1 Tim. iii. 15.
2279.1 Christ's superiority to moses. 185
ordered all things both in heaven and earth ; those over whom he still watches as his peculiar care ; and those for whom he is engaged to complete the work he has begun. Wonderful thought! We are his house, his family, his peculiar people! What an honour! what a privilege ! what a blessing !
But it is here taken for granted, that we have believed in him, and made him the one foundation of all our hopes, and boldly confessed him in the presence of an ungodly world :]
And under this character we have appropriate
duties and obligations —
[We must " hold fast our confidence, and the rejoicing of our hope firm unto the end." We shall have difficulties to encounter, even as Moses and Christ had : but we must endure like them, being " steadfast, unmoveable, and always abound- ing in the work of the Lord." Whatever we may meet with, we must not for a moment be moved away from the hope of
the Gospel: we must stand fast in our principles °
our practice^ our profession' for on our stead- fastness in these things our ultimate acceptance with him depends. " If we be dead with him, we shall also live with him : but if we deny him, he will deny us. And if we believe not (either the one or other of these sayings), yet he abideth faithful (to his word); he cannot deny himself ''.;" He will be with us, whilst we are with him : if we seek him, he will be found of us: but if we forsake him, he will forsake us^.]