has required of us^" Thus it was that faith operated in the Hebrew Youths. In vain was the furnace lighted before them : they could not be diverted from their purpose to serve the Lord. Their reply to the enraged monarch was decisive : " Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace ; and he will deliver us out of thine hand,
0 king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods*^." Trials to the same extent are not at this day experienced amongst us : but there will be enough to prove the courage of all who profess to serve the Lord : and whilst the unbelieving are intimidated and turned back, the true believer will " endure, as seeing Him that is invisible."]
2. Composure in suffering —
[It was no grief to Moses that he had given up all the treasures of Egypt, or that he had undertaken to " suffer affliction with the people of God." " The yoke of Christ to him was both light and easy." And thus it is to every true believer. The Apostles, when beaten for their fidelity to Christ, " rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his sake*^." And Paul and Silas, with their feet in the stocks, and their backs torn with scourges, " sang praises to God at midnight^" Thus, in all cases where a man has a realizing sense of the Divine presence, the cross which he has to bear, is rather a ground of glorying than of complaint s, and causes him to " rejoice and leap for joyK" The light of God's coun- tenance lifted up upon him, infinitely more than counter- balances any bodily pains ; so that, however his afflictions may abound, his consolations outweigh them all.]
3. Confidence in conflicting —
[Moses, as we have seen, had no doubt about the issue of the contest between him and Pharaoh. And to every true believer this will be a self-evident truth : " If God be for me, who can be against me'?" Extremely animated is the pro- phet's description of this state of mind : " The Lord God will help me : therefore shall I not be confounded : therefore have
1 set my face like a flint ; and I know that I shall not be ashamed. He is near that justifieth me : who will contend with me ? let us stand together : who is mine adversary ? let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord God will help me : who is he that shall condemn me ? lo, they all shall wax old like a garment ; the moth (the weakest creature in the uni- verse) shall eat them up'^." To this effect St. Paul speaks at large, defying all the creatures in the universe to separate him
<= Acts iv. 19, 20. ^ Dan. iii. 17, 18 ^ Acts v. 41.
f Acts xvi. 25. g Gal. vi. 14. ^ Matt. v. 12.
i Rom. viii. 31. ^^ Isai. 1. 7 — 9.