Ver. 29.-Faith and p1·esuinption in tci-rible contrast. I. A WAY MADE WHERE NOJ\F. ~EEMS POSSIDLE. It must be remembered how completely the Israelites were shut in. 'l'he land had shut them in; mountains on each side which they could not over- pa~~; the sea in front of them; the Egyptian host behind. Something they must do- either turn upon their pursuers, or march on into the sea, or submit without e. struggle. 'l'he choice which God gave to them was that of trust in him or destruction. As it were be drove them into the necegsity of faith. He did not first of all make the channel through the waters and let the whole of Israel see it, for in that there would have been no calling forth of faith. They were told to go forward while as yet there was no sign of escape. God never makes interferences with the ordinary course of natnre unless for a sufficient reason, and therefore he does not make them before the time. Enough was done if the waters opened to let God's people pass and closed again the moment they were through. Our business is to listen and wait for the Divine command telling us what to do. That is our only safety when difficulty and danger appear in every direction. There are many positions in life when human prudence will do something; there is at least a choice between going on in the lower path of human prudence or changing to the higher one of conformity with the will of God. But there are also positions when acceptance of God's provisions is the only chance of safety. After all, difficulty and danger are relative words. 'l'hey only indicate our weakness. They are meaningless in relation to the power of God. To him there is neither ease nor difficulty, danger or absence from danger. The greatest difficulty and danger men have to face come from being opposed to God. God can make a way through the deepest waters for his friends, and where his enemies appear to have a smooth and straight way he can snddenly fill it with causes of the worst disaster. • II. A wA Y c1.osEn WHERE ONE SEEMS OPENED. " When two do the same thing, it is not the same thing," says Bengel. The Israelite is one sort of man, the Egyptian quite :mother. The Israelite is involved in a covenant, a purpose, and a plan. He has not come into this present strait by a kind of chance; he has not drifted there by his own negligence, or rushed there by his own folly. Therefore e. way is made for him through the sea. But the Egyptian goes down into this way through the sheerest presumption. The conduct of the Egyptian host is perhaps never sufficiently considered when this narrative is being dealt with. The power of Jehovah, the miracle itself, so fills the mind that the amazing rashness of the Egyptians does not appear. And yet how rash they were ! Their recollections of the immediate past should have combined with their 12,resent observations to make them pause while yet they were safe. True it is that ..:rod destroyed them, but equally true is it that they were self-destroyed. A man cannot be reckoned presumptuous when he acts in accordance with the nature of things, but here were people presuming on the continuance of a miracle. The greatest unbdievers are ever the greatest presumers.-Y. Vers. 30, 31.-Believers and unbeliever• at Jericho. L BELIEVERS OUTSIDE. No illustration of faith is given from the wanderings in the wilderness. In truth, those wanderings were conspicuous for unbelief rather than faith, for apostasy rather than fidelity. At times the people mounted high in faith, and then they fell as low. Just at the time they came to Jericho there was everything in the circumstances of their outward life to inspirit them. They were escaped from the wilderness, they had crossed the Jordan, the land of promise was under their feet. The faith asked from them, it will be observed, did not involve anything very difficult in practice. All they had to do was to march in a certain order for seven days round a fortified city. Still though the deed was not difficult, it was a deed of real faith. For the people might well ask what connection there could be between marching round the city and the downfall of it. And asstu-edly there wae no connection of cause and elfect between Cl!, XI. 1-4.0.] Tlrn EPISTLE TO Tm~ HEBREWS.
tbo mere marching nncl the mere falling. Another company rni"ht hnvo marched till tho day of doom without producing the slightest result. In the rrrcat works of the Church of Christ instruments are nothing save as tbe occasions of faiLb. II. UNDELIEVEns INSIDE. Our attention is specially called to their nn belief. The world would say," Why should they be anything else than unbelievin"? If farael harl como with 1111 tho regular appliances of siege, then the people of Je~icho would h;ivf} felt there was something to believe. Then a real dan,i:er would be reckoned as presc::it.. '' We havo always to be on our guard against the deceitfulness of appearnnces, ar:d especially again~t the appearances of safety. It was not by might, but by thQ word of Jehovah, that Jericho was to fall, and the procession round the city only signified that the word of doom had gone forth. The procession was a sign of the times. Who knows what might have happened in those seven days if only Jericho had wakened up to inquiry, repentance, and negotiation? Whereas the attitude of the people indicated the most complete self-confidence. It is one of the worst follies of unbelief that unbelievers are so assiduous in guarding against visible, external evils, and so negligent, so indifferent, with respect to the worst evils of all. III. ONE BELIEVER INSIDE. One, and only one. A woman of no very good reputa- tion, and yet able to discern afar off the ill that was coming. ·what an encourage- ment to sinners the faith of Rahab is! For if in her heart could be lodged the power of faith, then what heart should be reckoned impenetrable? Rabab, with all her faults, stood far higher than many reputable people in Jericho. She had the one thing needful by way of beginning. Her faith saved her in tbe hour of temporal destruction to the other inhabitants of Jericho. But, of course, in the end her faith would do her no good unless it led to a life of righteousness and full obedience. Faith saved many in physical matters who came in contact with the miraculous workings of Jesus. I3nt another power must come in, working conviction of sin and spiritual need. Then th8 faith which was found so mightily operative in the lower sphere will be found equally operative in the higher one.-Y.