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The pledge was redeemed ; Moses passed through all the 

 danger and difficulty of his intercourse with Pharaoh, not 

 only without harm, but with such improvement in courage, 

 knowledge, and political conduct as fitted him to lead the 

 children of Israel to freedom and independence. 



But the personal revelation to Moses was only the prelude 

 to such public and general manifestations of divine power, 

 as proved that the Sender of Moses was none other than the 

 Creator and Upholder of all things. Only he who possesses, 

 and can use as he pleases, the matter, the force, and the life 

 of the universe, could have inflicted the plagues on the 

 Egyptian king and nation. That they really occurred as 

 recorded is evident from the deliverance of Israel from 

 Egyptian bondage, and from the profound place this wonderful 

 deliverance occupied in the sacred and national literature of 

 Israel. But these displays of the divine presence and 

 authority, were but the beginning of that wonderful and 

 diverse fatherly goodness of God to Israel, which was intended 

 as a pattern and a pledge to the whole world of like fatherly 

 care and love. See their immediate direction by the pillar 

 of cloud and of fire, so that they stirred not but as the Lord 

 led them; their daily food not failing, but neither sown, 

 reaped, ground, nor kneaded by themselves ; and, finally, at 

 the time declared, their entrance on and possession of 

 Canaan. These were all palpable facts, which it was im- 

 possible surreptitiously to foist. The memorials of them were 

 preserved in the Feast of the Passover, of Tabernacles, and in 

 the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna, which were preserved 

 in the Tabernacle and the Temple, till the destruction of the 

 latter by Nebuchadnezzar. 



To the whole community, the infant nation, thus prepared, 

 the Law was proclaimed. But, as might be expected for so 

 important a transaction, special and imposing preliminaries 

 and accessories were appointed. Moses was called to the 

 divine presence, and from thence sent back to the people to 

 say : " Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how 

 I bare you on eagles' wings and brought you unto Myself. 

 Now, therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My 

 covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above 

 all people : for all the earth is Mine ; and ye shall be unto Me 

 a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation/' To this appeal 

 " all the people answered together, and said, All that the 

 Lord hath spoken we will do." When Moses carried this 

 reply, he was sent back to sanctify them by the appropriate 

 sacrifices and cleansing ; their clothes also were washed, and 

 on the third day the whole congregation, in a state of physical 



