September 3

Exodus iv.—1. And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice; for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee.

2. And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. 3. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. 4. And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: 5. That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. 6. And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom; and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. 7. And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again, and plucked it out of his bosom; and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. 8. And it shall come to pass, if they will not be

lieve thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.

9. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land; and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land. 10. And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord! I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant; but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. 11. And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord? 12. Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. 13. And he said, O my Lord! send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. 14. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses; and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee; and, when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.

If Moses was too hasty in taking up the cause of his brethren when in Egypt, he was too hesitating now. It may be questioned whether this hesitation was owing to humility or to timidity. A true humility, while distrusting self, implies submission to the commands of God, a ready spirit of obedience: it never seeks a pretext for neglecting duty. Still we cannot doubt that Moses, sobered by his long seclusion from affairs, was sincere in his disparagement of himself.

The miracles of the rod and of the burning-bush, though witnessed by Moses alone, were abundantly certified by other

miracles which he afterwards wrought by the rod, upon a scale so stupendous, and in sight of two nations. Mahomet, who claimed to have been transported by supernatural power to Mt Sinai and Jerusalem, never wrought a miracle to confirm his story of his marvellous experiences. Without witnesses, and without either works or doctrines to attest it, his famous night-journey must be treated as the vision of an enthusiast, or the invention of an impostor; but the wonders wrought by the rod of Moses publicly attested the miracle of the burning-bush.

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 85, 131, 138.

Our Father in heaven, we come to thee with wants which thou knowest far better than we, and for blessings which thou art more ready to give than we to ask. Thou hast kept us in the watches of the night from every trouble, sorrow, and alarm; thou hast given us refreshing sleep. And now we bless thee for the day, for life and health, for food and raiment, for home and friends, for means of education and of enjoyment, for means of occupation and of support, for means of improvement in the knowledge of thyself from thy works and thy Word, and for opportunities of doing good to others. Oh! grant us grace that we may use to thy glory the lives which thou didst give, and which thy mercy doth continually spare.

We acknowledge, O Lord! our unworthiness and our sinfulness, and beseech thee to pardon our transgressions and heal our infirmities. Help us this day to live aright. In the business of life

may we be diligent, faithful, and true! and do thou, Lord, prosper the labor of our hands. In our intercourse with others, may we manifest the gentleness, the sincerity, the charity, of the gospel of Christ! May we be patient under trials, meek under injuries, firm against temptation, bold for the truth, zealous for thy cause! May we be kind to the poor, helpful to the suffering, gentle toward all men! [Give unto these children, O Lord! grace to serve thee in the morning of life, and in their thoughts and words, their studies and their play, always to please their Father in heaven.] Remember with thy mercy all our friends; visit with thy grace the homes of all who are dear to us. Build up, O Lord! thy Church; prosper thy kingdom in our land, and throughout the world. Ever guide, keep, and bless us. Bring us to the close of the day in peace, and to the close of life in a hope full of immortality, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen.