d as before--in the defeat of Pharaoh, and, as some think, his death.

We have in this "angel of God" the same being that we have met so often
before, who talked familiarly with Abraham and Jacob. He is the one who
afterward came in the form of the flesh, and is called Christ.

This time His symbol was a cloud, and at night a pillar of fire. In such
a large host as that of the children of Israel were at this time, it
would be necessary that there be some elevated central object, so that
those of the people scattered widely, in caring for the flocks and other
like services, should not lose the location of the camp.

Some such arrangement was early found important in caravans crossing the
deserts, so that it was customary to carry a round grate with fire, held
aloft on a pole. The ancient Persians and some other nations carried a
sacred fire in silver altars before their armies.

At night this cloud over the camp of the Israelites was illumined by
some strong internal fire, so that the host dwelt amid the darkness of
the desert as in a city brightly lighted. It was a marvelous miracle.

This cloud now changed its position as the Egyptians came near to the
Israelites. It stood between the two hosts. Over the Egyptians it was a
dense fog that cut off all their vision so that they could not tell what
the Israelites were doing, while to the latter it was as though it had
caught and held the rays of the setting sun, and poured a brilliant
glory all over and through their encampment. The Egyptians, thinking
that the rising sun will disperse the fog, wait for morning.

THE ISRAELITES ENTER THE RED SEA.

"And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused
the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made
the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

"And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon dry
ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand,
and on their left."

While the Egyptians were thus waiting, the Israelites were busy; they
were making the best use of their time. They were making their escape by
the way last of all thought possible--even the bottom of the sea!

The crossing was made in the neighborhood of what are now called the
Bitter Lakes. This was then most probably the head of the Red Sea.

It was at a time of the year when the tide would help the action of the
wind. If there were shoals or flats at the place where the cr