t see them, become more and more heavy every year. They
cling about us and grow; they multiply themselves, they shoot out and
spread forth, and encircle us, those chains of sin, with many links,
minute but heavy, weighing us down to the earth, till at last we are mere
slaves of the soil, with an evil husbandry, slaves of that fearful
harvest which is eternal death. Satan is a tyrant over us, and it seems
to us useless to rebel. If we attempt it, we are but overpowered by his
huge might, and his oppressive rule, and are made twice the children of
hell that we were before: we may groan and look about, but we cannot fly
from his country. Such is our state by nature.

But Moses conducted the Israelites from the house of bondage to their own
land, from which their fathers had descended into Egypt. He came to them
from God, and, armed with God's power, he smote their cruel enemies, led
them out of Pharaoh's territory, divided the Red Sea, carried them
through it, and at length brought them to the borders of Canaan. And who
is it that has done this for us Christians? Who but the Eternal Son of
God, our Lord and Saviour, whose name in consequence we bear? He has
rescued us from the arm of him who was stronger than we; and therefore I
say in this respect first of all, Christ is a second Moses, and a
greater. Christ has broken the power of the Devil. He leads us forth on
our way, and makes a path through all difficulties, that we may go
forward towards heaven. Most men, who have deliberately turned their
hearts to seek God, must recollect times when the view of the
difficulties which lay before them, and of their own weakness, nearly
made them sink through fear. Then they were like the children of Israel
on the shore of the Red Sea. How boisterous did the waves look! and they
could not see beyond them; they seemed taken by their enemies as in a
net. Pharaoh with his horsemen hurried on to reclaim his runaway slaves;
the Israelites sank down in terror on the sand of the sea-shore; every
moment brought death or captivity nearer to them. Then it was that Moses
said, "Stand still, and see the salvation of God." And in like manner
has Christ spoken to us. When our hearts fainted within us, when we said
to ourselves, "How is it possible that we should attain heaven?" When we
felt how desirable it was to serve God, but felt keenly the power of
temptation; when we acknowledged in our hearts that God was holy and most
ado