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[13]
But as for Moses himself, while the multitude were irritated and
bitterly set against him, he cheerfully relied upon God, and upon his consciousness
of the care he had taken of these his own people; and he came into the
midst of them, even while they clamored against him, and had stones in
their hands in order to despatch him. Now he was of an agreeable presence,
and very able to persuade the people by his speeches; accordingly he began
to mitigate their anger, and exhorted them not to be over-mindful of their
present adversities, lest they should thereby suffer the benefits that
had formerly been bestowed on them to slip out of their memories; and he
desired them by no means, on account of their present uneasiness, to cast
those great and wonderful favors and gifts, which they had obtained of
God, out of their minds, but to expect deliverance out of those their present
troubles which they could not free themselves from, and this by the means
of that Divine Providence which watched over them. Seeing it is probable
that God tries their virtue, and exercises their patience by these adversities,
that it may appear what fortitude they have, and what memory they retain
of his former wonderful works in their favor, and whether they will not
think of them upon occasion of the miseries they now feel. He told them,
it appeared they were not really good men, either in patience, or in remembering
what had been successfully done for them, sometimes by contemning God and
his commands, when by those commands they left the land of Egypt; and sometimes
by behaving themselves ill towards him who was the servant of God, and
this when he had never deceived them, either in what he said, or had ordered
them to do by God's command. He also put them in mind of all that had passed;
how the Egyptians were destroyed when they attempted to detain them, contrary
to the command of God; and after what manner the very same river was to
the others bloody, and not fit for drinking, but was to them sweet, and
fit for drinking; and how they went a new road through the sea, which fled
a long way from them, by which very means they were themselves preserved,
but saw their enemies destroyed; and that when they were in want of weapons,
God gave them plenty of them; - and so he recounted all the particular
instances, how when they were, in appearance, just going to be destroyed,
God had saved them in a surprising manner; and that he had still the same
power; and that they ought not even now to despair of his providence over
them; and accordingly he exhorted them to continue quiet, and to consider
that help would not come too late, though it come not immediately, if it
be present with them before they suffer any great misfortune; that they
ought to reason thus: that God delays to assist them, not because he has
no regard to them, but because he will first try their fortitude, and the
pleasure they take in their freedom, that he may learn whether you have
souls great enough to bear want of food, and scarcity of water, on its
account; or whether you rather love to be slaves, as cattle are slaves
to such as own them, and feed them liberally, but only in order to make
them more useful in their service. That as for himself, he shall not be
so much concerned for his own preservation; for if he die unjustly, he
shall not reckon it any affliction, but that he is concerned for them,
lest, by casting stones at him, they should be thought to condemn God himself.
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