The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1885-07-09
Our Evening Sermon !!

WA ASASAO SSAAAASA
= = * And the people feared the Lord.
and believed the Lord and his servant
Moses."-Ex. xiv.-31.
There is fascination for us in the study
of the character of Pharaoh. for he was
during his prosecutions of the Israelites,
so much like he is now, as the keeper of a
doggery, or other place of wicked associ-
ations. When the Lord had smitten the
first-born of the Egyptians, from the first
born of Pharaoh that sat upon the throne,
to the first-born of the captive that was
in the dungeon, the King was in a condi-
tion to let the Israelites go, and the Lord
commanded them to borrow jewelry from
their Egyptian neighbors- ladies will
please remember that he does not do that
now-and travel. The story of their flight
is familiar one in every household. The
Lord again hardened Pharaoh's heart, and
he pursued the Israelites. In this, the
wicked King was exactly like his copy of
to-day-he could not understand the right
eousness of anything which was not in
harmony with his own will. He could
not see through the significant array of
apidly-approaching events that were
leading him step by step, to certain de-
struction. He pursued until he had his
victims cornered, completely in his pow
er, as it were. with his hosts behind them,
and great sea before them. Thus his
modern type delights to get his tippling
victims completely in his power.
When the King thus saw his victims
Gas he supposedly so completely hemmed
in, he pursued on, gloating over their help
less condition. But there is sudden
transformation scene. The sea opens,
piles up along the way like walls of waters,
and the Israelites triumphantly march
dry-shod across the sea. Ha! Pharaoh
and his host will do that too! The sea
parted for the despised Israelites, would
it not also part for the great King of
Egypt? Reasoning thus, he marched
boldly into the bed of the sea, and into his
death-bed, as well. For this was trap
set for the sinner by the Almighty One.
He rushed in, rejoicing in his own strength,
when the Lord just turned on the water
and drowned the whole sinful crowd.
Water was fatal to Pharaoh then, and he
and his followers have had great antip-
athy to water ever since-only for dilut-
ing purposes.
Who shall say that the wicked persons
who are now subsisting and thriving up
on the misery of others, are not doomed
10 nc oartain destruction aS WAS this wick
ed King? Moses and Aaron plead with
him, but the appeal to the modern villain
comes washed by the tears, and borne up
on the sighs of suffering womanhood.
There are countless appeals coming up on
every side, of 'let my people 60" But
the Demons heart is hardened. But let
one of his victims escape, and he is imme-
diately in pursuit. Let the oppressed and
degraded wretch who has been in the tolls
of this demon attempt to shake off the
yoke of the tyrant, and he is hunted with
all the tireless hatred which drove Pha-
raoh into the depths of the Red Sea. AS
long as he is in bondage, his master will
flatter him, though with the fiattery
which Satan bestows upon the victim
WIlOlu Ilo 10 w w
and at the same time the victims yoke is
increasing in weight constantly. We have
had frequent illustrations of the angels of
the Lord, personified in innocent woman
hood, going to this demon monarch and
appealing for suffering and degraded
people, and as often seen the appeal of
mercy laughed to scorn. But the consol-
| hoe hot ,ah lir,
laugh of to-day, on the part of the diseas-
ed and waddling monarch, will be changed
to groan in eternity. We hear from a
Western State, where Gods people have
arisen and shaken off the yoke of this op-
pressor, that the wicked one has turned
out his chariots, and his horses, and his
wicked men, and is pursuing with armed
force those who have been acting the part
of righteous beings. We hear of houses
being fired into by armed men, for no 9th
er offense than that the proprietOrs, by
their voices and their acts, said that the
demon should no longer oppress and mur-
der his superiors by forcing poisonous
slops into their systems. This is the
working of Gods plan, which has been il.
| 1uSGIdIGl Ill HlOIc Cooco IllolI OIlC.
The curse, and oppression, and degrade
ton, of slavery, worked out their own de
struction. The people who were in bond
age were as faithful in their plain
simple worship of God as were the Israel
ties. They prayed for deliverance, YET
God seemed to ignore their petition. They
endured the anguish of seeing not only
their first-born, but all that were near anC
dear to them, taken away from them
Yet this was all a part of Gods plan
This great plan at last worked out a. ten
rible lesson and terrible success. Thes'
masters drove the disciples of liberty tt
the verge, the shore, Of d red sea-even
sea of blood. While many upon botf
sides were engulfed in the sanguinar!
wave, the kingdom Of masters, US we'll a