, 1886-03-21

tNahn $50 49, - AAA1'h' tI1 $50
Brothers" The pastor first read and ex.
pounded a chapter in Exodus, on the crossing
OF the Red sea, and spoke Of the water on
either side Of the Israelites as crystal pail
sades.n The hymn sung was:
Come. thou fount Of ever blesdng.
Tune my heari 10 sing thy grace.
The text was Exodus II, 4: 'Ani his sister
stood afar of, TO wit what would be done to
him DR.. Talmage said
FIR noes 1heTmut :. daughter Of Pharaoh.
looking out through the lattice Of her bath
ing house on the banks OF the Nile, Jaw a
curious boat ON the river. IL hal neither oar
nor helm, and thoy would have been useless
anyhow. There was only one passenger, and
hat a baby boy. But the Mayfowor that
brought the pilgrim fathers TO America car
ried not 50 precious u Dad. The boa was
made Of the broad leaves OF papyrus, tightened
togf ther by bitumen. Boats were sometimes
made Of that material, as we learn from
Pliny and Herodotus and Theophrastus "Kfl
all the II brew children born" had been
Pharaoh : order. To save her boy. Jochebed,
the mother Of little Moses, had put him in
that que = boat and launched him. His SIS
ter Miriam stood on the bank watching that
precious craft. Size was far enough Off not
b draw attention 10 the boat, but near
enough 10 offer protection. There she stands
on the hank. Miriam the poatess, Miriam
the quick witted, Miriam the faithful, though
very human, for in after time she became so
mad with that very. brother for marrying a
woman she did not like. that she made a
great family row and was struck with
leprosy.
Miriam was Il splendid sister. but had her
faults, like all the rest OF us How carefully
she watched the boat containing her brother
A af....- ..at-I -. - "a nu.- NF -
often found there, might in a sudden plunge
n Thirst sink IL Some rayenous water fowl
might swoop and pick his eyes out with iron
bcak Some crocodile or hirpopotamus
crawling through the PUSHES might cranch
the babe Miriam watched and watched
until Princess Thermutis, a maiden ON each
side OF her holding palm leaves over her head
to shelter her from the sun, came down
and entered her bathing house. When
from the lattice she saw that boat
she ordered II brought, and when the leaves
were pulled back from the face OF the child
and the boy looked up, he cried aloud, for he
was hungry and frightened and would not
sven let the princess take him. The infant
would rnther stay hungry than acknowledge
any one of the court as mother. Now Miriam,
the sister, incognito. no one ~suspecting her
relation TO the child, leaps FROM the bank and
PUSHES down and offers TO get a nurse to
pacify the child. Consent is given, she brings
Jochebed, the haby's mother, ~incognito,
not sure Of the court knowing that
size was the mother, and when Joch-
ebed arrived the child stoppod CRYING,
for its fright was Gained and It's hunger APP
peased You may admire Jochebed, the
mother, and all the ages may admire Moses,
but clap my hands in applause at the be
hayfor Of Miriam, the faithful. brilliant and
strategic sister.
&c home some one might have said TO
Miriam, why risk yourself out there alone
on the banks Of the Nile, breathing the
miasIna and in danger OF being attacked of
wild beast or ~rufiian; go homer No., Miriam.
the sister, most lovingly watched and
bravcly defended Moss, the brother.
Is he worthy her care and c%ouragei
Oh, yes; the sixty centuries Of
the worlds history have never had so
much involved in the arrival OF any ship at
any port as in the landing OF that papyrus
boat aulko with bitumen. Its ono passen-
ger was 10 DO a nonesueh I'm history. Law
yer, statesman, politician, legislator, organ
iner, conqueror, deliverer. He had such re-
markable beauty in childhood that Josephus
says, when he was carried along the road,
people stopped to gaze at him, and workmen
would leave their work to admire him.
When tho king plhyfully put his crown upon
this boy, he threw 1t off Indignantly and put
his foot ON H. The king, fearing that this
might be n sign that the child
might yet take down his crown, applied an
other test According to the Jewish legend,
the king ordered two bowls to be put before
tbs child, one containing rubies and the other
burning Goals; and II he took the Goals he was
to live, and IL he took the rubies he was to
die For some reason, the child took ono Of
the Goals and put it In bis mouth, so that his
life was spared, although II burned the tongue
till he was indistinct OF uttornnce ever after.
Having come to manhood, he spread open the
palms OF his hands in prayer, and the Red
sea parted to let $4,000 people escape
And he put the palms OF his hands together
in prayer, and the Red sea closed on a strangu.
lated host
His life was unutterably grand; his burial
must be on the same scale. God would let
neither man nor saint nor ~archangel ave
anything 70 do with weaving for Him a
shroud or digging for Him a grave. The om-
nipotent God left His throne in heaven one
day, and II the question was asked, "Whither
is the King Of the Universe goingr' the an
swer was, Il am going down 10 bury Moses.n
And the Lord took this mightest OF men TO
the top Of a hill, and the day was clear. and
Moses ran his eye over tho magnificent range
Of country. Here, the valley of Esdrnelou.
where the final battle OF all nations is 10 %
fought, and yonder, the mountains Hermon
and Lebanon aud Gorizim, and hills Of Judea;
and the village OF Bethlchsm there, and the city
Of Jericho yonder, and the vast stretch OF
landscape that almost took the old lnwgfvers
breath away ms he looked at H. And then.
without a pang, As l learn from the state
ment that the eye OF Moses was undimmed
and his natural force undated. God touched
the great lawgtvu's eyes, and they closed:
and his lungs, and they ceased; and his heart,
and Il stoppcd, and commanded, SAYING,
40 tho skies, thou immortal spiritl- And
thcn one divine hand was put against the
back OF Moses. and the other hand against
the pulselss breast, and God laid him softly
down ON Mount Nobo, and then the lawgiver,
lifted in the Almightyls arms, was carried
TO the opening OF a cave and placed In a
crypt, and one stroke OF the Divine hand
amoothed the features into an everlasting
calm, and a rock was rolled TO the door, and
the only ~ohsequies at which God did all the
Offices Of priest and undertaken and grave
digger and mouIner wcro ended.
Oh, was not Miriam, the sister OF Moses,
doing a good thing, an important thing, a
glorious thing when she watc he'd the boat
woven Of river plants and mace water tight
with asl,haltum. carrying it, one p~assangerl
Did she not put all the ages Of time and Of a
coming eternity under obligation when she
defended her helpless brother from the perils
iquaiic, rcptlian and r%avenousi She Il was
lut brought that wonderful babe and his
w..