The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-09-18

man Of great authority and power
While all this may be true OF Moses,
yet, as l presented to you last Sunday
evening, We find that he chose rather
20 suffer afilictlon with the people Of
God, than to enjoy all the pleasures OF
the sinful ways of the Egyptian court.
Those of you who were present last
Sunday evening, will remember the point
at which we left the history of Moses.
We mentioned two of the steps which
had been dlvincly directed in preparing
Moses for the special work that God had
for him to do in coming years, viz: d)
The teaching and training in his fathers
home where the principles of righteous
ness and truth and the answering faith
of his fathers in Jehovah were instilled
into his heart during the years of his
boyhood. (2) And the training in the
court Of Pharaoh under the immediate
oversight Of his foster-mother Pharaoli's 8
daughter. And that when he was come
to years, or when he was nigh forty
years OF age, he refused to be called
the son Of Pharaoh's daughter, and went
forth to see how his kindred Jared in the
midst Of their servitude. On that MEM
orable visit the whole of his after life
turned. AS he passed through the midst
of those Hebrew slaves he espied one OF
the tyrannical taskmasters treating with
unwarranted cruelty one of his breth-
rem. This so aroused his indignation that
he at once took and slew the tyrant on
the spot and hid his body in the sands.
Before long this came to the ears OF
Pharaoh, and the king sought to slay
Moses. The result was that Moses fed
from Egypt and came and dwe;t in the
land of indian. Here Moses joined him
10 IANl0
Priest of Midian." Jethro was one who
still retained within himself and sus-
tained among the people surrounding
him the faith of the true God. With
Jethro he settled down for the next forty
years. Here began the third and final
and most important perlod Of Moses
preparations. And now for short time
1 wish to direct your attention to this
part of the life of this great man.
Heretofore we have seen MIN only in
the midst of the great multitude, taken
up with and interested in all the multi
farious duties Of state, amid luxury, ease
comfort and pleasure, but now we are to
follow him through the next forty years
in the wilderness Of indian, as q herds
man, looking after the ilocks OF ,Tethro
who, after a few years, became his faith
er-in-law, Here, then, in the wilderness
away frcm all the hustle of state, in the
qriet solitude of rural iife, alone with
God, rs it were, he gains his final equip
nent :or the subsequent forty years
work wni III God has been ntting him
to do.
Here let every one of us learn thts-one
of the greatest lessons in all the Chris
tian economy-that to be alone with God
Is peace, is security, is life. Solitude,
no Christian can do without solitude;
no Christian can do without the closet.
Enter into thy Closet" says Jesus land
there commune with thy Cod And II
we Christians follow His example, we
viii often seek the solitary place to be
alone with God. He often sought the
mountain loneliness, away from. the noise
and hustle of life 50 thtt he night be
alone with his Father, and from Him
gather resuscitation and strength. And
we can only family aivine what those
times Of solitude meant to him except
when we do the same thing-get alone
with God.
From the moment that Moses took that
visit into the camp Of his brethren, and
saw their condition, 1t Is quite evident
that his mind was made up us 10 what
coarse he should pursue in regard to
them. his heart fairly b!nd with pity
for them, and from all that followed it
is quite Gear that he had decided upon
a course Of deliverance for them. But
for this he was not ready, hence he
was driven into the wilderness Here we
have seen the silent, solemn grandeur
OF nature taught him many needful les
sons. Ee saw the power, wisdom, love
and faithfGlness, of the God in whom
he put his trust. Here he had ample
Iime to perfect all the liVinely suggested