had the Israelites gone away from Rameses than Pharaoh repented that he had allowed them to escape. Hastily was his army summoned-" six hundred chosen chariots; and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them "—and the pursuit after Israel was begun. Through this country he would have had no difficulty, as regarded supplies for his army, and, close on his footsteps, he followed Moses down towards Etham. But when the children of Israel reached Etham, a trying and strange command came from God. They were then just about to plunge into the pathless wilderness, and, seemingly, to effect their escape from the great army on their rear, when they were arrested. For the word of the Lord came to Moses, telling him to command the children of Israel “to turn;" and, instead of pursuing their flight by the open road on the east of the Gulf of Suez, to encamp on the western side-in fact, to put the sea between them and the very land they were journeying to. No sooner had they done this than Pharaoh saw his advantage, and, sweeping down from the north, he had them shut up between the desert and the sea. the Atâkah on their left, and the sea in front, he might say, "They are entangled in the land." But this theory is open to many objections. (1.) The Derb-el-Bassatin is by much too long. We were four days, unencumbered as we were, making the journey; the Israelites could not have done it under five or six. Should it, however, be said, that the sacred narrative does not necessarily imply that Succoth and Etham were only one day's march each, and that they may have been only chief halting-places; yet the case will not be bettered, if we consider the number of days that must have been occupied, in connexion with (2.) The want of water. There are only a few brackish springs at Gandeli, about half-way to Tawarak. And supposing that water had even been miraculously supplied-a supposition for which we have no warrant-how could Pharaoh, with his chariots and horses, have passed over such a desert? (3.) It does not suit the sacred narrative. We are told when they came to Etham, the Lord commanded the host "to turn." And where between Troja and Tawarak could this be verified? (4.) Again, the Israelites would not necessarily be "entangled by the land" on the above theory-that Pharaoh was in their rear, and they encamped on Tawarak. Unless, indeed, a portion of his army be supposed to have been sent round by the north of But where was this spot on which we may supAtâkah, shutting up the passage between that pose the Iraelites to have then been? and where mountain and the sea, they could easily have may we suppose the miracle to have taken place escaped round the top of the Gulf of Suez. For that opened a path "through the great waters?” these, and several other objections, the route by Here, again, there are two principal theories. Bassatin seems to me an untenable theory. The other theory has all the air of probability. This begins by fixing the "Rameses," from which the children of Israel set out, not as in the neighbourhood of Memphis, but at Abu Kasheibeh, near the crocodile lakes. We will not enter into the reasons for this identification. Dr Lepsius has very ably discussed the question, and brought forward so many evidences to the truth of it, as to have left the matter all but settled. Taking, then, Abu Kashiebeh as the scene of the setting out, we will find all the other circumstances of the narrative wonderfully consistent. For, about thirty miles to the north of this place stood the great city of Zoan or Tanis, where, according to the Psalmist, the ten plague-miracles of Moses were performed. "Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan" (Ps. lxxviii. 12; see also ver. 43). From Zoan it would have been easy for Moses to communicate his instructions to the Israelites assembled at Rameses; and from Rameses to the head of the Gulf of Suez their route would have been through a country at that time comparatively well supplied, as the great canal, now filled up, passed through it. From Rameses to the head of the Gulf of Suez is a distance of about thirty miles. This they might have marched in two days. Their first day's march was thus to Succoth-"the tents"probably a mere encampment; and the second day, they came to Etham, "on the edge of the wilder Then it was that the children of Israel, "lifting up their eyes," and seeing their retreat thus cut off, were sore afraid, and murmured against Moses. The great biblical geographer, Dr Robinson, fixes the scene of the miracle close to the present town of Suez. There are two things in the narrative which lead him to select this spot. (1.) That locality is one where he thinks the agency of wind could have had the effect described, viz., of laying bare a path by which the Israelites could have crossed, having the sea on either hand. Near Suez are certain shallows, crossing the narrow tongue of sea which runs up past the town. At low tide camels are able to ford across these shallows to the opposite shore. A strong north-east wind, says Dr Robinson, such as that described as the agency used by God, and acting on an ebb tide, would have the effect of blowing these shallows dry, leaving deep water in the channel on either side while the Israelites passed over. (2.) This place alone is suitable, Dr Robinson thinks, if the time is considered. It all happened in one night. Giving sufficient time for the wind to act so as to bare the shallows, and taking the longest possible for the tide remaining at ebb, he finds that we can calculate only on two hours being left for the Israelites to cross. There were more than two million Israelites. Such a column, a thousand abreast, could cross in that time at the place | he specifies. Every other place is too broad for the passage to be thus effected. He accordingly selects the shallows at Suez as the scene of the miracle. Now, while we are at total variance with those who accuse Dr Robinson of "rationalism" and "irreverence," in his view of this miracle, yet we cannot agree with him in his conclusions, nor in the steps by which he arrives at them. We willingly grant that it does not destroy the sublimity of God's miracles to suppose Him using, if He pleases, such an agency as is here said to have been used by Him. Nay, more, if the narrative did not require it on other grounds, we admit that we would not be warranted in supposing in this case any thing more to have taken place than what Dr Robinson describes; and if his account were consistent with itself, with the statements in Exodus, and with the spirit of the other descriptions of the miracle which occur in Scripture, its simply destroying the ideas we have formed in childhood, more perhaps from school pictures than Bible history, would not affect us. But looking at it, first, in the light of matter-of-fact, without reference to any passage in Scripture at all, and supposing that there was nothing more than a very strong north-east wind acting on a low ebb tide, would the facts, as described by Dr Robinson, then be possible on natural grounds? Would the north-east wind that blew the water off the shallows on one side not blow the deep water on the shallows from the other? Nay, more, only fancy such a wind blowing as to hold and keep in check amass of water sufficient to drown and cover the army of Egypt, and then conceive of more than two millions of men, women, and children marching in the teeth of it! We would be compelled to suppose that a whole series of miracles had taken place of which we have not a hint. But, again, let us look at this miracle in the light of descriptions which occur in other parts of Scripture, and I think we will be led, on other grounds, to differ from Dr Robinson. Any one who has seen the shoals at Suez crossed daily by camels without any danger, must feel that the blowing off of the shallow water that covers them by a strong wind, even if that were possible on account of the deep water on the other side, would not be a miracle that would stand very prominent amidst the wonders performed by God for the Israelites. Doubtless, with a cultivated people the moral effect of a miracle does not depend on its physical magnitude. The sudden change, too, from despair to triumph, as the Israelites saw the great army of Egypt, which was threatening them, destroyed so suddenly, would have a certain result in making that deliverance signally memorable. Still, allowing these considerations to have all due weight, one can scarcely read through the Old Testament without feeling that there was something about this miracle that, in point of intrinsic magnitude, as well as result, made it the miracle in the history of the nation. Look at the language of the song of Moses, immediately after its occurrence:-"The people shall hear, and be afraid sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina. Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. Fear and dread shall fall upon them." Look, again, how, forty years after it, when the spies came into Jericho, we find Rahab telling them "I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt." (Josh. ii. 9, 10.) Turn up the book of Psalms at random, and you will meet but few pages in which there is not some allusion to this miracle. All these circumstances, while they do not prove anything, yet leave an unmistakeable impression on one's mind that this was a great miracle, physically as well as morally. It was one which was to strike wonder into a barbarian people, and whose report was to pass even to the cities of Palestine. " But there is evidence of a positive nature, and expressions used in Scripture which it is quite impossible fairly to reconcile, in our opinion, with the theory of Dr Robinson. In the song of Moses we have this language used :-"With the blast of thy nostrils were the waters gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the DEPTHS were congealed in the heart of the sea. And this exactly corresponds with the language used elsewhere,-"leading them through the depths," "the depths covering the Egyptians," being the forms of expression usually employed. All these things tend to establish the conclusion that something of quite a different nature from that which Dr Robinson supposes must have occurred. Undoubtedly wind was the agency used by God, and was in all probability the only cause apparent to the children of Israel. But yet this wind, if we are to take the language of Moses, as quoted above, to mean what it seems to do, must have been accompanied by a power producing effects which wind alone could not accomplish. Just as when Elijah smote the Jordan with his mantle, he used an agent, but that agent was merely an external sign with which there operated a miraculous energy quite independent. Just as our Lord anointed the eyes of the blind with clay. Thus, too, with this strong wind that blew, there also may have been a distinct putting forth of miraculous power, which "divided the waters," so that "they stood together as an heap," and "their depths were congealed in the heart of the sea;" so that, while the Israelites passed, they had not merely the defence of deep waters on either side the shallows, but that the waters "were as a wall also on their right hand and on their left." If this may be considered, as many are led to consider it, the most natural understanding of the occurrence as we gather it from the whole Scripture narrative, then we are at once freed from both of Dr Robinson's requirements. We need not, then, look out for a spot where the agency of wind alone could produce the result of clearing a passage for the Israelites to pass on dry land-nor are we any longer limited to the space of two hours for their crossing, as we have nothing more to do with the ebb tide, nor have we to "allow" so much of the night as may be considered sufficient for the wind to act in the natural or unnatural manner above indicated. Where, then, may we place the scene of the passage? Somewhere where the children of Israel would be "entangled in the land," where "the land would shut them in." The great plain of Tawarak is the spot fixed upon by many as the one which corresponds most to these conditions. But, if attention is paid to the true character of the ground, another scene still may be found to have, we think, more claims to be regarded as the true one than any other. If one looks at the common maps of Tawarak and the ground around Gebel Atâkah, they will be led to think that, from the north of Atâkah to the plain of Tawarak, there they were commanded "to turn" at Etham, they marched round the head of the Red Sea, past the long flats around Ajerud and Suez, southwards along the coast, until they reached the Wady-elEdeb; suppose Pharaoh in pursuit, coming down on their rear, and his army to be thrown across from the northern roots of Atakah to the sea, and then notice how completely the Israelites must have thus been "entangled in the land." On their right, the amphitheatre of steep bluffs that I have described, sweeping round from the sea to is an open, continuous strip along the shores of the Red Sea, by which the Israelites could have marched uninterruptedly down to that plain. But this by no means agrees with the fact. The Tawarak is an open plain about fifteen miles long from west to east, and, on the side next the sea, about as many broad. Speaking generally, it is hemmed in on its three sides by mountains, and by the sea on its fourth or eastern side. And on this plain the Israelites, if Pharaoh's army shut up the passage on the north, would certainly "be entangled in the land." But the traveller will observe some very marked features in the character of this plain at its northern end, which materially affect the question as to the locality of the miracle. On the south side the plain is low and level, so that if one were moving along its southern skirts from the sea, they would find but a gentle ascent inwards. But if you traverse it from the southwest to the north-east corner, you find that, instead of descending as you draw near the sea, you are gradually ascending, till within about two miles of the latitude of Gebel Atâkah, when all at once this slope which you have been ascending breaks precipitately into steep bluffs, that sweep round from the sea on the east until they join themselves to the roots of Atâkah on the north and west. Their formation has the character of a great wall from 100 to 150 feet high, shutting in on the south the whole of the plain which stretches down from Suez, between Atâkah and the sea, and down which we suppose the Israelites to have marched from Etham. When we dedescended from that higher plain of Tawarak, it was by a steep and rugged zig-zag, and we then found ourselves on this altogether new plain, called by our Towara "Wady-el-Edeb." It averaged from a mile to two miles in breadth, and stretched on for several miles along the coast, with Atâkah rising steeply from it on the west, and joined itself on to the open ground around Suez on the north. It is this Wady-el-Edeb, further north than Tawarak, and further south than Suez, and under Atakah, that we imagined as the spot on which the Israelites were gathered, rather than on Tawarak, according to some, or on the wastes of Suez, according to Robinson. Suppose that when Atakah like a wall, hemming them in from the great desert beyond; behind them, the towering masses of Atâkah; on their left, the hosts of Pharaoh, cutting off their retreat; and in front, the Red Sea. Here also there is another local advantage which this spot possesses, here they would be quite near to that long for point of land which runs out into the sea towards Ain Musa, on the opposite shore. Across to the other side must be a distance considerably under eight miles, if allowance be made for the point. Under such circumstances as these describedthe Israelites being completely surrounded-we can easily recognise the details of the sacred narrative. "And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord, and they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness. And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew you to-day; for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace." And so, when the sun had sunk and night fell on them, full of fears for the morrow, the word came from the Lord, "Speak unto the people, that they go for ward," and as Moses lifted up his rod in front, the strong wind swept down upon the sea, the waves were cut asunder in the midst, a path opened up before the host, "and all that night the waters stood together as an heap." Down that path went the long column of Israel-with on either side that wall of waters-the "depths congealed in the heart of the sea," and all the while behind them burned in the darkness the pillar of fire. Into the same depths came Pharaoh with his proud chariots and horsemen. They followed the Israelites into the midst of the sea; but when there, and in the darkest hour before dawn, the "Lord looked through the cloud and troubled the Egyptians." Their chariot wheels came off so that they could not drive, and then, as around them they heard the roar of the vexed waves, eager as hounds held in the leash, they remembered the wonders of Moses in Egypt, and a panic seized them. They thought no longer of pursuit, but escape, and in the confusion of terror they struggled backwards. But, just as the gray light of morning broke over the white desert hills, and across the stormy sea, Moses stood forth on the Asian shore, while around him were the ten thousands of Israel. In the name of the God of Israel, he raised aloft once more the sacred rod, the sea broke her bars, the waves lifted their crests, and in one plunge, confounding chariot and horseman, the great deep rolled in relentless power over the pride of Egypt. And then came that grand closing scene, when, as the full glory of dawn burst in splendour from the east, and as every sunlit wave seemed to dance in the joy of victory, there swelled up from a million tongues that great song of praise" Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.' "Sing! for the pride of the tyrant is broken, His chariots, his horsemen, all splendid and brave. How proud was their boasting! The Lord hath but spoken, And chariots and horsemen are drown'd in the wave!" "The Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever." A VISION OF LIFE. I STOOD upon a rock, and, looking across a dark and stormy sea which rolled beneath, I discovered the shore of a distant country. Faint and shadowy at first, it seemed as I gazed to draw nearer; and I perceived that it was an island, surrounded on every side by that dark sea. Very fair was the isle, gleaming in the sunlight that shone brightly upon it, though no ray ever pierced the surrounding gloom. The fields were green and luxuriant, and trees of varied form and hue spread out their leafy boughs, as if rejoicing in the genial air. Nor was this beautiful island without inhabitants. The shore was thronged with men hurrying to and fro, and the murmur of voices and the mingled sounds of busy life were borne to my ear. As the scene became more distinct, I marked the various occupations in which these people were engaged. Some were tilling the ground, some planting, some building, some were looking on in earnest attention or quiet enjoyment, while others wandered about contemplating the beauties of their abode, and searching out its wonders. I watched them pursuing so eagerly their schemes of labour or of pleasure, thinking how happy they were in the rich resources and numberless enjoyments of their island home, when suddenly, to my horror and dismay, I saw a great wave roll on from the sea, and, dashing into the midst of a group of labourers, sweep away a number of them to the abyss. As I continued to gaze, I saw that to these islanders this was no strange or unusual event. The land rose little above the level of the sea, and when the tide swelled high, no part of the island seemed safe from its overflow. Every moment some wave came rolling in, now here, now there, and bore off its prey; and sometimes a great billow would sweep far along the coast, and overwhelm multitudes in its course. But great was my amazement to see that the people shewed little alarm in the midst of such imminent danger. It is true, they appeared troubled and sorrowful for a little while when a companion was swept away from their side, but soon it was forgotten, and they would return to their labour or their pastime as if they had no fear of such a calamity overtaking themselves. "O miserable men! thought I; "how awful is the fate that threatens you! Is there no way of escape from that devouring flood?" While pondering on these things, I had withdrawn my eyes from the scene that had so long held them; and becoming aware that some one was near, I turned, and saw one like a Holy Messenger standing beside me. I was about to ask for an explanation of what I had witnessed, when he gave me a little book, saying that it would tell me all I wished to know. I opened the book and found in it a history of the island and its inhabitants, which was as follows: "Long ago, a great King prepared this island to be a habitation for some of his subjects. He furnished it with everything needful for their comfort and happiness; and to secure it from the encroachments of the sea, he surrounded it with a high and strong wall. In this wall there was a gate; but the King, when he placed his people upon the island, strictly forbade them to open it, warning them of the consequences that would follow their disobedience. "No sooner, however, were they left in possession, than they forgot the orders of their King. They went towards the gate, drawn by eager curiosity to know what lay beyond, and soon they ventured to unfasten its bolts. Now, too late, they saw what they had done. The strong tide passed on, and burst open the gate in spite of all their efforts to close it. While they fled in terror, the black waves came rushing in, and in their recoil swept away the gate, and overthrew the wall, leaving nothing but broken fragments. "In their distress they did not call upon their King for assistance. The thought of their disobedience made them feel separated and estranged from him, and there was nothing they so much dreaded as his coming. Yet he, in his mercy, did not leave them to their fate. He sent his own Son for their deliverance, who, through many toils and sufferings, prepared for them a place of safety. He built up the broken wall, and then diving down into the abyss, he recovered from its depths the buried gate, and set it up, and secured it, that it should no more be opened. The walls of safety indeed, seemed anxious to be at peace with their did not now surround the whole island, but the neighbours, and to do them kindness; but among best and most beautiful portion of it was enclosed most of them, I saw mutual wrong, hatred, and in them—a region wide enough for all the inhabi- | contention, and this at times kindling to such tants to dwell in. None could be admitted by the fury, that they would rush upon their own de great gate; for had it been in the power of the struction, precipitating themselves and one another people to open it, they would have brought ruin into the abyss. upon themselves as before. So the Prince provided another entrance. In a place where the wall ran along the face of a hill, he made a passage beneath it, and placed there a door, which should open to all who applied for admission. The way thither is dark and low, but it is a way of safety, and a lamp is always burning at the door, so that the seeker cannot fail to find it." Having read thus far, I raised my eyes to look for this place of refuge, which I had not discovered in my former observations. But now, directed by my companion, I caught sight of its walls rising at some distance from the shore, "Ah! why," I asked, "since a way of escape is provided, and safety is offered to all, why do these still linger on the brink of destruction? Why do they not fly at once to the place of refuge?" "Many," he replied, "have joyfully embraced their Prince's offers, and have entered into his kingdom, (for so he calls that place of safety, where his faithful servants dwell.) But, alas! the greater number prefer remaining outside. They refuse his invitations, although he entreats them to come in, and has given them that book, which you have been reading, to let them know what he has done for them, and to point out the way of entrance. "Some of them hardly ever think of their danger. They are so engrossed in the objects that surround them, that they never look towards the flood, or dread its threatening waves, till suddenly it overtakes them, and bears them away. Some think, that though there may be more security in the place of refuge, it is like a prison-house of restraint and gloom; and they cannot bear to leave ali the enjoyments of their present abode, and confine themselves within those walls. They know not that all that is good and fair outside, is there in greater perfection-that the peace and love that reigns within gild all things with a brighter hue— that the air is softer, and the leaves greener-and the flowers of joy, so thinly scattered in the outer fields, so stained and broken by the black waves that have rolled over them, bloom there all fresh and beautiful. Many there are too proud to accept safety from any but themselves. You may see them toiling to raise up vain defences, which the first wave will overthrow. To others, the dark and descending path, the low door of entrance, are the great objection. They would gladly be admitted, but not by that way. So they waste their strength in vain efforts to climb over the wall, or in applying at that gate which will never open to them." As I continued to survey the island, I saw that the people on its shore had many troubles besides the inroads of the sea. They had rebelled against their King, and thrown off his yoke, so he left them to shape their own course, and follow their own pleasure; and many were the ills they had brought upon themselves in consequence. Some, But now I had gazed long enough on this melancholy scene, and my companion brought me to view the happy region of peace and safety. Many, I found, were the blessings enjoyed by those who entered here. Chief of them all is this, that they are now reconciled to their King, that he is become their friend and guardian, and looks upon them with favour and love. It is their constant delight to do his will, and obey all his commands. greatest grief is the condition of those who remain outside, and often they mount the wall and call to them, entreating them to come in. Their But the King does not suffer them to remain on this island for ever. After they have served him for a little time, he calls them away to a better country, to dwell with him in his own palace. When the summons comes, they must go down by a passage in the wall to that dark and rolling sea; but ere their feet touch the waters, a bark is ready to receive them, and bear them in safety to their eternal home. When daylight began to fade over the island, I heard the evening hymn raised by the watchers on the walls, and swelled by a thousand voices from within. They sang in words like these the praises of their Prince and Saviour "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, "And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; "To him be glory and dominion for ever and "Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, WOMAN'S NOBLEST ATTITUDE. A PHOTOGRAPH FROM THE GOSPEL HISTORY. (Continued from page 35.) THESE Women were drawn to Christ by an attraction more than magnetic, He had a double claim upon them; He had signalised His power and mercy in freeing them from some of these distressing maladies with which sinful humanity is righteously stricken. "The Twelve were with Him, and certain women which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities." But unlike the nine lepers whose hearts the cleansing of their loathsome flesh left all unhealed, the hearts of these dear women had been won to their blessed Benefactor, and clung to Him. Thus they owed to Him their souls, even more than their bodily health; and this, as it drew them to Christ, drew Him to them. The "infirmities' were just the ordinary maladies to which mankind are subject; the "evil spirits" were those demoniacal possessions, the reality of which, however mysterious, it is impossible to deny, without destroying the authenticity of the Gospel History. Three of these women are specified by name, as samples of the company. First " Mary Magda |