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| Chapter XV. After mentioning a noble action of the Romans, the writer shows from the deeds of Moses that he had the greatest regard for what is virtuous.
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Chapter XV.
After mentioning a noble action of the Romans, the
writer shows from the deeds of Moses that he had the greatest regard
for what is virtuous.
91. It is related
as a memorable deed of a Roman general,695
| 695 This affair happened
in the war which Pyrrhus waged against the Roman people. Caius
Fabricius was the general who refused to take advantage of the base
offer. |
that when the physician of a hostile king came to him and promised to
give him poison, he sent him back bound to the enemy. In truth,
it is a noble thing for a man to refuse to gain the victory by foul
acts, after he has entered on the struggle for power. He did not
consider virtue to lie in victory, but declared that to be a shameful
victory unless it was gained with honour.696
| 696 Cic. de
Off. III. 22. |
92. Let us return to our hero Moses, and to
loftier deeds, to show they were both superior as well as
earlier. The king of Egypt would not let the people of our
fathers go. Then Moses bade the priest Aaron to stretch his rod
over all the waters of Egypt. Aaron stretched it out, and the
water of the river was turned into blood.697
None could drink the water, and all
the Egyptians were perishing with thirst; but there was pure water
flowing in abundance for the fathers. They sprinkled ashes toward
heaven, and sores and burning boils came upon man and beast.698
They brought down hail mingled
with flaming fire, and all things were destroyed upon the
land.699
Moses prayed, and all things were
restored to their former beauty. The hail ceased, the sores were
healed, the rivers gave their wonted draught.700
93. Then, again, the land was covered with
thick darkness for the space of three days, because Moses had raised
his hand and spread out the darkness.701
All the
first-born of Egypt died, whilst all the offspring of the Hebrews was
left unharmed.702
Moses was
asked to put an end to these horrors, and he prayed and obtained his
request. In the one case it was a fact worthy of praise that he
checked himself from joining in deceit; in the other it was noteworthy
how, by his innate goodness, he turned aside from the foe those
divinely ordered punishments. He was indeed, as it is written,
gentle and meek.703
He knew that
the king would not keep true to his promises, yet he thought it right
and good to pray when asked to do so, to bless when wronged, to forgive
when besought.
94. He cast down his rod and it became a
serpent which devoured the serpents of Egypt;704
this signifying that the Word should become Flesh to destroy the poison
of the dread serpent by the forgiveness and pardon of sins. For
the rod stands for the Word that is true—royal—filled with
power—and glorious in ruling. The rod became a serpent; so
He Who was the Son of God begotten of the Father became the Son of man
born of a woman, and lifted, like the serpent, on the cross, poured His
healing medicine on the wounds of man. Wherefore the Lord Himself
says: “As
Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up.”705
95. Again, another sign which Moses gave
points to our Lord Jesus Christ. He put his hand into his bosom,
and drew it out again, and his hand was become as snow. A second
time he put it in and drew it out, and it was again like the appearance
of human flesh.706
This
signified first the original glory of the Godhead of the Lord Jesus,
and then the assumption of our flesh, in which truth all nations and
peoples must believe. So he put in his hand, for Christ is the
right hand of God; and whosoever does not believe in His Godhead and
Incarnation is punished as a sinner; like that king who, whilst not
believing open and plain signs, yet afterwards, when punished, prayed
that he might find mercy. How great, then, Moses’ regard
for virtue must have been is shown by these proofs, and especially by
the fact that he offered himself on behalf of the people, praying that
God would either forgive the people or blot him out of the book of the
living.707
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