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Article THE DEATH OF MOSES* Page 1 of 1
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The Death Of Moses*
THE DEATH OF MOSES *
The Midrash has the following parable : — When Moses , the faithful servant of God , was to die , and his hour approached , the Lord gathered the angels around His throne . " It is ° now the time , " He said , " to summon the soul of my servant before me : who ; will be my messenger ? " The eldest of the angels , Michael , Raphael , and Gabriel , together with all the otherswho stood before the throne of Divine Glorysaid
, , , " He has been our instructor : O pray thee , let us not demand the soul of that man . " But the apostate Sammael stepped forward , and said , "Here I am , my Lord , send me . " Clad with wrath and cruelty , he descended , the flaming sword in his hand ; and glutted in anticipation ofthe pangs of the ri ghteous . But , on approaching him , he beheld the countenance of Moses , " and his eye was not dimnor his natural force abated . " The great prophet was
, writing his last song , and the holiest name of God . His countenance shone with the calmness of innocence and the purity of heaven . The fiend of man was startled . His sword sank , and he hurried away ; " 1 cannot take the soul of that man , " said he to Jehovah ; " for I have found nothing wrong in him . " Then the Lord himself descended on earth to take the soul of his attached servant ; and his faithful messengers , Michael , Raphael , and
Gabriel , together with all the angels of heaven , descended with Him . They prepared the death-bed of Moses , and stood severally at the head and foot thereof ; and a voice was heard saying , "Fear hot , I myself will bury thee . " Thereupon Moses prepared for death , and sanctified himself , as one of the seraphs is sanctified ; and the Lord called unto his soul , "My daughter , a hundred and twenty years I had appointed unto thee to dwell in the house of my servant . His end has come : henceand
go , linger not . " And tbe soul of Moses said , " O Lord of the universe , I know that thou art the God of all spirits and of all flesh , and that in thy hand are the living and the dying . From thy hand I received tbe fiery law , arid 1 saw thee In the midst of the flames , and Walked the way of heaven . By the power 6 f thine hand I stepped into the king ' s palace , took the croWii from off his head , and wrought many wonders and signs in
Egypt . By the strength of thine arm I led the people forth from the laiid of bondage ; divided the s £ a , turned the bitter waters sWeet , and revealed Thy laws to the children of mail . My dwelling Was under a throne of glory , and my tent under the pillar of fire . I spoke to Thee , face to face , as a friend speaketh to a friend . And now , my days are up , take me , I come unto Thee !" The mercy of the Lord then embraced his servant , and , kissing him , took his soul . Thus Moses died by the mouth of God , who Himself buried him , " and no man knoweth ofhis sepulchre unto this day . "
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Death Of Moses*
THE DEATH OF MOSES *
The Midrash has the following parable : — When Moses , the faithful servant of God , was to die , and his hour approached , the Lord gathered the angels around His throne . " It is ° now the time , " He said , " to summon the soul of my servant before me : who ; will be my messenger ? " The eldest of the angels , Michael , Raphael , and Gabriel , together with all the otherswho stood before the throne of Divine Glorysaid
, , , " He has been our instructor : O pray thee , let us not demand the soul of that man . " But the apostate Sammael stepped forward , and said , "Here I am , my Lord , send me . " Clad with wrath and cruelty , he descended , the flaming sword in his hand ; and glutted in anticipation ofthe pangs of the ri ghteous . But , on approaching him , he beheld the countenance of Moses , " and his eye was not dimnor his natural force abated . " The great prophet was
, writing his last song , and the holiest name of God . His countenance shone with the calmness of innocence and the purity of heaven . The fiend of man was startled . His sword sank , and he hurried away ; " 1 cannot take the soul of that man , " said he to Jehovah ; " for I have found nothing wrong in him . " Then the Lord himself descended on earth to take the soul of his attached servant ; and his faithful messengers , Michael , Raphael , and
Gabriel , together with all the angels of heaven , descended with Him . They prepared the death-bed of Moses , and stood severally at the head and foot thereof ; and a voice was heard saying , "Fear hot , I myself will bury thee . " Thereupon Moses prepared for death , and sanctified himself , as one of the seraphs is sanctified ; and the Lord called unto his soul , "My daughter , a hundred and twenty years I had appointed unto thee to dwell in the house of my servant . His end has come : henceand
go , linger not . " And tbe soul of Moses said , " O Lord of the universe , I know that thou art the God of all spirits and of all flesh , and that in thy hand are the living and the dying . From thy hand I received tbe fiery law , arid 1 saw thee In the midst of the flames , and Walked the way of heaven . By the power 6 f thine hand I stepped into the king ' s palace , took the croWii from off his head , and wrought many wonders and signs in
Egypt . By the strength of thine arm I led the people forth from the laiid of bondage ; divided the s £ a , turned the bitter waters sWeet , and revealed Thy laws to the children of mail . My dwelling Was under a throne of glory , and my tent under the pillar of fire . I spoke to Thee , face to face , as a friend speaketh to a friend . And now , my days are up , take me , I come unto Thee !" The mercy of the Lord then embraced his servant , and , kissing him , took his soul . Thus Moses died by the mouth of God , who Himself buried him , " and no man knoweth ofhis sepulchre unto this day . "