9 1But Moses the prophet of God shall meet and stem the strong current of their boldness, though, setting before them as their king their boldest and most cunning eloquence, they come rushing with united onset, though they mass their wealth of water and their tide is as the tide of a river. “Behold,” he says, “the King of Egypt comes to the water, but thou shalt stand meeting him at the edge of the river” (Ex. 7:15). 2The fool, then, will go forth to the rushing flood of the iniquities and passions, which Moses likens to a river. But the wise man in the first place gains a privilege vouchsafed to him from God, who ever stands fast, a privilege which is the congener of His power which never swerves and never wavers. 3For it was said to him “Stand thou here with me” (Deut. 5:31), to the end that he should put off doubt and hesitation, the qualities of the unstable mind, and put on that surest and most stable quality, faith. This is his first privilege—to stand; but secondly—strange paradox—he “meets.” For “thou shalt stand meeting” says the text, though “meet” involves the idea of motion and “stand” calls up the thought of rest. 4Yet the two things here spoken of are not really in conflict, but in most natural sequence to each other. For he whose constitution of mind and judgement is tranquil and firmly established will be found to oppose all those who rejoice in surge and tumult and manufacture the storm to disturb his natural capacity for calmness.