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principles by which he was actuated, were unbelief and cowardice. He had failed in this attempt forty years before, when he had run unsent, and acted in his own strength, and striven for the victory with no other than carnal weapons; and now he is apprehensive of another failure, when expressly sent, and furnished with a wonder-working rod, and assured of success by a God of almighty power and unimpeachable veracity. Moreover, as on the former occasion Pharaoh sought his life, he is afraid to put himself within his reach, lest he should execute his threats upon him.

And what are the pleas whereby we attempt to justify or extenuate our neglect of God? Have they any solidity? yea, have they any foundation in truth? Are they not mere excuses? and is not an aversion to the service to which we are called, the true reason of our declining to engage in it? We will not say in plain words, I hate God; I hate religion; I am determined never to follow the Saviour's steps:' but we pretend that this is not a convenient season, or that the work to which we are called is impracticable. Yes; if we will only suffer our own consciences to speak, they will tell us that our pleas are mere excuses, and that, in fact, we are hypocrites, and dissemblers with God.]

III. However satisfactory our excuses may appear to ourselves, they will only bring upon us the divine displeasure

[Possibly Moses was unable to discern the true workings of his own heart: but did not God spy them out? and was not God's anger kindled against him? How God manifested his anger, we know not: it is sufficient to know God's "judgment was according to truth."

Who then are we, that we should think to impose upon God, or to hide from him the motives by which we are actuated? Has he not cautioned us sufficiently against such fatal mistakes, saying, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap?" Has he not warned

us, that we shall certainly incur his displeasure, if we suffer any thing to keep us back from his service? He has mentioned the excuses made by those whom he invited to his feast: one had bought a piece of ground; and another a yoke of oxen which he wanted to see; another had married a wife, and therefore could not come. Now these were as weighty excuses for not going to an entertainment, as any that you can urge for not serving your God: and yet he declared that none of them should ever taste of his supperh. If this was the doom of those who were invited but once, do you think that you

g ver. 19.

h Luke xiv. 18-24.

shall sit down at his supper, who have rejected ten thousand invitations? No: you may excuse your supineness by saying, "There is a lion in the way; there is a lion in the streets;' but he will say, "Thou wicked and slothful servant!" "Cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness." The spies thought they had reason enough for postponing the invasion of the promised land: but they were all excluded from it; as were all others who yielded to their pernicious counsels.] ADVICE

1. Beware of self-deception

[The heart is deceitful above all things: and we have a subtle adversary, who will not fail to help forward the most fatal delusions. We see how others are biassed, and how empty the pleas are by which they often justify their conduct. Let us see in them an image of ourselves; and learn to suspect the treachery of our own hearts. Let us remember that we cannot deceive our God; and that the time is coming when we shall be judged, not by our professions, but by our practice.]

2. Learn what are the duties to which you are called

[With respect to particular steps in life, it may be extremely difficult to judge: but about a life of devotedness to God there can be no doubt. Endeavour then to ascertain what the Scriptures require of you; and set yourselves instantly to fulfil it. Do not invent excuses to shift off your duty; but look up to God to direct you in his way, and to strengthen you for the performance of all his will.]

3. Yield not to any discouragements in the duty

way of

[It is not to be expected that you should meet with no difficulties. You must doubtless have conflicts, and many of them severe: but "greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world." You may not improperly, in a view of your own weakness, say, "Who is sufficient for these things?" but you must never forget who has said, "My grace is sufficient for you." Go on then, expecting assuredly that "your strength shall be according to your day of trial;" that the weaker you are in yourselves, the more shall "Jehovah's strength be magnified in your weakness;" and that " you shall at last be more than conquerors through Him that loved you."]

i For instance, whether one should go to such or such a station; whether one should undertake the office of a Missionary, &c.

LXVII.

PHARAOH'S IMPIETY.

Exod. v. 2. And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice, to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.

MANY of the characters in the Old Testament are "set forth to us as examples ;" and their history is recorded "for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." Amongst these, Pharaoh holds a very conspicuous place. When he persisted in his rebellion against God, Moses was inspired to declare to him what a monument of God's indignation he should be made to all future generations, and that God had raised him up to his exalted station for that express purpose. Not that God had infused any evil disposition into his mind; but by investing him with regal authority, and continuing him in the exercise of that authority notwithstanding his impious abuse of it, he enabled Pharaoh to display more conspicuously the wickedness of his heart, and to involve himself and his whole kingdom in more awful judgments than he could have done if he had moved in the situation of a private man. St. Paul quotes this declaration, in order to shew, that God disposes of men according to his sovereign will and pleasure, either converting them unto himself, or permitting them to proceed in their wickedness, in such a way as shall ultimately conduce most to the honour of his own name, and to the accomplishment of his own eternal purposes. In this view, the passage before us is commended to us, as of singular importance. It shews us, not only what Pharaoh was, but what human nature itself is, if left to manifest its dispositions without restraint. I shall take occasion from it, therefore, to shew,

I. The impiety of Pharaoh

I will bring it before you in a brief but comprehensive way. Mark,

a 1 Cor. x. 6, 11. b Compare Exod. ix. 16. with Rom. ix. 15-18.

1. Its source

[It arose from pride and ignorance. Because there was no man of greater eminence than himself on earth, this unhappy monarch imagined that there was none above him even in heaven. Poor foolish worm! swelling with his own importance, whilst the plagues inflicted on him shewed how impotent he was to repel the assaults of the meanest insects. What insufferable arrogance was there in that question, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice?" And what horrible impiety in that declaration, "I know not the Lord; neither will I let Israel go!" True, thou son of Belial, thou hast unwittingly assigned the real cause of thine obstinacy: "I know not the Lord." As St. Paul says of the Jews," Had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory," so say I to thee: Hadst thou known what a great and holy Being thou wast resisting, thou wouldst not have dared to withstand him thus. No: thou wouldst have bowed before him, and submitted instantly to his commands. Thy profaneness was proof enough of thine ignorance.]

2. Its operation—

[His obstinacy was irreclaimable, whether by judgments or by mercies. Nine successive plagues, and the removal of them all at thy request, were insufficient to subdue the pride and haughtiness of thy spirit. Not even the tenth, the greatest and heaviest of them all, prevailed on thee to desist from fighting against God. Thy relentings were only momentary: thy hardness returned the very instant thou wast out of the furnace: thine own consent thou didst recall; and follow with murderous rage those thou hadst permitted to go forth from thy land. How blinded wast thou by the wickedness of thine own heart! Thou wast alike insensible to the evil and the danger of thy ways. And in this thou hast shewn what is, in every place and in every age, the sad effect of sin.]

3. Its issue

[Whither did it lead this devoted monarch, but to shame and ruin? Thou saidst, "Neither will I let Israel go." But when that Jehovah whom thou defiedst put forth his hand against thee, thou didst thrust them forth from thy land: and so anxious were thy whole people to get rid of them, that they loaded them with all their most valuable jewels, and with every thing that could be desired to speed their way.

But when they seemed to be entangled in the land, and an opportunity was afforded thee, as thou thoughtest, for their destruction, thou couldst not forbear: thou wouldst seize the occasion, and summon all thine hosts, and execute upon d 1 Cor. ii. 8.

c 1 Sam. ii. 12.

them thy vengeance to the uttermost. Thou sawest the sea opening for them a way: but hadst thou yet to learn that God would put a difference between the Israelites and Egyptians? Presumptuous wretch! thou wouldst follow them even through the sea itself, and lead on in passion thine infatuated hosts. I see thee enter within the watery walls which Omnipotence had raised: but there thou hastenest to thy destruction. Now escape from the snare into which thine impiety has led thee. Thou canst not: thy chariot wheels are broken; and too late dost thou find that Jehovah fights for Israel. Of all that followed this infuriated monarch, not one escaped; the sea came upon them, and overwhelmed them all; not so much as one was left, to report to Egypt the calamity they had sustained.]

But, not to dwell any longer on the impiety of Pharaoh, I shall proceed to that which is of more immediate interest to ourselves; namely, to shew, II. To what an extent a similar spirit prevails amongst us

Το

you the messages of heaven are sent

[We, Brethren, are ambassadors of God to you, and in his sacred name do we bring you the counsels which we offer; and every word that is so delivered, in accordance with his mind and will, must be received, "not as the word of man, but as the word of God himself." To every different class of hearers have we a message suited to their state. We call upon the licentious to forsake their evil ways; the worldling to seek for better things than this world can give; the formal and self-righteous to renounce their self-dependence, and to make the Lord Jesus Christ the ground of all their hopes.]

But who amongst you can be prevailed upon to obey the word?

The

[The same spirit by which Pharaoh was actuated, pervades the great mass of mankind; every one displaying it in a way suited to his own particular state. Some will openly say, with Pharaoh, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice?" Others, who would not altogether express themselves in such impious terms, will yet in effect maintain the same language, and practically follow the same ungodly course. inspired writers give this precise view of the ungodly_world. Job speaks of them, as saying to God in his day, "Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto hime?" David gives a similar representation of them in his day: "They have said, With e Job xxi. 14, 15.

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