sinner is not usually born again to a new life without passing through affliction; there must be weeping and often groaning. But the Lord sees the groaning of his people; as the psalmist says, "My groaning is not hid from thee." "Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?" His tears were noticed by God, as if preserved in a bottle, or registered in a book. What wonderfully consoling words are these! Was there ever such watchful tenderness shown by man as is here told us is shown by God? "I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched-out arm, and with great judgments; and I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God." What loving-kindness on the part of God towards his poor servants, Moses and Aaron! He multiplies his promises and encouragements, to animate and cheer them. He places before them :1. His name and the example of their fathers; 2. His covenant; 3. His tender mercy; 4. What he designed to do at that present time; 5. What he designed to do in the future. When you read the Bible, my children, you ought to remember the words, I am Jehovah; that is to say, that the words written in it are not those of men. Thus, when you are in affliction, anxiety, and trouble, remember that these are the words of God, and they will comfort and strengthen you. Moses, doubtless, encouraged by this wonderful revelation, went to tell the Israelites of the glorious promises that he had just received. But imagine his grief. He was not listened to by his fellow-countrymen on account of two causes, which are explained to us in the ninth verse of the sixth chapter. The first cause was their anguish of spirit. They were so oppressed and bowed down that they could not receive consolation. The second cause was the cruel bondage of the Israelites. They were not allowed any time for reflection, they were slaves; they did not belong to themselves any more than an ox or a horse belongs to itself. They were treated as the poor negroes now are in many places, and were forced to labour by the whips of their taskmasters. What did Moses do? Alas! he became discouraged again, he gave way to despair; and it was then that God spoke to him once more, but for the purpose of giving him a command much more difficult than the former one. The children of Israel do not hear en to you-well, "Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land." 66 He will destroy me," thought Moses. His answer was very natural, but very sinful; natural to the heart of man, but sinful after God had given him such great and positive promises. Moses spake before the Lord. It appears from these words that God manifested his presence on this occasion in a visible manner; nevertheless, such was the state of discouragement and weakness of his servant, that Moses ventured once more to answer him in some such words as these :"Thou hast sent me to my brethren, and they have not listened to me. How can I believe that the terrible Pharaoh, my enemy, and the enemy of my God, will be willing to hear me, especially as 'I am of uncircumcised lips.'" Moses here alludes, on the one hand, to an impediment in his speech with which he was afflicted; : on the other, to the ceremony of circumcision, which was an outward and visible sign under the old covenant of the change which God works in his elect by his Holy Spirit after they have believed. Moses seemed to say, "This change that the heart of man needs is required also by lips, so that I may also speak in thy name; and thou hast not accomplished this change, O Lord." But the Lord did not accept this excuse. On the contrary, he commanded Moses and Aaron to fulfil their mission both among the Israelites, although they. had not been listened to by them, and to Pharaoh, notwithstanding he had said, "I know not the Lord." XIII. The Interview with the King. (EXODUS Vii. 1-13.) HESE verses may be divided into two very distinct parts. In the first part, God declares what he intends to do; in the second, he begins to execute his judgments. In the first he says to Moses and Aaron, I will send you to "speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land. . But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord." In the second, we find the two old men in the king's presence. "Show a miracle," said he to them. Aaron, who held in his hand the rod of Moses, threw it down, and it became a serpent; but the magicians by their enchantments imitated the miracle, and, although the rod of Aaron swallowed up their rods, the heart of the wicked Pharaoh was hardened. All this teaches us a great lesson. God gives us every day, and in many ways, as he gave to Pharaoh, striking and evident proofs of his truth; but the devil is always seeking to weaken the effects of them upon our souls by counterfeit and weak imitations. I have already told you that if we neglect the things that concern our salvation, as was the case with Pharaohif, as he did, we put off attending to them; if we permit other things to distract our thoughts and waste our time; if we neglect prayer; if we give ourselves up to the dominion of some favourite and besetting sin-we shall expose ourselves to the terrible judgment which fell upon him. The proofs and evidences which God has given us, in order to draw us to himself, will make no lasting and salutary impression upon us. The wiles of the devil entice us to our ruin; and our hearts, like that of Pharaoh, become more and more hardened. In our last lesson you recollect that Moses in his deep despondency said to God, "The children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?" We now read how God answered him, saying, "See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet." The first of these expressions means that Moses was the ambassador of God, and represented him-speaking in his name, exercising authority for him, denouncing threatenings, calling for judgments and praying for their suspension; so that, instead of trembling with terror before the powerful king of Egypt, Moses, on the contrary, made Pharaoh tremble. A prophet, as you know, is a man by the mouth of whom God speaks. At the same time, then, that Moses was a god to Pharaoh, Moses would have a prophet, that is, a man who would speak for him. "I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say . . . . and he shall be thy spokesman unto the people,” which is, that each of you shall be able to do what the other cannot, and thus complete what is to be done. Do not say any longer, I am a man of uncircumcised lips;-as the messenger of God, thou shalt inflict and shalt be the means of staying the plagues which are to be inflicted on Egypt and its king; and as thy prophet, Aaron shall announce them and threaten Pharaoh with them. The Lord himself also explains these two terms-"Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land. And I will harden Pharaoh's heart." It was Pharaoh who hardened himself, and God, by a just judgment, left him to the evil inclinations of his own heart. Observe how God describes, in the following verses, the way in which he was pleased to order the deliverance of his people. "I will multiply my signs and my wonders. . . . But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth my armies (he here speaks as a general would speak, so as to increase their confidence), and my people the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by great |